Conrad I ( – 12 or 15 December 1011), a member of the

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the la ...

, was

Duke of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (german: Herzogtum Kärnten; sl, Vojvodina Koroška) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial State ...

from 1004 until his death.

Biography

He was the third son of Duke

Otto I of Carinthia Otto I (c. 950 – 4 November 1004), called Otto of Worms, a member of the Salian dynasty, was Duke of Carinthia from 978 to 985 and again from 1002 until his death. Biography Otto was the only son of Conrad the Red, Duke of Lotharingia, and L ...

(d. 1004), who at the time of his birth ruled the

Wormsgau The Wormsgau ( la, pagus wormatiensis) was a medieval county in the East Frankish (German) stem duchy of Franconia, comprising the surroundings of the city of Worms and further territories on the left bank of the Upper Rhine river. Together with t ...

Rhenish Franconia Rhenish Franconia (german: Rheinfranken) or Western Franconia () denotes the western half of the central German stem duchy of Franconia in the 10th and 11th century, with its residence at the city of Worms. The territory located on the banks of ...

. Conrad thereby was the younger brother of Count

Henry of Speyer Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

(d. about 990), the father of the first Salian emperor

Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

, and brother of

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters *Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

(d. 999), who prepared for an ecclesiastical career and became the first German

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

as Gregory V in 996. His Salian grandfather

Conrad the Red Conrad ( – 10 August 955), called the Red (german: Konrad der Rote), was Duke of Lorraine from 944 until 953. He became the progenitor of the Imperial Salian dynasty. Life He was the son of Werner V (died about 935), a Franconian count in the ...

had been a loyal supporter of King

Otto I of Germany Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

and in turn was enfeoffed with the Duchy of

Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...

(Lorraine) in 944. He built close relations with the ruling

Ottonian dynasty The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after th ...

by marrying the king's daughter Liutgarde in 947. However, in 953 he was deposed upon his involvement in an unsuccessful rebellion by Otto's son Duke Liudolf of Swabia against his uncle Duke Henry I of Bavaria. Conrad's father Otto of Worms ruled over several Frankish '' Gaue'', he was first vested with the Duchy of Carinthia in 978 by Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...

after the deposition of the

Luitpolding The Luitpoldings were a medieval dynasty which ruled the German stem duchy of Bavaria from some time in the late ninth century off and on until 985. Origins The descent of the East Frankish Luitpoldings has not been conclusively established. The ...

duke Henry the Younger in the War of the Three Henries. Otto of Worms remained a supporter of the Ottonian dynasty, even though he had to renounce the duchy, when the emperor's widow

Theophanu Theophanu (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority of their son, Emperor O ...

reconciled with Henry the Younger in 985. Not until the death of the Ottonian duke Henry the Wrangler in 995, he was again vested with Carinthia and also ruled in the

March of Verona The March of Verona and Aquileia was a vast Marches, march (frontier district) of the Holy Roman Empire in the northeastern Italian peninsula during the Middle Ages, centered on the cities of Verona and Aquileia. Seized by King Otto I, Holy Roman ...

. Conrad had already outlived his elder brothers, when upon the sudden death of Emperor

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

in 1002, his father Otto of Worms was candidate in the royal German

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operat ...

but renounced in favour of the Ottonian duke Henry IV of Bavaria, the son of late Duke Henry the Wrangler. In that year or thereabouts, Conrad married

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

, daughter of Henry's rival, the

Conradine The Conradines or Conradiner were a dynasty of Franconian counts and dukes in the 8th to 11th Century, named after Duke Conrad the Elder and his son King Conrad I of Germany. History The family is first mentioned in 832, with Count Gebhard in ...

duke Herman II of Swabia.Stefan Weinfurter, ''The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition'', 46. Unlike his father, Conrad supported Herman's bid for the German throne. Finally, Henry was elected and crowned

King of the Romans King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German k ...

(as Henry II) on 7 June. Conrad and Matilda had two sons: * Conrad the Younger, Duke of Carinthia from 1036 *

, Bishop of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

from 1034. Conrad's marriage with Matilda was

consanguineous Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fro ...

and was condemned by Henry II (her father's rival) at the synod of Thionville (January 1003). Nevertheless, the couple remained together until Conrad's death in 1011. When Otto of Worms died in 1004, his only surviving son Conrad could succeed him as Carinthian duke and Margrave of Verona. Upon Conrad's early death, his minor son with Matilda, Conrad the Younger, was passed over in the succession for the Duchy of Carinthia. Instead King Henry II of Germany passed the duchy to Adalbert of Eppenstein, who was married to Matilda's sister, Beatrice.Boshoff, ''Die Salier'', pp. 25f. Conrad was buried in

Worms Cathedral St Peter's Cathedral (German: ''Wormser Dom'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral in Worms, southern Germany. The cathedral is located on the highest point of the inner city of Worms and is the most important building of the Ro ...

. His widow Matilda secondly married Duke Frederick II of Lorraine (d. 1026) and thirdly the

Ascanian The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schlos ...

count

Esico of Ballenstedt Esico of Ballenstedt (died around 1060) is the progenitor of the House of Ascania, (i.e., the oldest known member of his dynasty). Esico was the count of Ballenstedt (r. 1036-1060), and his possessions became the nucleus of the later Principality ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad 01, Duke of Carinthia Salian dynasty Dukes of Carinthia 970s births 1011 deaths Year of birth uncertain Burials at Worms Cathedral