Conrad, Duke of Lorraine

Entry to the tomb in Worms cathedral

Conrad the Red (German: Konrad der Rote) (c. 922 – 10 August 955) was a Duke of Lorraine from the Salian dynasty.

He was the son of Werner V, Count of the Nahegau, Speyergau, and Wormsgau. His mother Hicha of Swabia, was a daughter of Burchard II, Duke of Swabia and Regelinda of Zürich. In 941, he succeeded his father in his counties and obtained an additional territory, the Niddagau. In 944 or 945, he was also invested with Lorraine by King Otto I.

In 947, he married Liutgarde, daughter of Otto and Edith, daughter of Edward the Elder, King of England. He and Liutgard had one son, Otto of Worms, later duke of Swabia and Carinthia.

In 953, Conrad joined his brother-in-law, Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, in rebellion against Otto, who bitterly complained about Conrad's ingratitude. The rebellion was quashed and Conrad was deprived of Lorraine, which was instead granted to Otto's brother, Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne. Eventually Conrad and Otto were reconciled.

In 954 Conrad participated in a successful campaign against the Ukrani of the Uckerland. 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 Worms Cathedral by his son Otto. Conrad was the great-grandfather of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Sources

• Weinfurter, Stefan. The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition, 1999