Conrad of Antioch ( it, Corrado d'Antiochia; born 1240/41, died after 1312) was a scion of an illegitimate branch of the imperial

Staufer dynasty The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

and a nobleman of the Kingdom of Sicily. He was the eldest son of Frederick of Antioch, imperial vicar of Tuscany, and Margherita di Poli. He was thus a grandson of the Emperor Frederick II (reigned 1220–50), a nephew of King

Manfred of Sicily Manfred ( scn, Manfredi di Sicilia; 123226 February 1266) was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death. The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over the ...

(1258–66) and cousin of King

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (german: link=no, Konradin, it, Corradino), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duk ...

(1266–68). His surname, which is contemporary, comes from his paternal grandmother, a mistress of Frederick II from

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. He may be called "Conrad I" to distinguish him from his descendants with the same given name. Conrad's activity was mainly confined to the north of the Kingdom of Sicily and to the

Papal State The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

. Under Manfred, he governed several counties and held numerous castles in fief in the region of Abruzzo. He fought as Manfred's representative to re-assert Staufer control of central Italy. After Manfred's death, he was forced into exile by the

Angevin Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: *County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France **Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou **Counts and Dukes of Anjou * House of Ingelger, a Frank ...

conquest. In exile Conradin elevated him in rank by granting him the title Prince of Abruzzo and he took part in Conradin's attempt to regain the kingdom. Following the failure of this in 1268, he became a prisoner-of-war until 1272. The remaining forty years of his life were mostly spent quietly at his castle in Anticoli, save for the years 1282–86, at the start of the War of the Vespers, when he launched several invasions and raids into Abruzzo. These ultimately failed to shake Angevin control.

Early life

Conrad was born probably in the same year as his parents' marriage (1240) or in the following year.Raoul Manselli
"Antiochia, Corrado di"
''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', Vol. 3 (Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1961). His father died in 1256 and he inherited the counties of

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...

, Celano and Loreto, as well as numerous feudal possessions the Ruffi Mountains, around the Aniene river and in the

Marsica Marsica is a geographical and historical region in the Abruzzo, central Italy, including 37 ''comuni'' in the province of L'Aquila. It is located between the plain of the former Fucine Lake, the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, the pla ...

.Alberto Meriggi
"Corrado I di Antiochia"
''Enciclopedia Federiciana'' (Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2005). One of these, the town of

Anticoli Corrado Anticoli Corrado ( Romanesco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about northeast of Rome. Anticoli Corrado borders the following municipalities: Mandela, Marano Equo, Rocca C ...

, today bears his name. He also received Saracinesco, Mola, Sambuci, Rocca dei Sorci, Rocca dei Murri and the castle of

Piglio Piglio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about east of Rome and about northwest of Frosinone, offering a panoramic view on the valleys of the Sacco and Aniene rivers. History It ha ...

. Nothing is known of Conrad's childhood or youth. He is first mentioned in the '' Chronicon Lauretanum'' for the year 1258, when he was already exercising the captaincy of Abruzzo. He attended the parliament convoked by his uncle at Foggia in September and October, where his possession of the counties of Alba, Celano and Loreto was confirmed, and he was given the county of Abruzzo as well as some small estates in Calabria. At some point between 1258 and 1261, Conrad married Beatrice Lancia, daughter of Galvano Lancia, grand marshal of Sicily. They had five sons and three daughters. Two of his sons, Bartolomeo (1260–1311) and

Francesco Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...

(1265–1320), held the office of

archbishop of Palermo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo ( la, Archidioecesis Panormitana) was founded as the Diocese of Palermo in the first century and raised to the status of archdiocese in the 11th century.Bartolomeo I and Cangrande I della Scala, respectively. His youngest daughter, Giovanna, was the last known

patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...

descendant of the Staufer family.

Vicariate in Ancona and Spoleto

In 1256, Manfred, still only acting as regent on behalf of his nephew Conradin, asserted Conradin's rights to the Romagna (''Romandiola''), the March of Ancona and the Duchy of Spoleto, which the Papacy also claimed. At a general colloquy in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in October 1261, Manfred, now king, appointed Conrad his vicar general in the March, the Duchy and the Romagna and charged him with leading an invasion to capture the disputed provinces. The army he was given was composed almost entirely of Saracens from Lucera. Conrad invaded the Duchy of Spoleto in the summer of 1262. His assault on

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

itself failed, but with the help of the town of

Matelica Matelica is a (municipality) of the Province of Macerata in the Italian region of Marche. Located about southwest of Ancona and west of Macerata, it extends over an area of . Geography Matelica lies in an ample valley where the Braccano cre ...

he was successful in taking the hilltop fortress of Castel Santa Maria from the city of

Camerino Camerino is a town in the province of Macerata, Marche, central-eastern Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about from Ancona. Camerino is home to the University of C ...

. He proceeded to win over to Manfred's allegiance most of the towns of the March of Ancona through a combination of threats, donations and granting of privileges. In December 1263, after more than a year of campaigning, he was captured by trickery while besieging Treia and imprisoned in the dungeon of the tower. His father-in-law led several unsuccessful assaults on the town in an effort to force his release, but succeeded in sneaking Conrad out of the town in January 1264. There was suspicion that the ''

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

'', Baglione Baglioni, had been corrupted, a charge Pope

Clement IV Pope Clement IV ( la, Clemens IV; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois ( la, Guido Falcodius; french: Guy de Foulques or ') and also known as Guy le Gros ( French for "Guy the Fat"; it, Guido il Grosso), was bishop of Le P ...

was still leveling in 1266. Conrad remained in the March of Ancona throughout 1264, for which he was excommunicated by Pope

Urban IV Pope Urban IV ( la, Urbanus IV; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death. He was not a cardinal; only a few popes since his time hav ...

. In 1265, he returned to his fiefs in Abruzzo.

Angevin invasion of Sicily

In 1265, with an invasion of Sicily by Count

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...

imminent, Conrad conferred with Manfred at Lucera. He then returned to Abruzzo to raise troops. He was still there when Charles invaded the kingdom and defeated Manfred at the

Battle of Benevento The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred's defeat and death resulted in Ch ...

on 26 February 1266. Conrad had several clashes with Charles's supporters in Abruzzo, but with Manfred's death in battle he decided to go into hiding in the mountains with his father-in-law, Galvano, and Galvano's brother, Federico. Although Conrad and the Lancia brothers offered to submit to Charles, their offer was rejected. They tried to flee to Calabria, but this proved impossible with Charles's spies scouring the mountains. The fugitives then crossed into Papal territory and appealed to Clement IV, offering complete submission if the pope would intercede on their behalf with Charles. Clement agreed and, with Charles's approval, lifted Conrad's excommunication. According to the ''Chronicon Lauretanum'', however, Charles ignored the pope's offers of mediation. He eventually captured Conrad and imprisoned him in a secret location. In January 1267, Conrad escaped from his prison along with a companion, Giovanni di Mareri. He took refuge in his castle at Saracinesco. Charles threatened to kill Conrad's daughter Beatrice, whom he had taken as a hostage while her father was still negotiating his submission, but was dissuaded by the imminent arrival of an army under Conradin, the Staufer claimant to the kingdom of Sicily.

Conradin's invasion

In October 1267, Conrad met his cousin, Conradin, at

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

while the latter was preparing his advance into Sicily. He performed the act of homage to Conradin and offered his services. In return, Conradin issued a charter confirming to Conrad all the fiefs he had held under Manfred and granting him the new title Prince of Abruzzo (''princeps Aprutii''). Despite the honour and the rank it implied (highest below the king), Conrad does not appear to have ever used the title.Pier Fausto Palumbo, ''Contributi sulla storia dell'età di Manfredi'' (Rome: 1959), p. 175. In November, Henry of Castile, the senator of Rome and leader of the pro-Staufer

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...

party in Rome, arrested the leaders of the pro-Angevin

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

faction and had them imprisoned in Saracinesco under the watch of Conrad's mother, Margherita, and wife, Beatrice. In response to this, on 25 April 1268, Clement IV issued the bull ''Die coena Domini'', excommunicating Conradin and his followers, including Conrad of Antioch. Conrad followed Conradin to Rome, where his entry on 24 July 1268 was greeted with festivities put on by the Ghibellines. When Conradin's army entered Sicilian territory a few days later, Conrad was leading a contingent of Tuscan militia. He was captured at the

Battle of Tagliacozzo The Battle of Tagliacozzo was fought on 23 August 1268 between the Ghibelline supporters of Conradin of Hohenstaufen and the Guelph army of Charles of Anjou. The battle represented the last act of Hohenstaufen power in Italy. The capture and ...

(23 August) along with Conradin. The latter was executed by Charles on 29 August, but Conrad, who was imprisoned in

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

, was spared through the intercession of Cardinal Giovanni Gaetano Orsini (the future Pope Nicholas III), whose two brothers, Napoleone and Matteo, were among the prisoners being held by Conrad's wife. Finally, in the middle of September, the two brothers were released and in exchange Conrad was transferred to papal custody.

Imprisonment and Papal fealty

Clement IV died in November 1268, and during the lengthy Papal election that followed, Conrad was kept in confinement in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

(where the cardinals were electing a new pope).

Gregory X Pope Gregory X ( la, Gregorius X; – 10 January 1276), born Teobaldo Visconti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1271 to his death and was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. He was ...

was finally elected in September 1271. In March 1272, soon after Gregory arrived at Viterbo, he freed Conrad and received in return an

oath of fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin ''fidelitas'' (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fea ...

. He also lifted his excommunication a second time. Following his release, Conradin went to Anticoli, his fief in the Papal State. His uncle

Enzo Enzo is an Italian given name derivative of the German name Heinz. It can be used also as the short form for Lorenzo, Vincenzo, Innocenzo, or Fiorenzo. It is most common in the Romance-speaking world, particularly in Italy and Latin Americ ...

, like Conrad's father an illegitimate son of Frederick II, had died in prison on 6 March 1272 and in his will, made shortly before his death, bequeathed to Conrad the

county of Molise The County of Molise ( it, Contado di Molise) was a '' giustizierato'' (justiciarate) in the Kingdom of Sicily and Kingdom of Naples. Originally it covered a small area between the Mainarde mountains and the Matese mountains, where the province of ...

, which he had once held in the kingdom of Sicily. This bequest made sense from a dynastic perspective, since Conrad was, after the premature death of Conradin, the only person capable of rebuilding the family's power in Italy and Molise lay beside his lands in Abruzzo. For his part, Conrad partially made good on Enzo's testament by occupying the town of Macchia in Molise. Nothing is known of Conrad's activities between 1272 and 1282. It is probable, however, that he was among those partisans of the Staufer, like

John of Procida John of Procida ( it, Giovanni da Procida) (1210–1298) was an Italian medieval physician and diplomat. He was born in Salerno, educated in the Schola Medica as a physician. He was a noted physician for his age and received a professorial ch ...

, who encouraged Peter III,

king of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre ...

, to conquer the kingdom of Sicily in the name of his wife,

Constance Constance may refer to: Places *Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English *Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada * Constance, Kentucky * Constance, Minnesota * Constance (Portugal) * Mount Constance, Washington State People * Consta ...

, daughter of King Manfred.

War of the Vespers

Following the

Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers ( it, Vespri siciliani; scn, Vespiri siciliani) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou, who had ruled the Kingdom of ...

in March 1282, Peter of Aragon did invade Sicily. He landed on the island in August, and in October wrote to Conrad from Messina urging him to invade Abruzzo from his base at Anticoli. This was the start of a war that was to last until 1302. Lear_Velino_Albe

In response to Peter's call, Conrad tried to win over the fortresses along the Sicilian frontier through secretive negotiations. Pope

Martin IV Pope Martin IV ( la, Martinus IV; c. 1210/1220 – 28 March 1285), born Simon de Brion, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281 to his death on 28 March 1285. He was the last French pope to have ...

demanded he desist and, when he did not, pronounced him excommunicated for the third time on 23 November. He then invaded Abruzzo with a small force to carry out a guerrilla war. He often had the support of the common people, and captured the castles of Antrodoco, Frontino, Mareri and Petrella Liri. In June 1283, Charles of Anjou's son and heir, Charles, Prince of Salerno, who was acting as regent while Charles raised troops and ships in France, ordered several castles near the frontier dismantled to prevent their falling into Conrad's hands. Following the Aragonese victory at the

Battle of the Gulf of Naples The naval Battle of the Gulf of Naples took place on 5 June 1284 in the south of the Gulf of Naples, Italy, when an Aragonese-Sicilian galley fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeated a Neapolitan galley fleet commanded by Charles of Salerno ( ...

(5 June 1284), where the Prince of Salerno was captured, Conrad led another invasion of Abruzzo, this time aiming to recapture his county and castle of Alba. In this first effort he was stopped near the castle of Celle by Stefano Colonna, lord of

Genazzano Genazzano is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, located on a tuff spur at above sea level that, starting from the Monti Prenestini, ends on the Sacco River valley. History The name originates from its role as vacation res ...

in the Papal State, who was acting as the pope's man. He continued to plan the occupation of Abruzzo, even receiving money from Constance in Sicily. The death of Charles in January 1285 provided a second opportunity, and Conrad successfully occupied several castles of Abruzzo and even the county of Alba by 1286. He was unable to hold them for long. The pope sent an army under Giovanni d'Appia to dislodge him and Conrad retreated to Anticoli.

Retirement and death

The third invasion of Abruzzo was the last major political act of Conrad's life. He lived out his days in Anticoli, where he was still living in 1301. According to the ''Historia Augusta'' of

Albertino Mussato Albertino Mussato (1261–1329) was a statesman, poet, historian and playwright from Padua. He is credited with providing an impetus to the revival of literary Latin, and is characterized as an early humanist. He was influenced by his teacher, the ...

, a contemporary, on 7 May 1312 an aged Conrad went to Rome at the head of fifty knights to welcome the arrival of

Henry VII of Germany Henry VII ( German: ''Heinrich''; c. 1273 – 24 August 1313),Kleinhenz, pg. 494 also known as Henry of Luxembourg, was Count of Luxembourg, King of Germany (or '' Rex Romanorum'') from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first em ...

for his imperial coronation. This was a major gathering of Ghibellines, who hoped that Henry VII would re-establish the empire in Italy. It is probable that the death of Charles I opened the way to reconciliation with the Prince of Salerno, now Charles II, for Conrad managed to pass on to his descendants several fiefs in Abruzzo and Calabria. He also received from Peter of Aragon the county of

Capizzi Capizzi (Greek: ; Latin: Capitium) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about southwest of Messina. Capizzi borders the following municipalities ...

in Sicily. At some point after his death, his descendants split into two branches: one in Anticoli and Piglio and another in Capizzi. The Capizzi line died out in the fourteenth century, while that of Anticoli survived a century longer.

References

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