Conrad, Duke of Lorraine
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Conrad the Red (German: Konrad der Rote) (died 10 August 955) was Duke of Lotharingia and Franconia.
He was the son of Werner of Speyergau, Count of Worms. His mother was a sister of Conrad of Franconia, King of Germany. In 941, he succeeded his father as count in the Nahegau, Speyergau, and Wormsgau and obtained an additional territory, the Niddagau. In 944 or 945, he was also invested with Lotharingia by the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I.
In 947 he married Luitgarde, daughter of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eadgyth, daughter of Edward the Elder, King of England. He and Luitgarde had one son, Otto of Worms (c. 950–1004).
In 953, Conrad joined his brother-in-law, Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, in rebellion against Otto I, who bitterly complained about Conrad's ingratitude. The rebellion was quashed and Conrad was deprived of Lotharingia, which was instead granted to Otto I's brother, Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne.
Eventually Conrad and Otto were reconciled, and in 955, Conrad was killed in the Battle of Lechfeld while fighting alongside Otto against the Magyars. According to the chronicler Widukind of Corvey: "Duke Conrad, the foremost of all in combat, suffering from battle fatigue caused by an unusually hot sun, loosened the straps of his armor to catch his breath when an arrow pierced his throat and killed him instantly." Conrad's body was carried in state to Worms, where he was given a lavish funeral and buried at the cathedral there.
By his son, Otto, Conrad was the great-grandfather of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor.
| Preceded by vacant |
Duke of Lotharingia 944-953 |
Succeeded by Bruno the Great |
[edit] Sources
- Weinfurter, Stefan. The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition, 1999
