Konrad the Red

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Entrance to the burial site in Worms Cathedral
Sarcophagus (left) in the Salier Crypt of Worms Cathedral

Konrad the Red (* around 922 ; † August 10, 955 ) from the Frankish family of the Salians was one of the closest confidants of Otto the Great and from 944 to 953 Duke of Lorraine . Due to his participation in the Liudolfin uprising , he lost his duchy. After the reconciliation with the king, Konrad fell in 955 as the leader of the Frankish contingent in the battle of the Lechfeld . In medieval historiography, Konrad was considered a hero. Recent research sees him as one of the first royal officials.

Live and act

Konrad was the son of Count Werner V , who exercised count rights in Wormsgau and Nahegau . His mother is unknown. Both Hicha von Schwaben , the daughter of Duke Burchard II. Von Schwaben and a woman from Conradin are considered . Among these, a sister or a (illegitimate) daughter of King Konrad I is favored. But a descent from Eberhard († 902/903) is also possible. Konrad had at least two brothers who, however, are not named. With Luitgard, the daughter of King Otto I , Konrad had a son Otto , who later became Duke of Carinthia . To distinguish it from the Franconian Count Konrad Kurzbold , Konrad was called "the Red" by his contemporaries because of his head of red hair.

Konrad was first mentioned as Count Chuonrad in a document issued by Otto I on February 12, 940 in Kassel . In it, Otto I. donated lands in the Franconian Ufgau to the diocese of Speyer at the request of its bishop Amalrich and "our dear count" ( dilecti comitis nostri ) Konrad . The addition to the title dilectus expressed a special benevolence on the part of the issuer of the certificate towards the considerate. A year later, Konrad was one of the king's closest entourage. When Otto I heard about the attack plans of his brother Heinrich I in 941, who wanted to murder him on the occasion of Easter in the royal palace in Quedlinburg , Konrad was one of the faithful with whom the king surrounded himself for his protection. On Konrad's advice, the king punished the conspirators with death, while Heinrich was imprisoned with Konrad in Ingelheim . In 942 Konrad took part in bringing about the peace of Visé . As a thank you, he was awarded the ducal dignity in 944 . By marrying Otto I's daughter Liutgard, his ties to the ruling house became even closer in 947. In 951 he accompanied Otto I on his first train to Italy.

When Otto I set off for the northern part of the Alpine region in February 952 because of news of a conspiracy by his son Liudolf , Konrad stayed behind in Pavia with the task of pursuing the fugitive Berengar von Ivrea . Konrad moved Berengar through negotiations to join Otto I and make peace in Magdeburg. Konrad had previously negotiated the details of this peace with Berengar and, as a mediator, had vouched for the observance of the agreements. When Berengar arrived in Magdeburg, Konrad gave him a royal welcome: at the side of the heir to the throne Liudolf, he rode with a group of dukes, counts and courtiers to meet him far outside the city, escorted him there and brought him to a specially prepared inn under. Otto I, however, on the advice of his brother Heinrich von Bayern and his wife Adelheid , snubbed the guest and made him wait three days. He then did not confirm any of the agreements made with Konrad. Instead, Berengar even had to hand over parts of his dominion to Otto I. In the end, Berengar was happy to be able to leave with safe conduct. Konrad was thus exposed in front of the entire court, his honor and reputation badly damaged. He had not been able to keep the word given to Berengar and the king had refused his advice.

To restore his position Konrad joined Heinrich's opponents. After the death of his wife in 953 Konrad then openly allied himself with Otto's son Liudolf to overthrow the hated Duke Heinrich, to whom both attributed the hostile sentiments of the king. At a Reichstag in Fritzlar in May 953, Konrad and Liudolf were denied their duchies. The Duchy of Lorraine went to Otto's brother Brun in September 953 . On June 16, 954, Konrad submitted to the king at a meeting of the warring parties in Langenzenn near Fürth , after Heinrich of Bavaria had openly accused the renegades of fraternizing with the Hungarians. While Liudolf continued his fight, Konrad got his confiscated goods back, but without the ducal dignity of Lorraine. Nevertheless, the medieval historical sources still use the title of duke for Konrad afterwards. In the same year he fought alongside Margrave Gero , who as a member of the Saalfeld oath was obliged to give him support and help, on the Ucker against the Slavic Ukranians .

Konrad fell as the leader of the Frankish contingent in the battle of the Lechfeld against the Hungarians . Contemporary sources such as B. Widukind von Corvey attribute a decisive part in the victorious outcome of the battle to his behavior. He died from an arrow shot when he wanted to air his helmet due to the unbearable heat, was taken home and buried in the presence of King Otto I in Worms Cathedral . His stone coffin with the remains is preserved in the Salier tomb there. Because the saint of the day of August 10, 955, on which Conrad the Red fell, was the martyr Laurentius of Rome , in gratitude for the victorious battle and in memory of the death of the Duke in Speyer and Wormsgau, numerous consecrated to Saint Laurentius Churches and chapels erected. Konrad's son Otto , born in 948, was Duke of Carinthia .

swell

  • Theodor Sickel (Ed.): Diplomata 12: The documents Konrad I., Heinrich I. and Otto I. (Conradi I., Heinrici I. et Ottonis I. Diplomata). Hanover 1879 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , digitized version )
  • Paul Hirsch , Hans-Eberhard Lohmann (ed.): Widukindi monachi Corbeiensis rerum gestarum Saxonicarum libri tres. = The Saxon history of the Widukind von Korvei (= Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Scriptores. 7: Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi. Vol. 60). 5th edition. Hahn, Hanover 1935, ( digitized ).
  • Robert Holtzmann (Ed.): Thietmari Merseburgensis episcopi chronicon. = The chronicle of Bishop Thietmar von Merseburg and its Korveier revision (= Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Scriptores. 6: Scriptores rerum Germanicarum. Nova Series Vol. 9). Weidmann, Berlin 1935, ( digitized version ).
  • Friedrich Kurz (Ed.): Reginonis abbatis Prumiensis Chronicon cum continuatione Treverensi. (= Monumenta Germania Historica. Scriptores 7. Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi. Vol. 50). Hahn, Hanover 1890 digitized

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Rudolf Köpke , Ernst Dümmler : Emperor Otto the Great. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876 p. 101; Rudolf Köpke: Ottonian studies on German history in the tenth century: Widukind von Korvei. Mittler, Berlin 1867, p. 124.
  2. ↑ Widukind II, 31: Cuonradi qui dictus est Rufus ; Krista Codea: Interveners and petitioners primarily for Lorraine recipients in the diplomas of the Liudolfing rulers (919-1024). A prosopographic representation. Bonn 2008, p. 196 ( online ).
  3. ^ DO I, 23 ; on this document Rüdiger E. Barth: The Duke in Lotharingien in the 10th century . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1990, ISBN 3-7995-4128-4 , p. 107 note 14.
  4. ^ Rüdiger E. Barth: The Duke in Lotharingien in the 10th century . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1990, ISBN 3-7995-4128-4 , p. 17.
  5. ^ Egon Boshof : The Salians. 5th updated edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 3-17-020183-2 , p. 12.
  6. ^ Chronicon Hugonis a. A. 955: Conradus dux .
  7. ↑ Gerd Althoff : On the question of the organization of Saxon coniurationes in the Ottonian period. In: Frühmittelalterliche Studien , Vol. 16, 1982, pp. 129–142 here p. 139 f.
  8. ↑ Widukind , Sachsengeschichte III, 60.
  9. ↑ Widukind, Sachsengeschichte III, 47.
predecessor Office successor
Otto of Verdun Duke of Lorraine
944–953 		Brun
personal data
SURNAME Konrad the Red
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Graf im Speyergau, Wormsgau and Nahegau; Duke of Lorraine; Count in Franconia
DATE OF BIRTH at 922
DATE OF DEATH August 10, 955
Place of death Lechfeld