Editing Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

==Reign as emperor==
===Imperial coronation===
[[File:Weltliche Schatzkammer Wien (190)2.JPG|thumb|220px|The [[Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire]]. Conrad was crowned as Emperor on 26 March 1027, by [[Pope John XIX]].]]

On 26 March 1027, [[Pope John XIX]] crowned Conrad and his wife Gisela as [[Holy Roman Emperor|emperor]] and empress, respectively, in [[Old Saint Peter's Basilica]] in [[Rome]].{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=102}} The event lasted seven days and was attended by Conrad's son and heir [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry]]; [[Cnut the Great]], King of England, Denmark and Norway; [[Rudolph III of Burgundy]] and around 70 senior clerics, including the Archbishops of Cologne, Mainz, Trier, Magdeburg, Salzburg, Milan and Ravenna.{{sfn|Heer|1968|p=51}} Rudolph of Burgundy's attendance suggested surprisingly good relations between Burgundy and the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. During the festivities, a power struggle between the archbishops of Milan and Ravenna ensued and was settled in favour of Milan. Subsequently, Conrad left Rome and toured south to receive [[Homage (feudal)|homage]] from the Southern Italian principalities of [[Principality of Capua|Capua]] and [[Principality of Salerno|Salerno]] and the [[Duchy of Benevento]].{{sfn|Weinfurter|1999|p=28–}}

After his coronation, Conrad issued decrees reorganising the monasteries and dioceses of Italy, with the explicit objective of bringing the [[Patriarchate of Venice]] under imperial control (see the ''[[Schism of the Three Chapters]]''). On 6 April 1027, at a [[synod]] held in the [[Lateran Basilica]] with [[Pope John XIX]], the emperor addressed the matter by declaring the [[Patriarchate of Aquileia]] superior to the [[Patriarchate of Grado]], an ally of the [[Byzantine Empire]]. The Aquileian [[Poppo of Treffen|Poppo]] had been a loyal supporter of Emperor Henry II, who had appointed him patriarch in 1020. Conrad's action placed the patriarchate at Grado under Poppo's authority, securing Poppo's loyalty by making him the Emperor's top official in northern Italy. The synod also limited the political autonomy of Venice. In so doing, Conrad broke with the policies of his predecessors and revoked Venice's privileged trading status.{{sfn|Schutz|2010|pp=115–}}

In May 1027 Conrad returned to Germany in order to attend the funeral of Duke [[Henry V of Bavaria]] at [[Regensburg]]. Conrad asserted his right to appoint the new [[Duchy of Bavaria|Duke of Bavaria]]. He made the unprecedented decision of choosing his 10-year-old son [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry]], ignoring several suitable candidates who held valid claims to the fief.

The young prince assumed Bavarian rule on 24 June 1027. Following Henry's appointment, Conrad held court at Regensburg and decreed that all imperial property in the duchy must be documented. This required the various counts and bishops to report all imperial property in their domains, castles and abbeys. Even the [[dowager empress]] [[Cunigunde of Luxembourg]] was required to report to Conrad, who even claimed that Cunegonde's ''[[wittum]]'' (money and property she had inherited from her deceased husband Emperor Henry II) belonged to him. These dubious claims to property and the excessive promotion of imperial authority over ducal and clerical affairs throughout Bavaria caused, unsurprisingly, new tension between him and the German aristocracy.<ref name=brit/>{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=114}}

===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–}}

===Conflict with Adalbero===
[[File:Adalbero of Eppenstein, Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona.jpg|thumb|Emperor Conrad disapproved of Duke [[Adalbero, Duke of Carinthia|Adalbero]]'s increasingly indiscreet and quasi-independent rule of his estates [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]] and [[March of Verona|Verona]], that compromised the stability at the crossroads of the empire]]

Conrad had to enforce his [[royal prerogative]]s in the [[Duchy of Carinthia]] and the [[Duchy of Swabia]]. Duke [[Adalbero, Duke of Carinthia|Adalbero of Carinthia]] had been appointed as duke in 1012 under Emperor Henry II and remained loyal to imperial authority, supporting Conrad's election as German king in 1024. At a [[synod]] in [[Frankfurt]] in September 1027, Conrad attempted to resolve the decades-long "Gandersheim Conflict". Adalbero accompanied the Emperor and acted as his sword-bearer during the proceeding, indicating Conrad's trust in him. From 1028 on, Adalbero governed his duchy as an independent state.

In particular, he attempted to conduct peaceful relations with King [[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I]] of the [[Kingdom of Hungary (1000–1301)|Hungary]]. Under Emperor Henry II, who was the brother-in-law to Stephen, relations between the Empire and Hungary had been friendly. Upon Henry's death in 1024, Stephen I adopted a more aggressive policy, prompting border raids into the Empire from Hungary. The raids particularly affected Adalbero's domain of Carinthia, which shared a long, eastern border with Hungary.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p= 140}}{{sfn|Makk|2001|p=45}}

Conrad summoned Adalbero to court at [[Bamberg]] on 18 May 1035, to answer an indictment of [[treason]] for his actions regarding Hungary. In the presence of the German dukes, Conrad demanded that Adalbero be stripped of all his titles and lands. The dukes demurred and demanded that Conrad's son [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry]], Germany's co-king and Conrad's designated successor, join the assembly before a decision was made. Henry refused to depose Adalbero, citing an earlier agreement with Adelbero to be his ally in negotiating a settlement between him and his father. Conrad resorted to exhortations, pleas and threats to convince Henry to support Adalbero's deposition. Henry's support was soon followed by that of the other dukes. Conrad then ordered Adalbero to be removed as Duke and sentenced him and his son to [[exile]]. After attacking Conrad's allies in Carinthia, Adalbero fled to his mother's estates in [[Ebersberg]] in the [[Duchy of Bavaria]], where he remained until his death in 1039. The ducal seat of Carinthia remained unoccupied until 2 February 1035, when Conrad named his cousin [[Conrad II, Duke of Carinthia|Conrad the Younger]] as the new duke. With the appointment, the three southern German duchies of Swabia, Bavaria and Carinthia were all under the control of Emperor Conrad through his family members (his stepson Herman in Swabia, his son Henry in Bavaria, and his cousin Conrad in Carinthia).{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=84}}

Control of the southern duchies allowed Conrad to continue the process begun under the [[Ottonian dynasty]], centralizing the Emperor's authority over the Empire at the expense of the regional dukes. Conrad broke with Ottonian tradition, however, in favouring a more strict means of controlling rebellious vassals. Whereas the Ottonians followed a policy of informal public submission and subsequent reconciliation, Conrad used treason trials to declare rebels as "public enemies" to legitimize his subsequent harsh treatment, as he had done with [[Ernest II, Duke of Swabia|Ernest II of Swabia]] and Adalbero. The nobles saw the use of these treason trials not as mere power shifts in favour of the Emperor, but as a cruel breach of German tradition.{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=88}}

===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"/>

===Relations with Poland===
====War with Mieszko Lambert====
{{Main|Germania Slavica}}
[[File:Polska 992 - 1025.png|thumb|The [[Duchies of Poland|Duchy of Poland]] at its greatest extent under [[Bolesław I the Brave|Bolesław I]] and his son [[Mieszko II Lambert]]]]

Duke [[Bolesław I of Poland]] of the [[Piast dynasty]] repeatedly clashed with [[Emperor Henry II]] during the [[German–Polish War (1002–18)|German–Polish Wars]] of 1002 to 1018. In January 1018, Henry II and Bolesław I signed the [[Peace of Bautzen|peace treaty of Bautzen]],{{sfn|Knefelkamp|2002|p=125}} that settled the permanent coexistence of the Empire and Poland as Bolesław recognized Henry II as his nominal feudal lord.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=451}} In return, Henry II generously invested Bolesław with territories on the Empire's eastern border. In order to reinforce his dynastic bonds with the German nobility, Bolesław, a widower, married [[Oda of Meissen]], daughter of the Saxon margrave [[Eckard I of Meissen]]. The Empire and Poland enjoyed peace for the remainder of Henry's reign. However, Bolesław then seized the opportunity presented by Henry's death in 1024 and the subsequent interregnum to consolidate his own power, crowning himself King on [[Easter]], 25 April 1025. Bolesław was thus the first Polish king, as his predecessors only held the ducal title of the political entity, called [[Civitas Schinesghe]] at the time, that had only a few decades ago revealed itself to the world and the [[Holy See]] in Rome.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Krystyna Łukasiewicz|date=2009 |title="dagome Iudex" and the First Conflict over Succession in Poland |journal=The Polish Review |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=407–429 |jstor=25779841}}</ref> Bolesław died within two months of his coronation, most likely due to an illness. His son, [[Mieszko II Lambert]], succeeded him as King, crowned on Christmas, 1025. Upon assuming the Polish throne, Mieszko expelled his older half-brother [[Bezprym]] and his younger brother [[Otto Bolesławowic]]. Otto went west to seek Conrad II's protection.{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=209}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Herzog Mieszko II - Lambert Piast |url=https://www.geni.com/people/Herzog-Mieszko-II-Lambert-Piast/6000000000768959047 |publisher=Geni |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref>

Conrad considered the assumption of the title "king" by Mieszko an act of war and a disregard of his imperial authority, but had to address domestic issues before dealing with Mieszko. In 1026 Conrad II marched into Italy to consolidate imperial authority south of the Alps and to claim the imperial crown from the Pope. In his absence, Duke [[Ernest II of Swabia]], [[Conrad II, Duke of Carinthia|Conrad the Younger]] and Duke [[Frederick II of Upper Lorraine]] rebelled against his authority.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mathilde von Schwaben |url=http://bsbndb.bsb.lrz-muenchen.de/sfz58985.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130701012634/http://bsbndb.bsb.lrz-muenchen.de/sfz58985.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 July 2013 |last=Eckhard Freise |publisher=Neue deutsche Biographie |access-date=1 April 2020}}</ref>

The rebels sought the support of Mieszko, which the Polish king granted, promising to take military action against Conrad. Conrad returned to Germany in mid-1027, putting an end to the rebellion before Mieszko could deploy his forces. In preparation for his own invasion of Poland, Conrad developed a closer relationship with King [[Cnut]] of England and Denmark (whose kingdom lay beyond the Empire's northern border). Cnut accompanied Conrad at his imperial coronation in 1027, and Conrad granted Cnut authority over the [[Duchy of Schleswig|March of Schleswig]], the land bridge between Denmark and Germany.{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=215}}

Fearing the possibility of a joint German-Danish attack, in 1028 Mieszko took the initiative and invaded [[March of Lusatia|Lusatia]] in the eastern Empire and occupied the territories of the [[Lutici]]an Federation, where [[West Slavs|West Slavic]] [[Polabian Slavs|Polabian]] tribes had settled and represented the majority of the population since the 10th century after centuries of steady immigration.<ref name="Goldberg2006">{{Cite book |last=Eric Joseph Goldberg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oyiTg0wgl58C&pg=PA121 |title=Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict Under Louis the German, 817–876 |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-8014-3890-X |pages=121–}}</ref> Slavs had long been the targets of imperial military campaigns, particularly for the punishment and subjugation of [[paganism|pagan]] tribes. [[Emperor Otto I]]'s lieutenants, [[Herman Billung]] and [[Gero]], harassed Slavic settlers beginning in the 940s. As part of the [[Slavic revolt of 983]], the Lutici rebelled against the Empire. In the ensuing war (983–995), the Lutici succeeded in reclaiming their independence and gained control of the [[Billung March]] and [[Northern March]] from the Empire.{{sfn|Lübke|2002|p=99}} Though [[Emperor Otto III]] allied with Duke [[Bolesław I of Poland]] to reintegrate them into the Empire, Otto III's death ended the friendly relationship between Poland and the Empire. Instead, Bolesław competed with Otto III's successor, Emperor Henry II, for dominion over the Lutici, causing Henry II to ally the Empire with the Lutici against Poland. Under the [[Peace of Bautzen]] in 1018, all three parties remained in uneasy peace, with Poland allowed to retain the [[Margraviate of Meissen]]. Of the eastern marches, the Empire only kept the [[March of Lusatia]]. Mieszko's 1028 invasion ended the peace. The Lutici sent ambassadors to seek Conrad's protection against Mieszko, which Conrad granted and renewed the German-Lutician alliance.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ostsiedlung – ein gesamteuropäisches Phänomen |date=25 May 2002 |url=https://www.grin.com/document/106527 |publisher=GRIN Verlag |isbn=9783640048069 |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=A. Pleszczynski |url=https://brill.com/view/book/9789004205642/Bej.9789004185548.i-352_003.xml |title=The Birth of a Stereotype – Appearance Of The Piast State Within Eyeshot Of The Elites In The Liudolfings' Empire |date= 2011 |publisher=Jstor |isbn=9789004205642 |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Herrmann1985">{{Cite book |last=Joachim Herrmann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iXggAAAAMAAJ |title=Die Slawen in Deutschland: Geschichte und Kultur der slawischen Stämme westlich von Oder und Neisse vom 6. bis 12. Jahrhundert |publisher=Akademie-Verlag |year=1985}}</ref>

Conrad, seeking to relieve pressure on the Lutici, counter-invaded Poland in 1029 and besieged [[Bautzen]] in the [[Margraviate of Meissen]]. However, faced with a potential invasion by Hungary and the failure of the Lutici to provide their promised contingent of troops, Conrad retreated. In 1030, Poland secured an alliance with Hungary, with Stephen I invading Bavaria while Mieszko invaded Saxony. Conrad responded by allying with [[Yaroslav the Wise]], [[Grand Prince of Kiev]], who captured [[Red Ruthenia]], on Poland's eastern border. In 1031, Conrad concluded a peace treaty with Hungary by ceding the lands between the rivers [[Lajta]] and [[Fischa]] to Hungarian control. Freed from the threat of Hungarian attack, the Emperor was able to focus his attention on Poland. Marching on Mieszko in autumn 1031, Conrad again besieged [[Bautzen]]. Mieszko was crushed by the Holy Roman and Kievan invaders and his exiled brother [[Bezprym]]'s rebellion. He surrendered to Conrad in the fall of 1031. The [[Treaty of Merseburg]] provided that Mieszko return the [[Margraviate of Meissen]] and the [[March of Lusatia]] to the Empire.{{sfn|Boshof|2008|p=71}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mieszko II Lambert King of Poland |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mieszko-II-Lambert |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="mie">{{Cite journal |last=Henry Joseph Lang |date=1974 |title=The Fall of the Monarchy of Mieszko II, Lambert |journal=Speculum |publisher=Jstor |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=623–639 |doi=10.2307/2852030 |jstor=2852030|s2cid=159636093}}</ref><ref name="Cambridge1995">{{Cite book |last=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-SsbHs5zTAC&pg=PA267 |title=The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 3, c. 900 – c. 1024 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |date=1995 |isbn=978-0-521-36447-8 |pages=267–}}</ref>

====Treaty of Merseburg====
Soon after Mieszko had concluded peace with the Empire, he was deposed by [[Bezprym]], who had been in exile in the [[Kievan Rus']] since 1025. Bezprym, with Conrad's approval, had persuaded the Kievan Grand Prince [[Yaroslav I the Wise]] to invade Poland and install Bezprym as sovereign. Mieszko fled to [[Duchy of Bohemia|Bohemia]] where he was imprisoned and [[castrated]] by Duke [[Oldřich, Duke of Bohemia|Oldřich]] in retribution for Mieszko's father [[Bolesław I the Brave|Bolesław]]'s blinding of Duke [[Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia|Boleslaus III]], Oldřich's brother, thirty years earlier. Shortly after taking power, Bezprym sent the [[Polish regalia]] to Conrad, officially renouncing the title "king" in favour of the traditional title "duke" and accepting the overlordship of the Empire over Poland.{{sfn|Boshof|2008|p=71}} The royal regalia were delivered by Mieszko II's wife, [[Richeza of Lotharingia]].<ref name="Halfond2016"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Medieval Russia 980–1584 |url=https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/102/4/1140/80981?redirectedFrom=fulltext |last=Janet Martin |date=1 October 1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=4 April 2020}}</ref>

Bezprym's reign, however, was short. His extreme cruelty caused his half-brother [[Otto Bolesławowic]] to conspire against him. Bezprym's own men murdered him in the spring of 1032, which created a [[power vacuum]] in Poland. Conrad responded by holding a [[hoftag|diet]] at [[Merseburg]] in 1033 to address the situation. Conrad's wife, Empress [[Gisela of Swabia]], interceded on Mieszko's behalf and requested he be freed from imprisonment in Bohemia and allowed to regain the Polish throne. Under the terms of the [[Treaty of Merseburg]], Conrad divided Poland among Mieszko, Otto and Detric, another half-brother. Mieszko was allowed to retain the title of Duke and nominal authority over all of Poland. Now that the Empire had a strong central leader, the treaty significantly increased the Empire's influence over Poland.{{sfn|Knefelkamp|2002|p=137}}{{sfn|Boshof|2008|p=72}}

The regulation was short-lived as in 1033 Otto was killed by one of his own men, and Mieszko II took over his domains. Shortly after, Mieszko expelled Detric and reunited the whole country. Though Mieszko regained his territory, he still was opposed by the nobility and his own subjects. Mieszko did not adopt Bezprym's renunciation of the Polish crown and continued to style himself as King. Mieszko II died soon after in 1034, and upon his death, a [[Pagan reaction in Poland]] erupted. Subsequently, his wife [[Richeza of Lotharingia|Richeza]] and son [[Casimir I of Poland|Casimir I]] fled to the Empire.<ref name=mie/>{{sfn|Knefelkamp|2002|p=137}}{{sfn|Boshof|2008|p=72}}

===Relations with Eastern Europe===

====Bohemia====
The [[Duchy of Bohemia]] was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire in 1004 during the [[German–Polish War (1002–1018)|German–Polish War]]s, that lasted from 1002 to 1018. [[Emperor Henry II]] installed [[Jaromír, Duke of Bohemia|Jaromír]] as [[Duke of Bohemia]] and guaranteed protection against Polish aggression. Jaromír ruled only a small territory, however, as Poland had occupied the traditional Czech territories of [[Moravia]], [[Silesia]], [[Lesser Poland]] and [[Lusatia]]. In 1012, Jaromír was deposed by his brother [[Oldřich, Duke of Bohemia|Oldřich]], who assumed the Bohemian throne for himself. Following the resumption of hostilities between the Empire and Poland in 1028, Oldřich went on the offensive against Poland, reconquering Moravia by 1029, which helped to stabilize his duchy. The war ended in 1031 when the Polish king [[Mieszko II Lambert|Mieszko II]] surrendered to Conrad. During the following civil war, Mieszko was forced to flee Poland for Bohemia, where Oldřich had him imprisoned and castrated in revenge for the torture Mieszko's father, [[Bolesław I of Poland]], inflicted upon Duke [[Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia|Boleslaus III]], Oldřich's brother, thirty years before.<ref name=mie/><ref name="Prague09">{{Cite book |last1=Cosmas (of Prague) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZG7igBN41oUC&pg=PA105 |title=The Chronicle of the Czechs |last2=Cosmas of Prague |last3=Côme de Prague |publisher=CUA Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8132-1570-9 |pages=105–}}</ref>

Poland did not stabilize in the wake of Mieszko's exile, forcing Conrad to convene an assembly in July 1033 to issue the [[Treaty of Merseburg]] which restored Mieszko to the Polish throne. Conrad summoned Oldřich to appear at the assembly, but Oldřich refused. His absence raised the ire of the Emperor; Conrad, busy with securing his succession to the Burgundian throne, charged his son Duke [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry of Bavaria]] with punishing the recalcitrant Bohemian. At age 17, Henry's march on Bohemia was his first independent military command. The expedition was a complete success, as Henry deposed Oldřich and restored his brother Jaromír to the Bohemian throne. Oldřich's son [[Bretislav I|Bretislaus I]] was appointed as Count of [[Moravia]]. Oldřich himself was imprisoned in Bavaria, but in 1034 was pardoned and allowed to return to Bohemia.<ref name="Wolverton2012">{{Cite book |last=Lisa Wolverton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FeFACISbhCgC&pg=PP6 |title=Hastening Toward Prague: Power and Society in the Medieval Czech Lands |date= 2012 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-0422-3 |pages=6–}}</ref> Oldřich deposed and blinded Jaromír, reclaimed the Bohemian throne, and exiled his son Bretislaus. While the reason for the conflict between father and son has been lost, it is assumed Bretislaus had supported Jaromír over his father. However, Oldřich died suddenly on 9 November 1034, allowing Bretislaus to return from exile. Though Jaromír was offered the throne, he declined in favour of his nephew. Bretislaus was then confirmed as the new Duke of Bohemia by Conrad II.{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=227}}

====Hungary====

[[File:Portrayal of Stephen I, King of Hungary on the coronation pall.jpg|thumb|Stephen as depicted on the coronation pall]]
With emperor Otto III's approval, Stephen was crowned as the first Christian [[king of Hungary]] on [[Christmas Day]], 1000.{{sfn|Engel|2001|p=28}} Otto III's successor, [[Emperor Henry II]], was Stephen's brother-in-law by Stephen's marriage to Henry's sister [[Gisela of Hungary|Gisela]], furthering the friendly relationship between the Empire and Hungary. Under Conrad II, however, relations quickly turned hostile as Conrad pursued a more aggressive policy regarding eastern Europe.{{sfn|Lenkey|2003|p=90}} Conrad II expelled the [[Doge of Venice|Venetian doge]] [[Otto Orseolo]], the husband of Stephen's sister [[Grimelda of Hungary]] from Venice in 1026.{{sfn|Lenkey|2003|p=90}}{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=148}} Conrad also persuaded the Bavarians to accept his own infant son, [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry]], as their duke in 1027, although Stephen's son, [[Saint Emeric of Hungary|Emeric of Hungary]], had a legitimate claim to the [[Duchy of Bavaria]] through his mother.{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|p=187}}

Emperor Conrad planned a marriage alliance with the [[Byzantine Empire]] and dispatched one of his advisors, Bishop [[Werner I (Bishop of Strasbourg)|Werner of Strasbourg]], to [[Constantinople]].{{sfn|Butler|Cumming|Burns|1998|p=159}}{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|pp=197–198}} The bishop presented himself as a pilgrim, but Stephen, who had been informed of his actual purpose, refused to let him enter the country in the autumn of 1027.{{sfn|Butler|Cumming|Burns|1998|p=159}}{{sfn|Wolfram|2006|pp=197–198}} Conrad's biographer [[Wipo of Burgundy]] recorded that the Bavarians incited skirmishes along the common Imperial-Hungarian border in 1029, causing a rapid deterioration in relations between the two countries.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|p=149}}{{sfn|Kristó|2003|p=74}} In 1030, open conflict erupted. Conrad launched an invasion into Hungary but was forced to retreat when the Hungarians successfully used [[scorched earth]] tactics. Conrad departed to address the problem with his stepson [[Ernest II, Duke of Swabia|Ernest II]], the deposed [[Duke of Swabia]], leaving matters in Hungary to his son Henry. Henry settled the conflict by 1031 by bestowing titles to eastern Bavarian lands between the [[Lajta]] and [[Fischa]] rivers to the Hungarian nobility. Hungary and the Empire remained at peace from 1031 to Henry's own reign as Emperor in 1040.{{sfn|Györffy|1994|pp=149–150}}

===Conquest of Burgundy===
In 1016 King [[Rudolph III of Burgundy]], ruler of the [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles|Kingdom of Burgundy]], was left without a male heir, and so [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]] seized the opportunity and forced Rudolph to name him as successor.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=16}} Henry II, the son of Rudolph's sister [[Gisela of Burgundy]], was his nephew and closest living male relative. However, Henry predeceased Rudolph in 1024. Soon, Henry's successor Conrad II claimed to have acquired Henry's rights to the Burgundian succession, which Rudolph disputed. Count [[Odo II of Blois]], who had strong family ties with Rudolph, also claimed the succession. Conrad II met Rudolph III in August 1027 near [[Basel]] to settle the dispute. Henry II's widowed wife, Empress [[Cunigunde of Luxembourg]], mediated between the two parties.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=27}} An agreement was reached that allowed Conrad II to succeed to the Burgundian throne upon Rudolph's death under the same conditions as Henry II. In return, Rudolph was allowed to retain independent rule over his kingdom.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=27}}

Rudolph died on 6 September 1032, while Conrad was on campaign against Duke [[Mieszko II of Poland]]. Upon Mieszko's surrender, Conrad marched his army to Burgundy during the winter of 1032/1033. Conrad's rival to the Burgundian throne, Count Odo II of Blois had already invaded the kingdom to secure his rule and controlled large sections of the kingdom's western territories.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=30}} On 2 February 1033, Conrad arrived at [[Vaud]], where he held an assembly at the [[Payerne Priory|Abbey of Payerne]] and was crowned King of Burgundy.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=32}} 

Initially, Conrad made little progress against Odo and had to withdraw to [[Zürich]] in March.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=32}} In April 1033 he negotiated a treaty of alliance with [[Henry I of France]], which was completed at the end of May in a personal interview at [[Deville, Ardennes|Deville]] on the Meuse. Both monarchs had Odo for an enemy, since he had supported the claims of Henry I's younger brother to the French crown. Conrad might therefore have been given a free hand by his ally to invade Odo's French fiefs.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=33}} In two large-scale military summer campaigns in 1033 and 1034, Conrad defeated Odo.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=33–36}} On 1 August 1034, Conrad officially incorporated Burgundy into the [[Holy Roman Empire]] at a ceremony held in the [[St. Pierre Cathedral|Cathedral of Geneva]].{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=33–36}}

Though Burgundy had been brought under full imperial control, the kingdom was allowed a remarkable degree of autonomy. Conrad rarely intervened in its affairs following his coronation, returning only in 1038 to announce his son [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry]] as the kingdom's future ruler. Crucially, the conquest of Burgundy augmented the influence and dignity of the Emperor to the benefit of the Empire. With Burgundy secured, Conrad controlled the western Alpine passes into Italy and could easily block foreign invasions.{{sfn|Previté-Orton|1912|p=40}}