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{{short description|13th century King of Germany, Sicily, and Jerusalem}}
'''Conrad IV''' ([[25 April]], [[1228]] – [[21 May]], [[1254]]) was [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|king of Jerusalem]] (as '''Conrad II''') ([[1228]]–[[1254]]), of [[King of Germany|Germany]] ([[1237]]–1254), and of [[King of Sicily|Sicily]] (as '''Conrad I''') ([[1250]]–1254). He was a son of the [[Hohenstaufen]] [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick II]] and the [[queen regnant]] of Jerusalem, [[Yolande of Jerusalem|Yolanda]]. {{HRE Arms|conrad4}}
{{redirect|Conrad IV}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Conrad IV
| image = Conrad 4 of Germany.jpg
| succession = [[King of Germany]] <br>(formally [[King of the Romans]])<br>[[King of Italy]]
| reign = May 1237 – 21 May 1254
| predecessor = [[Henry II of Sicily|Henry (VII)]]
| successor = [[William II of Holland|William]]
| coronation =
| succession1 = [[List of monarchs of Sicily|King of Sicily]]
| reign1 = 13 December 1250 – 21 May 1254
| predecessor1 = [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick I]]
| successor1 = [[Conradin|Conrad II]]
| coronation1 =
| succession2 = [[King of Jerusalem]]
| reign2 = 4 May 1228 – 21 May 1254
| predecessor2 = [[Isabella II of Jerusalem|Isabella II]] and [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick I]]
| successor2 = [[Conradin|Conrad III]]
| regent2 = {{ubl|[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]] (1228–1243)|[[Alice of Champagne|Alice, Queen of Cyprus]] (1243–1246)|[[Henry I, King of Cyprus]] (1246–1253)|[[Plaisance, Queen of Cyprus]] (1253–1254)}}
| reg-type2 = Regents
| succession3 = [[Duke of Swabia]]
| reign3 = 12 February 1235 – 21 May 1254
| predecessor3 = [[Henry (VII) of Germany|Henry]]
| successor3 = [[Conradin|Conrad IV]]
| house = [[Hohenstaufen]]
| spouse = [[Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany|Elisabeth of Bavaria]]
| issue = [[Conradin]]
| father = [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
| mother = [[Isabella II of Jerusalem]]
| birth_date = 25 April 1228
| birth_place = [[Andria]], [[Kingdom of Sicily]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1254|5|21|1228|4|25|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Lavello]], Kingdom of Sicily
| burial_place = [[Messina Cathedral]]
}}


'''Conrad''' (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the [[Hohenstaufen]] dynasty, was the only son of Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] from his second marriage with Queen [[Isabella II of Jerusalem]]. He inherited the title of [[King of Jerusalem]] (as '''Conrad II''') upon the death of his mother in childbed. Appointed [[Duke of Swabia]] in 1235, his father had him elected [[List of German monarchs|King of Germany]] ([[King of the Romans]]) and crowned [[King of Italy]] (as '''Conrad IV''') in 1237. After the emperor was deposed and died in 1250, he ruled as [[King of Sicily]] ('''Conrad I''') until his death.
Born in [[Andria, Italy|Andria]], Conrad was the second but only surviving son of Frederick and Yolanda, who died while bearing him. Conrad lived in Italy until [[1235]], when he first visited Germany.


==Early years==
When Frederick II deposed his eldest son, the rebellious Conrad's older brother [[Henry (VII) of Germany|Henry]], in [[1237]] had Conrad elected [[King of the Romans]] in diet in [[Vienna]]. This title presumed a future as Emperor of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Archbishop [[Siegfried III of Mainz]] acted as German [[regent]] until [[1242]], when Frederick chose [[Henry Raspe]], Landgrave of [[Thuringia]], and [[Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia|Wenceslaus I]] of [[Bohemia]], to assume this function. Conrad intervened directly in German politics from around [[1240]].
He was the second child, but only surviving son of Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] and [[Isabella II of Jerusalem|Isabella II (Yolanda)]], the [[queen regnant]] of [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]]. Born in [[Andria]], in the South Italian [[Kingdom of Sicily]], his mother died shortly after giving birth to him and he succeeded her as monarch of the [[Crusader states|Crusader state]] of Jerusalem. By his father, Conrad was the grandson of the Hohenstaufen emperor [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]] and great-grandson of Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]]. He lived in Southern Italy until 1235, when he first visited the [[Kingdom of Germany]]. During this period his kingdom of Jerusalem, ruled by his father as regent through proxies, was [[War of the Lombards|racked by civil war]] until Conrad declared his majority and his father's regency lost its validity.


In 1235, Conrad was betrothed to a daughter of Duke [[Otto II of Bavaria]]. She died before the marriage could take place, but Conrad later married her sister.<ref>''[[Annales sancti Rudberti Salisburgenses]]'': "Imperator filiam ducis Bawane fibo suo adolescento desponsavit; que non post multum temporis defuncta est." See Alan V. Murray (1986), "Reinbot von Durne's Der heilige Georg as Crusading Literature", ''Forum for Modern Language Studies'' '''22''' (2): 172–173 and n8.</ref>
However, when [[Pope Innocent IV]] imposed a papal ban on Frederick in [[1245]] and declared Conrad deposed, Henry Raspe supported the pope who in turn arranged to have Raspe elected as counter-king of Germany on [[May 22|22 May]] [[1246]]. Raspe defeated Conrad in the battle of [[Nidda, city|Nidda]] in August [[1246]], but died several months later. Also in 1246, Conrad married [[Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany|Elisabeth of Bavaria]], a daughter of [[Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria]]. They had a son, [[Conradin]], in [[1252]]. In [[1250]] Conrad settled momentarily the situation in Germany by defeating [[William, King of the Romans|William of Holland]] and his [[Rhenish]] allies.


==Rise to power==
When Frederick II died in the same year, he passed Sicily and Germany, as well as the title of Jerusalem, to Conrad, but the struggle with the pope continued. Having been defeated by William in 1251, Conrad decided to invade [[Italy]] in [[1251]] in the hope to regain the rich reign of his father, and where his brother [[Manfred of Sicily|Manfred]] acted as vicar. He was however not able to subdue the pope's supporters, and the pope in turn offered Sicily to [[Edmund Crouchback]], son of [[Henry III of England]] ([[1253]]).
When Emperor Frederick II deposed his eldest son, Conrad's rebellious half-brother King [[Henry (VII) of Germany|Henry (VII)]], Conrad succeeded him as duke of [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabia]] in 1235. However, the emperor was not able to have him elected [[King of the Romans]] until the 1237 [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] in [[Vienna]]. The electors were "the archbishops [[Siegfried III (archbishop of Mainz)|of Mentz]] [Mainz], [[Theoderich von Wied|of Treves]] [Trier], and [[Heinrich I von Müllenark|of Cologne]], the bishops of ''[[List of bishops and archbishops of Bamberg#Bishops, 1007–1245|Bamberg]]'', of ''[[List of the prince-bishops and bishops of Regensburg#Prince-Bishops of Regensburg|Ratisbon]]'' [Regensburg], of ''[[List of bishops of Freising and archbishops of Munich and Freising#Prince-bishops of Freising|Frisingen]]'' [Freising], and of ''Padua'', [[Otto II, Duke of Bavaria|the count palatine of the Rhine, ''the duke of Bavaria'']], [[Wenceslaus I of Bohemia|the king of Bohemia]], the ''[[Henry Raspe|landgrave of Thuringia]]'', and the ''[[Bernhard von Spanheim|duke of Carinthia]]''".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/historywesterne00comygoog/page/n340/mode/2up History of the Western Empire: from its restoration by Charlemagne to the accession of Charles V., Volume I, p. 304 – italics (in original) denote those whose offices did not become electorates ]</ref> This title, though not acknowledged by [[Pope Gregory IX]], presumed his future as a [[Holy Roman emperor]]. Prince-Archbishop [[Siegfried III (archbishop of Mainz)|Siegfried III of Mainz]], in his capacity as German [[archchancellor]], acted as [[regent]] for the minor until 1242, when Frederick chose Landgrave [[Henry Raspe]] of [[Duchy of Thuringia|Thuringia]], and King [[Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia|Wenceslaus I of Bohemia]] to assume this function. Conrad intervened directly in German politics from around 1240. He led the short-lived [[anti-Mongol crusade of 1241]].


However, when [[Pope Innocent IV]] excommunicated Frederick in 1245 and declared Conrad deposed, Henry Raspe supported the pope and was in turn elected as a rival king of Germany on 22 May 1246. Henry Raspe defeated Conrad in the battle of [[Nidda, city|Nidda]] in August 1246. Nevertheless, Henry Raspe’s wider support in Germany was weak and he died several months later. He was succeeded as a rival king by [[William II of Holland|William of Holland]].
Conrad was [[excommunication|excommunicated]] in [[1254]], but died of a [[malaria]] in the same year at [[Lavello]], in [[Basilicata]]. Manfred first, and later his infant son [[Conradin]], continued the struggle with the [[Papacy]], although unsuccessfully.


Also in 1246, Conrad married [[Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany|Elisabeth]], a daughter of Otto II of Bavaria. They had a son [[Conradin]], in 1252. In 1250 Conrad temporarily settled the situation in Germany by defeating [[William, King of the Romans|William of Holland]] and his Rhenish allies.
Conrad's widow Elisabeth married second [[Meinhard II, Count of Tirol]], who in 1286 became [[Duke of Carinthia]].


== Italian Campaign==
With Conrad's death in 1254 began "The Interregnum of the Holy Roman Empire", during which there was no recognised ruler in the empire. It would only be ended with the election of Rudolph of Habsburg as King of the Romans in 1273.<ref> Bennet, Judith, and Hollister, Clive, ''Medieval Europe, a Short History'' - p.260</ref>
When Frederick II died in 1250, he passed Sicily and Germany, as well as the title of [[King of Jerusalem]], to Conrad, but the struggle with the pope continued. After reverses in Germany in 1251, Conrad decided to invade [[Italy]], hoping to regain the rich dominions of his father, and where [[Manfred of Sicily|his half-brother Manfred]] was acting as regent. In January 1252 he invaded [[Apulia]] with a [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] fleet, successfully managing to restrain Manfred and exercise control of the country. That same year Conrad issued constitutions during the [[hoftag]] in [[Foggia]], which were based on the well-known examples from Norman and early Staufer times. After the death of Frederick II, riots began in parts of the kingdom of Sicily and several cities attempted to escape the royal control, forcing Conrad to take military action in order to suppress the revolts. In October 1253 his troops conquered [[Naples]]. Steadily, Conrad consolidated his position in the kingdom and the formidable centralized government fashioned by his father continued to function effectively. New historical sources have shown,{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Conrad tried to reconcile with the pope, but no agreement was reached.


The pope offered Sicily to [[Edmund Crouchback]], son of [[Henry III of England]], in 1253. Conrad was [[excommunication|excommunicated]] on April 9, 1254. Nevertheless, Innocent’s support in central Italy was waning. Conrad mustered an army for a decisive assault on Rome but he died of [[malaria]] May 21, 1254 at his army camp in [[Lavello]], [[Basilicata]].<ref>''Conrad IV'', Daniel R. Sodders, '''Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia''', Vol. I, ed. Christopher Kleinhenz, (Routledge, 2004), 510.</ref> Manfred continued the struggle with the Papacy, but after achieving success, he was killed at the [[Battle of Benevento]] by [[Charles I of Anjou]]. Conrad’s son, Conradin, attempted to reclaim the kingdom of Sicily but was also defeated by Charles of Anjou at the [[Battle of Tagliocozzo]] and executed soon after.
==Ancestors==

{| class="wikitable"
Conrad's widow Elisabeth remarried to [[Meinhard II, Count of Tirol]], who in 1286 became [[Duke of Carinthia]].
|+'''Conrad's ancestors in three generations'''

|-
Conrad's death in 1254 began the [[Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire)|Interregnum]], during which no single ruler managed to gain undisputed control of Germany. Notably, many princes took this opportunity to gain more influence with their vast wealth and relative stability as opposed to the fractured monarchy which had proven to be somewhat unreliable. Similarly, many nobles accumulated greater autonomy without the guidance of a king.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/The-empire-after-the-Hohenstaufen-catastrophe#ref297131|title=The empire after the Hohenstaufen catastrophe|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621233602/http://www.britannica.com:80/place/Germany/The-empire-after-the-Hohenstaufen-catastrophe |archive-date=21 June 2015 }}</ref> The Interregnum ended in 1273, with the election of [[Rudolph I of Germany|Rudolph of Habsburg]] as King of the Romans.<ref>Judith Bennet and Clive Hollister, ''Medieval Europe, a Short History''. p. 260.</ref>
|-

| rowspan="8" align="center"| '''Conrad IV of Germany'''
==See also==
| rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Father:'''<br />[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
*[[Kings of Germany family tree]]. He was related to every other king of Germany.
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandfather:'''<br />[[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]]
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy]]
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandmother:'''<br />[[Constance of Sicily]]
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Roger II of Sicily]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Beatrix of Rethel]]
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Mother:'''<br />[[Yolande of Jerusalem]]
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandfather:'''<br />[[John of Brienne]]
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Erard II de Candia, count of Brienne]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Agnes de Montfaucon, countess of Montbéliard]]
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandmother:'''<br />[[Maria of Montferrat]]
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Conrad of Montferrat]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Isabella of Jerusalem]]
|}


==References==
==References==
{{commons category}}
<references/>
{{reflist}}


{{S-start}}
<BR>
{{s-hou|[[Hohenstaufen|House of Hohenstaufen]]||1228||1254}}
{{start box}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|rows=|before=[[Yolande of Jerusalem|Yolande]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Kings of Jerusalem|King of Jerusalem]]|years=[[25 April]] [[1228]] – [[21 May]] [[1254]]}}
{{s-bef|rows=|before=[[Isabella II of Jerusalem|Isabella II]]|before2=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Jerusalem]]|years=1228–1254|regent1=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]|years1=1237-1243}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Conradin]]}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Conradin]]}}
|-
|-
{{s-bef|rows=|before=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick II]]}}
{{s-bef|rows=3|before=[[Henry (VII) of Germany|Henry (VII)]]|before2=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of monarchs of Naples and Sicily|King of Sicily]]|years=[[13 December]] [[1250]] – [[21 May]] [[1254]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Swabia]]|years=1235–1254}}
|-
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Germany]]|years=1237–1254|regent1=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]|years1=1237-1250}}
{{s-bef|rows=|before=[[Henry (VII) of Germany|Henry (VII)]]}}
{{s-aft|rows=|after=[[William II of Holland|William]]|as=anti-king since 1247}}
{{s-ttl|rows=|title=[[King of the Romans]] <br/> <small> Challenged by Anti-Kings [[Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia|Henry Raspe]] and [[William II of Holland]] 1246-1254 <small/>|years=[[May]] [[1237]] – [[21 May]] [[1254]]}}
|-
{{s-vac|rows=|reason='''Interregnum of the Holy Roman Empire'''; <br/> Eventually [[Rudolf I of Germany|Rudolf of Habsburg]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Italy]]|years=1237–1254|regent1=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]|years1=1237-1250}}
{{end box}}
{{s-aft|rows=|after=[[Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VII]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|rows=|before=[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Sicily]]|years=1250–1254}}
{{s-aft|rows=1|after=[[Conradin]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{German monarchs}}
{{Jerusalem Monarchs}}
{{Monarchs of Sicily}}


{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad 04 of Germany}}
[[Category:1228 births]]
[[Category:1228 births]]
[[Category:1254 deaths]]
[[Category:1254 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Apulia]]
[[Category:13th-century Kings of the Romans]]
[[Category:German kings]]
[[Category:13th-century kings of Sicily]]
[[Category:Kings of Sicily]]
[[Category:13th-century monarchs of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Kings of Burgundy]]
[[Category:Hohenstaufen]]
[[Category:Medieval child monarchs]]
[[Category:Kings of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Kings of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Dukes of Swabia]]
[[Category:Dukes of Swabia]]
[[Category:Hohenstaufen Dynasty]]
[[Category:People from Andria]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by the Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Deaths from malaria]]
[[Category:Deaths from malaria]]
[[Category:13th-century nobility from the Holy Roman Empire]]

[[Category:Children of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
[[ca:Conrad IV d'Alemanya]]
[[de:Konrad IV. (HRR)]]
[[Category:Sons of emperors]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[et:Konrad IV (Saksa kuningas)]]
[[Category:Sons of queens regnant]]
[[es:Conrado IV]]
[[fr:Conrad IV (roi des Romains)]]
[[it:Corrado IV del Sacro Romano Impero]]
[[la:Conradus IV]]
[[nl:Koenraad IV van het Heilige Roomse Rijk]]
[[ja:コンラート4世 (神聖ローマ皇帝)]]
[[pl:Konrad IV Hohenstauf]]
[[pt:Conrado IV da Germânia]]
[[ru:Конрад IV (король Германии)]]
[[sr:Конрад IV]]
[[zh:康拉德四世 (德意志)]]

Latest revision as of 14:51, 22 December 2024

"Conrad IV" redirects here. For other uses, see Conrad IV (disambiguation).

Conrad IV
King of Germany
(formally King of the Romans)
King of Italy
ReignMay 1237 – 21 May 1254
PredecessorHenry (VII)
SuccessorWilliam
King of Sicily
Reign13 December 1250 – 21 May 1254
PredecessorFrederick I
SuccessorConrad II
King of Jerusalem
Reign4 May 1228 – 21 May 1254
PredecessorIsabella II and Frederick I
SuccessorConrad III
Regents
Duke of Swabia
Reign12 February 1235 – 21 May 1254
PredecessorHenry
SuccessorConrad IV
Born25 April 1228
Andria, Kingdom of Sicily
Died21 May 1254(1254-05-21) (aged 26)
Lavello, Kingdom of Sicily
Burial
Messina Cathedral
SpouseElisabeth of Bavaria
IssueConradin
HouseHohenstaufen
FatherFrederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
MotherIsabella II of Jerusalem

Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) upon the death of his mother in childbed. Appointed Duke of Swabia in 1235, his father had him elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) and crowned King of Italy (as Conrad IV) in 1237. After the emperor was deposed and died in 1250, he ruled as King of Sicily (Conrad I) until his death.

Early years

[edit]

He was the second child, but only surviving son of Emperor Frederick II and Isabella II (Yolanda), the queen regnant of Jerusalem. Born in Andria, in the South Italian Kingdom of Sicily, his mother died shortly after giving birth to him and he succeeded her as monarch of the Crusader state of Jerusalem. By his father, Conrad was the grandson of the Hohenstaufen emperor Henry VI and great-grandson of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. He lived in Southern Italy until 1235, when he first visited the Kingdom of Germany. During this period his kingdom of Jerusalem, ruled by his father as regent through proxies, was racked by civil war until Conrad declared his majority and his father's regency lost its validity.

In 1235, Conrad was betrothed to a daughter of Duke Otto II of Bavaria. She died before the marriage could take place, but Conrad later married her sister.[1]

Rise to power

[edit]

When Emperor Frederick II deposed his eldest son, Conrad's rebellious half-brother King Henry (VII), Conrad succeeded him as duke of Swabia in 1235. However, the emperor was not able to have him elected King of the Romans until the 1237 Imperial Diet in Vienna. The electors were "the archbishops of Mentz [Mainz], of Treves [Trier], and of Cologne, the bishops of Bamberg, of Ratisbon [Regensburg], of Frisingen [Freising], and of Padua, the count palatine of the Rhine, the duke of Bavaria, the king of Bohemia, the landgrave of Thuringia, and the duke of Carinthia".[2] This title, though not acknowledged by Pope Gregory IX, presumed his future as a Holy Roman emperor. Prince-Archbishop Siegfried III of Mainz, in his capacity as German archchancellor, acted as regent for the minor until 1242, when Frederick chose Landgrave Henry Raspe of Thuringia, and King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia to assume this function. Conrad intervened directly in German politics from around 1240. He led the short-lived anti-Mongol crusade of 1241.

However, when Pope Innocent IV excommunicated Frederick in 1245 and declared Conrad deposed, Henry Raspe supported the pope and was in turn elected as a rival king of Germany on 22 May 1246. Henry Raspe defeated Conrad in the battle of Nidda in August 1246. Nevertheless, Henry Raspe’s wider support in Germany was weak and he died several months later. He was succeeded as a rival king by William of Holland.

Also in 1246, Conrad married Elisabeth, a daughter of Otto II of Bavaria. They had a son Conradin, in 1252. In 1250 Conrad temporarily settled the situation in Germany by defeating William of Holland and his Rhenish allies.

Italian Campaign

[edit]

When Frederick II died in 1250, he passed Sicily and Germany, as well as the title of King of Jerusalem, to Conrad, but the struggle with the pope continued. After reverses in Germany in 1251, Conrad decided to invade Italy, hoping to regain the rich dominions of his father, and where his half-brother Manfred was acting as regent. In January 1252 he invaded Apulia with a Venetian fleet, successfully managing to restrain Manfred and exercise control of the country. That same year Conrad issued constitutions during the hoftag in Foggia, which were based on the well-known examples from Norman and early Staufer times. After the death of Frederick II, riots began in parts of the kingdom of Sicily and several cities attempted to escape the royal control, forcing Conrad to take military action in order to suppress the revolts. In October 1253 his troops conquered Naples. Steadily, Conrad consolidated his position in the kingdom and the formidable centralized government fashioned by his father continued to function effectively. New historical sources have shown,[citation needed] Conrad tried to reconcile with the pope, but no agreement was reached.

The pope offered Sicily to Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III of England, in 1253. Conrad was excommunicated on April 9, 1254. Nevertheless, Innocent’s support in central Italy was waning. Conrad mustered an army for a decisive assault on Rome but he died of malaria May 21, 1254 at his army camp in Lavello, Basilicata.[3] Manfred continued the struggle with the Papacy, but after achieving success, he was killed at the Battle of Benevento by Charles I of Anjou. Conrad’s son, Conradin, attempted to reclaim the kingdom of Sicily but was also defeated by Charles of Anjou at the Battle of Tagliocozzo and executed soon after.

Conrad's widow Elisabeth remarried to Meinhard II, Count of Tirol, who in 1286 became Duke of Carinthia.

Conrad's death in 1254 began the Interregnum, during which no single ruler managed to gain undisputed control of Germany. Notably, many princes took this opportunity to gain more influence with their vast wealth and relative stability as opposed to the fractured monarchy which had proven to be somewhat unreliable. Similarly, many nobles accumulated greater autonomy without the guidance of a king.[4] The Interregnum ended in 1273, with the election of Rudolph of Habsburg as King of the Romans.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conrad IV of Germany.
  1. ^ Annales sancti Rudberti Salisburgenses: "Imperator filiam ducis Bawane fibo suo adolescento desponsavit; que non post multum temporis defuncta est." See Alan V. Murray (1986), "Reinbot von Durne's Der heilige Georg as Crusading Literature", Forum for Modern Language Studies 22 (2): 172–173 and n8.
  2. ^ History of the Western Empire: from its restoration by Charlemagne to the accession of Charles V., Volume I, p. 304 – italics (in original) denote those whose offices did not become electorates
  3. ^ Conrad IV, Daniel R. Sodders, Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia, Vol. I, ed. Christopher Kleinhenz, (Routledge, 2004), 510.
  4. ^ "The empire after the Hohenstaufen catastrophe". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
  5. ^ Judith Bennet and Clive Hollister, Medieval Europe, a Short History. p. 260.
Conrad IV of Germany
Born: 1228 Died: 1254
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Jerusalem
1228–1254
with Frederick II (1237-1243) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Duke of Swabia
1235–1254
King of Germany
1237–1254
with Frederick II (1237-1250) 		Succeeded byas anti-king since 1247
King of Italy
1237–1254
with Frederick II (1237-1250) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by King of Sicily
1250–1254 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conrad_IV_of_Germany&oldid=1264591701"