Editing Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

===Policy towards the Church===
Conrad continued the [[Ottonian dynasty]]'s [[imperial church system]]—a policy of using the German Church as a vehicle for imperial control. Beginning in the 950s, the Ottonians had favoured Church officials over secular nobles for appointment to the Empire's most important offices. Claiming "[[divine right of king|divine right]]" to rule the Empire, the Ottonians increasingly viewed themselves as [[Defender of the Faith|protectors of the church]] and thus demanded loyalty from the Church officials.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Timothy Reuter |date=25 March 2011 |title=The 'Imperial Church System' of the Ottonian and Salian Rulers: a Reconsideration |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-ecclesiastical-history/article/imperial-church-system-of-the-ottonian-and-salian-rulers-a-reconsideration/8B8887F785FC72BFD48A4A5DDF8A49C2 |journal=The Journal of Ecclesiastical History |publisher=Cambridge Org |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=347–374 |doi=10.1017/S0022046900026245 |s2cid=159994750 |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref> In return, the various bishoprics and abbeys of the Empire were granted extensive landholdings and secular authority, providing immunity from the jurisdiction of the secular nobles. As such, the Church officials reported exclusively to the Emperor, acting as his personal vassals.<ref name="Fuhrmann1986">{{Cite book |last=Horst Fuhrmann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hlapxde55rAC |title=Germany in the High Middle Ages: c. 1050–1200 |date=1986 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-31980-5}}</ref> As the Emperor's vassals, the Church officials were subject to the provision of two services: the ''servitium regis'' (royal service) and ''servitium militum'' (military service). Under royal service, the bishops and abbots were required to provide hospitality and accommodations to the Emperor and his court when he arrived. It also required the Church officials to act as quasi-bureaucracy for the Empire. Under military service, the Church was required to supply soldiers for the Emperor's army or to act as diplomats at his direction. Conrad energetically continued this tradition.{{sfn|Schutz|2010|pp=115–}}<ref name="Bernhardt2002">{{Cite book |last=John W. Bernhardt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iIiloa3-AlIC&pg=PR6 |title=Itinerant Kingship and Royal Monasteries in Early Medieval Germany, c. 936–1075 |date=2002 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-52183-3 |pages=6–}}</ref>

In his biography of Conrad, the chronicler [[Wipo of Burgundy]] stated the promotion of the Church was of little value to the Emperor. Conrad and the other members of the [[Salian dynasty]] had little interest in the founding of new monasteries. Through their hundred-year dynasty, the Salians only founded one: [[Limburg Abbey]] which was converted from a fortress to a monastery in 1025. The Ottonians established at least eight in their hundred-year reign. Additionally, the Ottonians were active in the establishment of Church affairs, but Conrad was uninterested, only calling five [[synod]]s during his reign and usually only to restore peace. Conrad's decisions on Church policy were often left to his wife [[Gisela of Swabia]]. When Archbishop [[Aribo (archbishop of Mainz)|Aribo of Mainz]], [[Primate of Germany]], died in 1031, Conrad considered both Abbot [[Bardo (bishop)|Bardo]] of [[Hersfeld Abbey]] and the renowned [[theologian]] [[Wazo of Liège]], then serving as the dean of the [[cathedral chapter]] for the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège|Bishop of Liege]]. Though Conrad favoured Wazo to lead the German Church as Archbishop and Primate, Gisela convinced him to appoint Bardo instead.<ref name="MöllerAmmerich2015"/>