The Life and Reign of The Emperor Conrad II

 

Conrad II was born in the late 980s or early 990s to Henry, Count of Speyer and Adelaide of Metz, a French noblewoman. Conrad became Holy Roman Emperor in 1027, three years after the previous emperor had died. Henry II left the empire in good order but after his death things took a turn for the worse as instability set in and unscrupulous men sought to advance themselves during the uncertainty. Civil war was threatening to break and violence appeared to be about to rip the empire apart if it wasn't for powerful noblemen and Henry II's empress, a woman by the name of Cunigunde, intervening on behalf of the kingdom of Germany and the wider empire and putting a stop to any potential plots, coups and brutality. Despite their best efforts though, the kingdom needed a new figurehead. Henry had no heirs so the anxiety and uncertainty only increased.

So, with no clear candidate for the throne, the nobles came together to try and elect a new king. Many men threw their hat into the ring but for a variety of reasons, the options were soon whittled down quickly. Men were ruled out of the running for either being too old or too young; others, whilst perhaps being the right age, were still considered immature and not of the qualities required in a king whilst still more men were rejected for not having enough experience in battle, a major sticking point when it came to medieval kingship. Eventually, the options came to down two. Both men were called Conrad but of differing experience. Conrad The Younger was no older than 21 at the time of the election whilst his rival Conrad The Elder was significantly more experienced, aged now around 35. Cases for both men were put forward but Conrad The Elder, having put forward a lengthy and compelling speech, won enough support for election. Conrad The Younger accepted the outcome gracefully enough although men on his behalf, mainly from Lotharangia, were altogether less forgiving. After a brief period of mutiny, matters eventually settled down.

Conrad was consecrated king of Germany in September of 1024. By all accounts, it was a joyous occasion. According to Wipo of Burgundy, who wrote the Deeds of Conrad II, the people of Mainz, where the ceremony took place, were so ecstatic that even Charlemagne himself would not have received a better welcome. After the usual oaths and vows were sworn, including to forgive those who may have wronged Conrad in the past, Conrad was crowned and celebrated with a magnificent feast. Alongside the king was his wife Gisela who Wipo praises lavishly. Gisela was modest, humble, pious and of a noble spirit. She was a suitable companion for Conrad.

Conrad, from very early on in his reign, was diligent in his carrying out of his obligations to his people. He even demonstrated as such during his progress to his coronation. He was approached by a number of different men, all from humble origins and all with a grievance. The new king, despite advice from those around him, gave them his ear and set their affairs in order. Conrad was fully aware of the importance of public image and being seen to carry out justice fairly. He cleverly used these unexpected situations to enhance his own reputation in front of the common populace although, it may well be assumed, that the likelihood of these scenes being staged are rather high. Even if that was the case, it was a clever piece of theatre from the new king.

After his coronation, Conrad travelled to Aachen where he sat himself upon Charlemagne's imperial throne and set to work on the administration of his new kingdom. He travelled to Saxony, a historically troublesome region for kings of Germany and for the Empire, where he extracted large amounts of tribute and from there he travelled onwards, ensuring peace and stability across his lands. Conrad proved himself to be a wise and sensible ruler, showing leniency where he could but coming down hard on his enemies. As a result, his popularity began to grow. Early in his reign, Conrad had homage paid to him by the men of Lombardy, who also came bearing expensive presents. This was a significant boost as the Lombards could also potentially be 

problematic.

It wasn't all plain sailing for Conrad as in 1025, a plot was formed against him. However, Conrad was confident and self assured enough to calculate that the lot was not overly serious and instead he made preparations to campaign in Italy. Before setting out on campaign, at the behest of his nobles, Conrad formally recognised his son, Henry, as his heir. The Italian campaign progressed well for Conrad but he encountered significant problems with the Pavians. Conrad eventually starved them into submission. However, if Conrad thought he had complete control over Italy, he was mistaken. In Ravenna, another rebellion broke out but Conrad brought it under control quickly. In the summer of 1026, Conrad retreated into the mountains to avoid the worst of a brutal summer heat. Conrad would then march on Rome where, after a brief delay, he would be crowned Holy Roman Emperor in March 1027 by Pope John XIX. Amongst those in attendance was king Cnut of England.

Conrad's imperial coronation was overshadowed somewhat by a ridiculous brawl that broke out between the citizens of Rome and some of the Emperor's soldiers. An argument had started over, of all things the hide of an ox and it spiralled out of control. To Conrad's dismay, a young nobleman, named Berengar, whom he'd become extremely fond of, was killed in the fighting. After things had settled down, the Emperor had Berengar buried next to the Emperor Otto II. One of Conrad's biggest priorities in Italy was dealing with a problem man named Thasselgard who had also been a problem throughout the reign of the previous Emperor, Henry II. When Conrad got word that Thasselgard had been captured, he, this time, showed no mercy and had him hanged. But Conrad's attentions couldn't just be on Italy. Back in Germany, a certain Count Welf was causing destruction, laying waste to Augsburg and helping himself to the Bishop there's finances. Welf would have to wait until Conrad had returned however.

In 1028, having had Henry recognised as his successor a few years before, Conrad had his son crowned as king of Germany by the Archbishop of Cologne. Henry was aged 12 by that point. Although still too young to make significant decisions by himself, Conrad probably recognised the need to have another figure of authority to help govern his empire. Problems could arise at any moment, anywhere. And one of the more persistent problems for Conrad was a Duke named Ernst. From early on in his reign, Ernst had been an issue for Conrad. During his campaign in Italy, it looked liked Conrad had resolved the dispute with Ernst, who'd even been a prominent figure in Conrad's army and had been rewarded generously by the Emperor for his efforts. Bur Ernst soon turned rebellious again and tried to form alliances against Conrad but found support hard to come by and he was eventually cut down in battle. On hearing the news of Ernst's demise, Conrad referred to him as a rabid dog.

Conrad's attentions were turned to Burgundy after the death of the king there. King Rudolf had been the uncle of Conrad's queen, Gisela, and so now Burgundy should have come under the Emperor's control. However, a rather opportunistic Count named Odo attempted to steal in and take Burgundy and Conrad was obliged to drive him out. Meanwhile, young Henry was beginning to come of age and he led military campaigns against the Slavs and then against the Duke of Bohemia. Henry handled himself very capably. However, the Slavic campaign would eventually require the presence of Conrad himself. In 1036, Henry married the daughter of king Cnut, who had died the previous year, Gunhilda, although the marriage would only last two years with Gunhilda dying in 1038. Gunhilda would produce just one child for Henry, a little girl named Beatrice who would become an abbess. 

In 1039, Conrad II died. His time as king and then Emperor hadn't been easy but he had proved himself to be a just, wise and energetic ruler who stamped trouble whereever he found it. More importantly, in the shape of his son, Henry, he had produced a viable successor who could provide Europe with stability in the years to come.