Conrad II (bornc. 990—died June 4, 1039,Utrecht, Ger., Holy Roman Empire) was a Germanking (1024–39) andHoly Roman emperor (1027–39), founder of theSalian dynasty. During his reign, he proved that the German monarchy had become a viable institution. Since the survival of the monarchy was no longer primarily dependent on a compact betweensovereign and territorial nobles, it was henceforth invulnerable to prolonged rebellion on their part.

Conrad was the son of CountHenry of Speyer, who had been passed over in his inheritances in favour of a younger brother. Henry was descended, through the marriage of his great-grandfatherConrad the Red to a daughter of Emperor Otto, from the Saxon house. Left poor, Conrad was brought up by the Bishop of Worms and did not receive much of a formal education; but, conscious of the deprivations suffered by him and his father, he matured early. Prudent and firm, he often displayed greatchivalry as well as a strong sense ofjustice, and he was determined to gain the status that fortune had denied him. In 1016 he marriedGisela, the widowed duchess of Swabia and a descendant ofCharlemagne. Conrad, however, was distantly related to Gisela. When strict canonists took exception to the marriage, EmperorHenry II, who was jealous of the growth of Conrad’s personal influence, used their findings as an excuse for forcing Conrad into temporary exile. The two men later becamereconciled, and, by the time Henry II died, in 1024, Conrad presented himself to the electoral assembly of the princes at Kamba on the Rhine as a candidate for the succession. After prolonged debates, the majority voted for him, and he was crowned king inMainz on Sept. 8, 1024.

Intelligent and genial, Conrad was also fortunate. Soon after his election, even the minority opposition was persuaded to pay their homage. Early in the following year, the sudden death ofBolesław I the Brave of Poland, a tributary to the German monarchy who had styled himself an independent king, spared Conrad the necessity of military interference. InGermany a rebellionfomented by nobles and relatives of Conrad was joined by many lay princes ofLombardy; and, although the Italian bishops paid homage at a court in Constance in June 1025, the lay princes sought to elect William of Aquitaine as antiking. But, when the King of France refused his support, the rebellion collapsed. Early in 1026, Conrad was able to go toMilan, where Archbishop Ariberto crowned him king ofItaly. After brief fighting, Conrad overcame the opposition of some towns and nobles and managed to reachRome, where he was crownedemperor by PopeJohn XIX onEaster 1027. When a renewed rebellion in Germany forced him to return, he subdued the rebels and imposed severe penalties on them, not sparing members of his own family.

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Conrad not only showed strength and incorruptible justice in maintaining his power but also displayed enterprise in legislation. He formally confirmed the popular legal traditions ofSaxony and issued a new set of feudal constitutions for Lombardy. On Easter Sunday 1028, at an imperial court inAachen, he had his sonHenry elected and anointed king. In 1036 Henry was married to Kunigunde, the daughter of King Canute ofEngland. Eventually, he became inseparable from his father and acted as his chiefcounsellor. Thus, the succession was virtually assured, and the future of the new house looked bright.

In the meantime, Conrad had been compelled, after all, to campaign againstPoland in 1028. After severe fighting,Mieszko—Bolesław’s son and heir—was forced to make peace and surrender lands that Conrad’s predecessor had lost. Even so, Conrad had to continue to campaign in the east, and in 1035 he subdued the heathen Liutitians.

Although occupied intermittently in the east, Conrad was able to gain political triumphs in the west. Earlier, the childless kingRudolf of Burgundy had offered the succession to his crown to Emperor Henry II, who, however, died before Rudolf. Thus, when Rudolf died in 1032, he left his kingdom to Conrad over the opposition of the Burgundian princes, who two years later, on Aug. 1, 1034, paid homage to Conrad atZürich.

Although Conrad’s relations with his son remained close, King Henry at times showed independentinitiative. He once concluded a separate peace with King Stephen of Hungary and on another occasion gave his oath to DukeAdalbero of Carinthia never to side against him. Thus, when Conrad fell out with Adalbero in 1035, Henry’s oath severely strained relations between father and son. Conrad managed to overcome his son’s partisanship only by humbling himself before him. In the end, Conrad’s determination prevailed, and Adalbero was duly punished.

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In 1036 Conrad appeared for a second time in Italy, where he proceeded with equal vigour against his old ally, ArchbishopAribert of Milan. Italy wasrent by dissensions between the great princes, who, together with their vassals—thecapitanei—had suppressed both knights and the burghers of the cities, thevalvassores.Conrad upheld the rights of thevalvassores,and, when Aribert, claiming to be the peer of the emperor, rejected Conrad’s legislative interference, Conrad had him arrested. Aribert managed to escape, however, and succeeded in raising a rebellion in Milan. Through luck and skillful diplomacy, Conrad succeeded in isolating Aribert from his Lombard supporters as well as from his friends inLorraine. Conrad was thus able to proceed in 1038 to southern Italy, where he installed friendly princes inSalerno and Anversa and appointed the German Richer as abbot of Monte Cassino.

On his return to Germany the same year along the Adriatic coast, his armysuccumbed to a midsummerepidemic in which both his daughter-in-law and his stepson died. Conrad himself reached Germany safely and held several important courts inSolothurn (where his son Henry was invested with the kingdom of Burgundy), inStrassburg, and inGoslar. He fell ill during the following year (1039) and died.