Conrad the Elder (died about 864) was a prominent

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

in the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

, and member of the

Elder House of Welf The Elder House of Welf (known as Rudolphins in Burgundy) was a Frankish noble dynasty of European rulers documented since the 9th century. Closely related to the Carolingian dynasty, it consisted of a Burgundian and a Swabian group. It has n ...

. He was

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of several

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Alamannia Alamannia, or Alemania, was the kingdom established and inhabited by the Alemanni, a Germanic tribal confederation that had broken through the Roman '' limes'' in 213. The Alemanni expanded from the Main River basin during the 3rd century and ...

, most notably the counties of Argengau and

Linzgau Linzgau is a historic region in Southern Germany, Southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley. Geography The region is bounded by the shore of Lake Constance on the sou ...

, north of the

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

. Conrad was son of count

Welf I Welf I or Welfo (died before 876) was a Swabian nobleman. He was a member of the Elder House of Welf. Welf was probably a son of Conrad I of Auxerre, and seems to have taken over his father's offices in Swabia, namely: count of Alpgau, count ...

and countess Heilwig. Both of Conrad's sisters married into the

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Franks, Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Pippinids, Arnulfi ...

: the elder

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

was second wife of emperor

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

, while younger Emma was wife of king

Louis the German Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...

East Francia East Francia (Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire created in 843 and ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was established through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the for ...

. In 853-858, Conrad's sons left

, and went over to king

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

West Francia In medieval historiography, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () constitutes the initial stage of the Kingdom of France and extends from the year 843, from the Treaty of Verdun, to 987, the beginning of the Capet ...

, who was Judith's son and thus Conrad's nephew. Since Conrad already held some lands in the West-Frankish

County of Auxerre The County of Auxerre was a medieval and early modern county in the West Frankish Kingdom, and consequently in the Kingdom of France. Its capital was the city of Auxerre. It was commonly associated with the Duchy of Burgundy. History The f ...

, including the position of a lay abbot of Saint-Germaine in

Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...

, his son Conrad the Younger was appointed Count of Auxerre by king Charles, while the other son

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

became a monk and

Abbot of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre The Abbey of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre is a former Benedictine monastery in central France, dedicated to its founder Saint Germain of Auxerre, the bishop of Auxerre, who died in 448. It was founded on the site of an oratory built by Germanus in hon ...

. It is assumed that king Louis of East Francia reacted by confiscating most of their old fiefs and lands in Alamannia and Bavaria. The '' Miracula Sancti Germani'' calls Conrad ''Chuonradus princeps'' (prince, sovereign), when recording his marriage. By some accounts his wife re-married to

Robert the Strong Robert the Strong (; c. 830 – 866) was the father of two kings of West Francia: Odo (or Eudes) and Robert I of France. His family is named after him and called the Robertians. In 853, he was named '' missus dominicus'' by Charles the Bald, ...

after his death.

Family

Between 834 and 838, Conrad married

Adelaide of Tours Adelaide of Tours (''Adélaïde'', 820 – 866) was a prominent noblewoman in the Carolingian Empire and daughter of count Hugh of Tours and his wife Ava, who was a sister of count Matfrid of Orléans. She married an East Frankish nobleman ...

, daughter of Hugh of Tours. They had: * Conrad the Younger (II), Count of Auxerre, Lord of Transjuran Burgundy. *

, the

. * Probably his son was also

count of Alpgau and Linzgau in Swabia

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad the Elder 864 deaths Alemannic people Counts of the Holy Roman Empire 9th-century counts in Europe 9th-century people from East Francia 9th-century people from West Francia Year of birth unknown