Conrad IV of Germany

Lore & Background

Conrad was the second child but only surviving son of Emperor Frederick II and Isabella II of Jerusalem. Born in Andria, his mother died shortly after his birth, and he succeeded her as monarch of the Crusader state of Jerusalem. He lived in Southern Italy until 1235, when he first visited Germany. In 1235, he was betrothed to a daughter of Duke Otto II of Bavaria; she died before the marriage, but Conrad later married her sister, Elisabeth, in 1246. They had a son, Conradin, in 1252.

In 1235, after his father deposed his rebellious half-brother King Henry (VII), Conrad succeeded him as Duke of Swabia. He was elected King of the Romans at the 1237 Imperial Diet in Vienna, with Prince-Archbishop Siegfried III of Mainz acting as regent until 1242. Conrad intervened directly in German politics from around 1240 and participated in a campaign against the Mongols in 1241, though it was not a formal crusade. After Pope Innocent IV excommunicated Frederick and declared Conrad deposed in 1245, Henry Raspe was elected as a rival king and defeated Conrad at the battle on the Nidda in August 1246. Henry Raspe died months later, and William of Holland succeeded him as rival king. Conrad's forces were defeated by William's supporters, and Conrad never decisively defeated William.

After Frederick II died in 1250, Conrad inherited Sicily and Germany, but the struggle with the pope continued. In January 1252 he invaded Apulia with a Venetian fleet, restraining his half-brother Manfred and exercising control. He issued constitutions at the hoftag in Foggia that year. He suppressed revolts in the Kingdom of Sicily, conquering Naples in October 1253. The pope offered Sicily to Edmund Crouchback in 1253. Conrad was excommunicated on 9 April 1254. He mustered an army for an assault on Rome but died of malaria on 21 May 1254 at his army camp in Lavello.

Reader's Guide

Conrad IV's significance lies in his role as the last Hohenstaufen king to rule Germany before the Interregnum. His death in 1254 began a period during which no single ruler gained undisputed control of Germany, allowing many princes and nobles to accumulate greater autonomy and influence. Conrad's attempts to consolidate his father's centralized government in Sicily were partially successful, but his conflict with the papacy and his early death prevented lasting stability. His son Conradin later attempted to reclaim the Kingdom of Sicily but was defeated and executed. Conrad's reign illustrates the ongoing struggle between the Hohenstaufen dynasty and the papacy, as well as the fragmentation of royal authority in Germany that characterized the late medieval period.

Did You Know?

• Conrad inherited the title of King of Jerusalem upon his mother's death in childbirth.
• He was elected King of the Romans at the 1237 Imperial Diet in Vienna.
• He participated in a campaign against the Mongols in 1241, though it was not a formal crusade.
• Conrad died of malaria on 21 May 1254 at his army camp in Lavello.