Editing Conrad IV of Germany (section)

== Italian Campaign==
When Frederick II died in 1250, he passed Sicily and Germany, as well as the title of [[King of Jerusalem]], to Conrad, but the struggle with the pope continued. After reverses in Germany in 1251, Conrad decided to invade [[Italy]], hoping to regain the rich dominions of his father, and where [[Manfred of Sicily|his half-brother Manfred]] was acting as regent. In January 1252 he invaded [[Apulia]] with a [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] fleet, successfully managing to restrain Manfred and exercise control of the country. That same year Conrad issued constitutions during the [[hoftag]] in [[Foggia]], which were based on the well-known examples from Norman and early Staufer times. After the death of Frederick II, riots began in parts of the kingdom of Sicily and several cities attempted to escape the royal control, forcing Conrad to take military action in order to suppress the revolts. In October 1253 his troops conquered [[Naples]]. Steadily, Conrad consolidated his position in the kingdom and the formidable centralized government fashioned by his father continued to function effectively. New historical sources have shown,{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Conrad tried to reconcile with the pope, but no agreement was reached. 

The pope offered Sicily to [[Edmund Crouchback]], son of [[Henry III of England]], in 1253. Conrad was [[excommunication|excommunicated]] on April 9, 1254. Nevertheless, Innocent’s support in central Italy was waning. Conrad mustered an army for a decisive assault on Rome but he died of [[malaria]] May 21, 1254 at his army camp in [[Lavello]], [[Basilicata]].<ref>''Conrad IV'', Daniel R. Sodders, '''Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia''', Vol. I, ed. Christopher Kleinhenz, (Routledge, 2004), 510.</ref> Manfred continued the struggle with the Papacy, but after achieving success, he was killed at the [[Battle of Benevento]] by [[Charles I of Anjou]]. Conrad’s son, Conradin, attempted to reclaim the kingdom of Sicily but was also defeated by Charles of Anjou at the [[Battle of Tagliocozzo]] and executed soon after.

Conrad's widow Elisabeth remarried to [[Meinhard II, Count of Tirol]], who in 1286 became [[Duke of Carinthia]].

Conrad's death in 1254 began the [[Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire)|Interregnum]], during which no single ruler managed to gain undisputed control of Germany. Notably, many princes took this opportunity to gain more influence with their vast wealth and relative stability as opposed to the fractured monarchy which had proven to be somewhat unreliable. Similarly, many nobles accumulated greater autonomy without the guidance of a king.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/The-empire-after-the-Hohenstaufen-catastrophe#ref297131|title=The empire after the Hohenstaufen catastrophe|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621233602/http://www.britannica.com:80/place/Germany/The-empire-after-the-Hohenstaufen-catastrophe |archive-date=21 June 2015 }}</ref> The Interregnum ended in 1273, with the election of [[Rudolph I of Germany|Rudolph of Habsburg]] as King of the Romans.<ref>Judith Bennet and Clive Hollister, ''Medieval Europe, a Short History''. p. 260.</ref>