Ernest II (c. 1007 – 17 August 1030) was

Duke of Swabia The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. Swabia was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most no ...

from 1015 to 1030. A member of the

House of Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Descending from the Popponids and originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from ...

, he was the son of Ernest I and

Gisela of Swabia Gisela of Swabia ( 990 – 15 February 1043), was queen of Germany from 1024 to 1039 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 to 1039 by her third marriage with Emperor Conrad II. She was the mother of Emperor Henry III. She was regent of ...

. Ernest became duke following the senior Ernest's death in 1015. Since he was a minor, the duchy was governed by regency. At first his mother Gisela assumed the position of regent; she later gave way to Ernest's uncle Poppo, Archbishop of Trier. In 1024 Gisela's husband Conrad, whom she had married in 1016, was elected

King of Germany 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 ...

as Conrad II. Although Conrad was generous in his relations with Ernest, contentious issues soon split the duke and his stepfather. Ernest resented the power of the German Kings over Swabia. Both men also were potential claimants to the

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...

once its childless ruler, Rudolph III, died. Gisela's mother was Gerberga, a sister of the king, and both Conrad and Ernest wished to become Rudolph's eventual successor. In 1025 Ernest, who was still relatively young, entered into rebellion against Conrad. By 1026, however, Conrad had defeated the resistance and Ernest eventually submitted, gaining the abbey of Kempten as a fief. During Conrad's

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

expedition of 1026-1027, Ernest joined the opposition and rebelled against Conrad again. The refusal of the local Swabian rulers to support him caused his defeat. He was forced to surrender and was imprisoned. Gisela, despite supporting Conrad against her son, did not wish for him to be entirely humiliated; as a result Ernest remained duke, although Gisela probably governed the duchy while he remained imprisoned. In 1028, Conrad's son

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

was crowned king, and Ernest was offered his duchy if he would give up his vassal Werner of Kyburg. At the

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Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

1030 Ernest was again extended the offer, if he would crack down on the enemies of Conrad. Ernest's refusal to do so, especially against his friend Werner von Kyburg, resulted in his final downfall. He was deposed as duke and placed under

imperial ban The imperial ban () was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or the '' Reichskammerg ...

. A few months later, both Ernest and Werner were killed while battling troops of Count Manegold in the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

. Ernest was buried at

Konstanz Minster Konstanz Minster or Konstanz Cathedral () is a historical building in Konstanz, southern Germany, the proto-cathedral of the former Roman Catholic diocese of Konstanz (dissolved in 1821). History The first mention of a church in Konstanz dedi ...

. The Duchy of Swabia passed to his younger brother Herman.

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* * * {{Authority control 1000s births 1030 deaths Dukes of Swabia House of Babenberg Military personnel killed in action Medieval child monarchs 11th-century dukes in Europe