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Conradin  "The Execution of Conradin" Hohenstaufen, King of Sicily, King of Jerusalem, Duke of Swabia This 19th century genre oil painting depicts the execution of Conradin (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), the last legitimate Hohenstaufen, at the age of 16. Conradin was born in Bavaria to Holy Roman Emperor Conrad IV of Germany and Elisabeth of Wittelsbach. Following the loss of his father in 1254, his uncle Manfred made himself (1258) king of Sicily on false rumors of the youth’s death. And when Manfred died, the kingdom was seized (1266) by Charles I of France. Historians know little of Conradin’s other than he was "beautiful as Absalom, and spoke good Latin, " and that he was an avid chess player, a game he saw as symbolic of the struggle for power. Having assumed the title of King of Jerusalem and Sicily, Conradin took possession of the duchy of Swabia in 1262. And soon thereafter the Italians urged him to free them from Charles I. Pledging his lands, Conradin crossed the Alps and claimed Sicily. And on 23 August 1268 his multi-national army of Italian, Spanish, Roman, Arab and German troops met Charles’ troops in central Italy. Despite early victory, Conradin's soldiers focused on plundering the enemy's camp giving victory to the French. Conradin was arrested and handed over to Charles of Anjou, who imprisoned him in Naples, together with the inseparable Frederick of Baden, titular Duke of Austria. He was tried as a traitor, and on 29 October 1268 he and Frederick were beheaded along with two other leaders of the uprising. In that era, beheading was considered more humane than hanging and was a privilege granted only to nobility. The execution of the 16-year-old Conradin shocked Europe, antagonized England's Henry III and France's Louis IX, and alienated the Germans from the Roman Church. With the young royal’s death, the legitimate Hohenstaufen line became extinct. Conradin’s remains, with those of Frederick of Baden, lie in the Santa Maria del Carmine monastery in Naples. Centuries later in 1847, Maximilian, crown prince of Bavaria, erected a marble statue by Bertel Thorvaldsen to Conradin’s memory. The 14th century Codex Manesse collection of medieval German lyrics preserved at Heidelberg include two songs written by Conradin. And Johann Jakob Bodmer's (1698-1783) poem Conradin von Schwaben is a testimonial to the young king. 2009 Gift to the Museum from Mr. Randall Kurzon in honor of Gertrude H. Kurzon Previous • Back to List • Next |