Conrad I (or Konrad), Duke of Franconia, King of Germany was king of the German Holy Roman Empire from 911 to 918. He was the first and only emperor of the Conradine (Franconian) dynasty.
Conrad was born about 890 in Babenberg. His father was either Conrad, Duke of the "Old" Franks or Adalbert of Franconia, his mother was Glismut of Saxony. His sister Mathilda von Hesse was born around 899. Conrad married Kunigunde Alaholfing Countess In Swabia in 913, and had two children with her (Kunigunde of Germany and Hermann Duke of Franconia, both born in 913). He was Duke of Franconia from about 906. Conrad's brother Eberhard of Franconia became duke after Conrad's death; he was killed in 939 at the Battle of Andernach as a result of his opposition to Emperor Otto I, and the duchy of Franconia became a direct Imperial possession from 939 to 1024.
Conrad was elected King of the East Franks on November 10, 911, at Forchheim after the death of the last East Frankish Carolingian, Louis the Child. His reign was a constant struggle to uphold the power of the kingship against the growing power of the dukes of Saxony, Bavaria, and Swabia. His military campaigns were failures, and his attempt to mobilize the bishops to his cause at the synod of Hohenaltheim (916) was not enough to compensate. Conrad died on December 23, 918 without having been able to establish his line as the new royal house. On his deathbed, he persuaded his brother Eberhard to forego the crown for himself and to urge the electors of the Empire to choose Henry the Fowler (Henry I), duke of Saxony and one of his principal opponents, as his successor at the Reichstag of 919 in Fritzlar.
Conrad is noted not only for his stories of life at sea, his insights into human psychology, and his literary style, but also for his depictions of imperialism and racial issues.
Conrad’s experiences, especially in the Malay Archipelago and on the Congo River in 1890, are reflected in his writing.
Conrad’s life at sea and in ports abroad furnished the background for much of his writing, giving rise to the impression that he was primarily committed to foreign concerns.
Conrad discouraged interpretation of his sea novels through evidence from his life, but several of his novels drew the material, events, and personalities from his own experiences in different parts of the world.
Conrad was born in Berdichev, in the Ukraine, in a region that had once been a part of Poland but was then under Russian rule.
Conrad died on August 3, 1924, of a heart attack and was buried in Canterbury.
Feeds |
Contact