Rudolph of Rheinfelden (in German, Rudolf von Rheinfeld, and in Italian Rodolfo di Svevia), died October 15, 1080, was Duke of Swabia (1057–1077) and German antiking (1077–1080). He was the son of Count Kuno of Rheinfelden. October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. ... 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 Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor begs Pope Gregory VII to 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 Rüm in modern Turkey Anush... Events Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor begs Pope Gregory VII to 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 Rüm in modern Turkey Anush...

In 1057 Rudolf took advantage of the minority of German King Henry IV by kidnapping Matilda, daughter of the dowager empress Agnes of Poitou, Henry's mother. 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 remarried in 1066 to Adelheid, daughter of Otto of Savoy. Events King Macbeth I of Scotland is killed in battle against Malcolm Canmore. ... HEINRIC·IMP[ERATOR], Emperor Henry Henry IV (November 11, 1050 – August 7, 1106) was King of Germany from 1056 and Emperor from 1084, until his abdication in 1105. ... Agnes de Poitou or Empress Agnes (1020-1077) was regent of the Holy Roman Empire from 1056 to 1068. ... Events Anselm of Canterbury settles at the Benedictine monastery of Le Bec in Normandy. ... Swabia (German: Schwaben) is both a historic and linguistic region in Germany. ... Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic tribes, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks. ... Events May - The Norman leader Robert Guiscard conquers Taranto. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned King of England the day after Edward the Confessor dies. ... Otto or Oddone in Italian, (1010 – 1060) ascended the throne after the death of his elder brother, Amedeo. ...

Rudolf, who was a brother-in-law to Henry, at first supported the king's campaigns. He helped 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 the excommunication in 1077, the revolters 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) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 sq. ... With an area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4. ... 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 was the most significant conflict between secular and religious powers in medieval Europe. ... Events Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor begs Pope Gregory VII to 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 Rüm in modern Turkey Anush... Forchheims location in Germany 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). ...

In May Rudolf was crowned at 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 sieging Würzburg, but to little effect. Meanwhile, Swabia was deprived of him by the Diet at Ulm in May, and Henry gave the duchy to Frederick of Büren, the first Hohenstaufen ruler. Map of Germany showing Mainz Mainz (French: Mayence) is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. ... Ulm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg (about 100 km south-east of Stuttgart). ... Frederick I von Staufen (1050 – July 21, 1105) was duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death. ... Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. ...

The following year, the battle of Mellrichstadt (August 7), proved indecisive. Rudolf found difficulties in convincing the Saxons to fight beyond their borders; they viewed Rudolf as a southerner and distrusted him. He was also frustrated by the apparent reluctance by the pope in recognizing 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. Nevertheless, things seemed to be improving in 1080. The battle of Flarchheim (January 27, 1080) went well in his favor. On March 7, the pope finally excommunicated Henry again and recognized Rudolf as king. August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in Leap years). ...

Emboldened, his forces met Henry's at the Elster River. The battle, which took place on October 15, would have been a huge victory for the anti-royalists. However, in the battle Rudolf lost his right hand and was wounded in the abdomen. Withdrawing to nearby Merseburg, he there died. The anti-royalist cause soon deteriorated, with no one able to to replace Rudolf.