Rudolph of Rheinfelden (German: Rudolf von Rheinfelden; c. 1025–15 October 1080 in Merseburg), was Duke of Swabia (1057–1079) and German antiking (1077–1080). He was the son of Count Kuno of Rheinfelden. Events April 18 - Boleslaw I Chrobry is crowned as the first king of Poland. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. ... Merseburg is a city in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. ... The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia, including the several holders of the title who were also Holy Roman Emperors. ... Events King Macbeth I of Scotland is killed in battle against Malcolm Canmore. ... Events Persian astronomer, Omar Khayyám, computed the length of the year as 365. ... An Antiking (German: ) is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. ... Events January 26 - Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor visits Pope Gregory VII as a penitent, asking him remove sentence of excommunication Robert Curthose instigates his first insurrection against his father, William the Conqueror Seljuk Turks capture Nicaea Süleyman I of Rüm becomes the leader of the Sultanate of...

In 1057 Rudolf allegedly took advantage of the minority of German King Henry IV by kidnapping Matilda, the king's sister. Rudolf demanded, and received, Matilda's hand in marriage (1059), as well as the Duchy of Swabia and administration of the Kingdom of Burgundy. In 1060 Matilda died, and Rudolf subsequently, in 1066, married Adelheid, daughter of Otto of Savoy. Rudolph's daughter Adelaide married Ladislaus I of Hungary. HEINRIC·IMP[ERATOR], Emperor Henry IV. Henry IV (November 11, 1050 – August 7, 1106) was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084, until his forced abdication in 1105. ... Germany. ... région of Bourgogne, see Bourgogne. ... Otto of Savoy Otto or Oddone in Italian, (1010 or 1020 – c. ... For other monarchs with similar names, please see Ladislaus I (disambiguation). ...

Rudolf, who was a two-time brother-in-law to Henry IV, at first supported the king's campaigns. He aided him in Thuringia and Saxony and was a primary force in the First Battle of Langensalza against the rebels. However, when the Investiture Controversy broke out and Henry was excommunicated, Rudolf met with several other nobles to decide on a course of action. Despite the lifting of Henry's excommunication in 1077, the rebels continued with their plans. At Forchheim, Rudolf was elected antiking in March. He promised to respect the electoral concept of the monarchy and declared his willingness to be subservient to the pope. The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) is located in central Germany and is considered one of the smaller of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 km² and 2. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... The First Battle of Langensalza was fought on June 9, 1075 between forces of German King Henry IV and several rebellous Saxon individuals on the River Unstrut. ... The Investiture Controversy, also known as the lay investiture controversy, was the most significant conflict between secular and religious powers in medieval Europe. ... Events January 26 - Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor visits Pope Gregory VII as a penitent, asking him remove sentence of excommunication Robert Curthose instigates his first insurrection against his father, William the Conqueror Seljuk Turks capture Nicaea Süleyman I of Rüm becomes the leader of the Sultanate of... Forchheim is a large district city in Franconia in northern Bavaria, and also the seat of the administrative region of Upper Franconia (Oberfranken in German). ... An Antiking (German: ) is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. ...

On 25 May, Rudolf was crowned by Archbishop Siegfried I in Mainz, but the people of the city revolted and he was forced to flee to Saxony. This presented a problem, since Saxony was cut off from his duchy of Swabia by the king's lands. He then gave Swabia to his son Berthold and attempted to rectify this situation by besieging Würzburg, but to little effect. Meanwhile, he was deprived of Swabia by the Diet at Ulm in May, and Henry IV gave the duchy to Frederick of Büren, the first Hohenstaufen ruler. is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Siegfried I (died 16 February 1084) was the Abbot of Fulda from 25 December 1058 until he became Archbishop of Mainz in 6 January 1060. ... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... Würzburg Residenz. ... Ulm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube, about 90 km south-east of Stuttgart and 140 km north-west of Munich. ... Frederick I von Staufen (1050 – July 21, 1105) was duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death. ... Arms of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty The Hohenstaufen (or the Staufer(s)) were a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. ...

The battle of Mellrichstadt in the following year (7 August) proved indecisive. Rudolf found it difficult to convince the Saxons to fight beyond their borders; they viewed Rudolf as a southerner and distrusted him. He was also frustrated by the apparent reluctance of the Pope to recognize his cause. In order to gain and maintain supporters, he was forced to grant large parts of the crown lands, as well as those of the church, to his followers. Nevertheless, things seemed to be improving in 1080. The battle of Flarchheim (27 January 1080) went well in his favor. On 7 March, the Pope finally excommunicated Henry again and recognized Rudolf as king. August 7 is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Emboldened, his forces met Henry's at the Elster River. The battle, which took place on 14 October, would have been a huge victory for the anti-royalists. However, in the battle Rudolf lost his right hand and was mortally wounded in the abdomen. He withdrew to nearby Merseburg, where he died the next day and was buried. The rebellion against King Henry soon evaporated. The Weiße Elster (in Czech: Bílý Halštrov) is a 257 km long river in central Europe. ... Merseburg is a city in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. ...