Editing Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

===Uprising in Swabia===
In 1025, Duke [[Ernest II of Swabia]], Conrad's stepson from his marriage to [[Gisela of Swabia]], rebelled against his stepfather when he was elected king of Germany. By 1026, Conrad had defeated the resistance and Ernest submitted to his reign. Due to the intervention of his mother Gisela, Ernest was allowed to accompany Conrad on his expedition to Italy in 1026. During the expedition, the rebellion led by [[Conrad II, Duke of Carinthia|Conrad of Carinthia]] and Count [[Welf II, Count of Swabia|Welf II of Swabia]] continued. Conrad had named Bishop [[Bruno of Augsburg]] regent of Germany while he marched south to Italy. When Bruno was defeated by the rebels, Conrad sent Ernest back to Germany in September 1026 to end the revolt. When Ernest returned, however, he joined the rebels.

In 1027 Conrad returned to Germany after his imperial coronation and held court at [[Augsburg]], calling upon the rebels to surrender. Ernest, trusting in the number and fidelity of his vassals, rejected the peace offer and appealed to his Swabian counts to join him in the rebellion. According to [[Wipo of Burgundy]], the counts refused, stating that while they had sworn loyalty to Ernest, they would not rebel against their Emperor. Without the support of the Swabian counts, Ernest, Conrad of Carinthia and Count Welf surrendered to Conrad at [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] on 9 September 1027, ending the rebellion. Conrad stripped Ernest of his ducal title and imprisoned him at [[Giebichenstein Castle]] in [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]]. Gisela supported Conrad against her son but did not want Ernest to be entirely humiliated. As a result of his mother's intervention, Conrad allowed Ernest to retain his title while imprisoned, with Gisela serving as regent over the duchy.{{sfn|Schutz|2010|pp=115–}}

In 1028, after Conrad's son [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry]] was crowned in Aachen as King of Germany, Gisela again intervened on Ernest's behalf. Conrad pardoned Ernest and released him from prison in 1028, but Gisela retained regency over Swabia. Ernest served as duke in name only. On Easter 1030, Conrad offered to restore to Ernest his full powers as Duke of Swabia if he would crack down on the Emperor's enemies there. Ernest's refusal, especially against his friend Count Werner of Kyburg, resulted in his final downfall. Conrad stripped his stepson of his title, declared him a public enemy, and had him [[excommunicated]]. Even his mother Gisela did not come to his rescue. Within a few months, both Ernest and Werner, who had retreated to Falkenstein Castle, south of modern [[Schramberg]] in the [[Black Forest]], were killed in a battle against a contingent of the [[Bishop of Constance]]. The fall of Ernest greatly weakened the sovereignty of Swabia. Conrad appointed Ernest's younger brother [[Herman IV, Duke of Swabia|Herman]] as a new Swabian prince. As Herman was still an infant, the Bishop of Constance was assigned his regent. Eight years later in 1038, Herman died and Conrad installed his own son Henry as duke, securing imperial control over the duchy.{{sfn|Schutz|2010|pp=115–}}