Conrad II ( – 20 July 1039), called the Younger (), a member of the

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty () 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 last Ottonia ...

, was the

duke of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (; ; ) 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 after the original German stem duchy, stem duc ...

and

margrave of Verona Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

from 1035 until his death.

Biography

Conrad's parents were Duke Conrad I of Carinthia and his wife

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...

, a daughter of 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. His father died in 1011, when Conrad the Younger was still a minor, and King

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

vested Adalbero of Eppenstein with the Carinthian duchy. Instead Conrad succeeded his father as count in the Salian home territories of

Nahegau The Nahegau was a county in the Middle Ages, which covered the environs of the Nahe and large parts of present-day Rhenish Hesse, after a successful expansion of the narrow territory, which did not reach the Rhine, to the disadvantage of the Wo ...

Speyergau Speyergau was a medieval county in the East Frankish ( German) stem duchy of Franconia. It was centred around the administrative centre of Speyer and roughly covered the former Roman administrative area of Civitas Nemetum, which is today the s ...

, and

Wormsgau The Wormsgau () was a medieval Gau (territory), county in the East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) stem duchy of Duchy of Franconia, Franconia, comprising the surroundings of the city of Worms, Germany, Worms and further territo ...

. In the conflict over the heritage of Duke Herman II of Swabia he allied with his Salian cousin Conrad the Elder (the son of his paternal uncle

Henry of Speyer Henry of Speyer (, also ''Heinrich von Worms''; – 989/992 or 28 March 997),Hermann Grote: ''Stammtafeln. Mit Anhang: Calendarium medii aevi'' (= ''Münzstudien.'' Bd. 9). Hahn, Leipzig 1877,Digitalisat p 35 a member of the Salian dynasty, w ...

) against Duke Adalbero of Carinthia, whom they defeated in a 1019 battle near

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

. When Emperor Henry II died in 1024, Conrad the Younger, like his father Conrad I and his grandfather

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

in 1002, was a candidate for the

German king This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...

ship. Nevertheless, through the agency of Court Chaplain

Wipo of Burgundy Wipo of Burgundy (also Wippo or Wigbert; – ), often simply Wipo, was a priest, poet and chronicler. He was a chaplain to the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II and may have acted as a tutor to his son Henry III, to whom he dedicated a number of w ...

, he renounced in favour of his cousin Conrad the Elder, who was elected king. In compensation, Conrad the Younger may have been promised the succession in the Carinthian duchy. Nevertheless, while Conrad the Elder proceeded to his

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1027, an open conflict arose between the cousins until Conrad the Younger finally submitted in September. In May 1035, Duke Adalbero of Carinthia rebelled against Salian rule and was deprived of his duchy. Conrad the Younger was chosen to replace him and finally received Carinthia, though without the Carantanian march. In 1036-37 he accompanied the emperor on his expedition to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and acceded the custody of the arrested Archbishop Aribert of Milan, who however soon escaped. Conrad did not live long thereafter, dying in 1039. He was buried alongside his father and mother Matilda in

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

. On his death, his natural heir was the Salian king Henry III, son and successor of Conrad the Elder. No marriage is recorded of Conrad, though a son, named Cuno, appears in 1056, selling

Bruchsal Bruchsal (; South Franconian: ''Brusl'') is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Bruchsal is the lar ...

to King Henry IV. However, it is more likely that Cuno was the 'son of' Bishop Conrad of Speyer since Bruchsal was in the church's hands by this time.

Sources

* {{Authority control Salian dynasty Dukes of Carinthia 1000s births 1039 deaths Carinthia People from former German states in Rhineland-Palatinate Burials at Worms Cathedral