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We know little of his appearance and character except that he was "beautiful as Absalom, and spoke good Latin." Although his father had entrusted him to the guardianship of the church, Pope Innocent IV pursued Conradin with relentless hatred and attempted to bestow the kingdom of Sicily on a foreign prince. Innocent's successor, Pope Alexander IV, continued this policy, offered the HohenstaufenHohenstaufen was a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. The proper name, taken from their castle in Swabia, is Staufen. When the last member of the Salian dynasty, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor lands in Germany to Alfonso XAlfonso X El Sabio or the Learned ( November 23, 1221 April 4, 1284) was a king of Castile and Leon ( 1252 1284). He is perhaps the most interesting, though far from the most capable, of the Spanish kings of the Middle Ages. His nickname "El Sabio" usuall, king of CastileA former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. Previously an eastern county of the kingdom of Leon, Castile in the 11th century became an independent realm, and forbade Conradin's election as king of the RomansThe title King of the Romans ( Latin: Rex Romanorum not to be confused with the mythical Kings of Rome was carried by Holy Roman Emperors after they had been confirmed as Emperor, but before they had undergone the ceremony of coronation by the Pope. The t.

Having assumed the title of king of Jerusalem and Sicily, Conradin took possession of the duchyA duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess. Historically, some duchies in Continental Europe were sovereign, while others (especially in France and Britain) were subordinate districts of a kingdom. See also: Grand Duchy. For the hi of Swabia in 1262Events Strasbourg becomes a Free City of the Holy Roman Empire First Visconti become the lord of Milan Leaders of Iceland swear fealty to the king of Norway, bringing an end to the Icelandic Commonwealth Births Ladislaus IV of Hungary Deaths Monarchs/Pres, and remained for some time in his dukedom. Conradin's first invitation to ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer came from the GuelphGuelph is a city in Ontario, Canada. See also Guelphs and Ghibellines.s of Florence, who asked him to take arms against Manfred, who had been crowned king of Sicily in 1258. Louis refused this invitation on his nephew's behalf, but after Manfred's fall in 1266 envoys from the Ghibelline cities came to Bavaria and urged Conradin to come and free Italy. Pledging his lands, he crossed the Alps and issued a manifesto at Verona setting forth his claim on Sicily.

Notwithstanding the defection of his uncle Louis and of other companions who returned to Germany, the threatenings of Pope Clement IV, and lack of funds, his cause seemed to prosper. Proclaiming him king of Sicily, his partisans both in the north and south of Italy took up arms; Rome received his envoy with enthusiasm; and the young king himself received welcomes at Pavia and Pisa. In November 1267 the Church excommunicated him; but his fleet won a victory over that of Charles, duke of Anjou, who had taken possession of Sicily on Manfred's death; and in July 1268 Conradin himself met with immense enthusiasm at Rome.

Having strengthened his forces, he marched towards Lucera to join the Saracens. On August 23, 1268 he encountered the troops of Charles at Tagliacozzo , but the eagerness of his soldiers to obtain plunder gave the victory to the French. Escaping from the field of battle, Conradin reached Rome, but acting on advice to leave the city he proceeded to Astura , where he was seized and handed over to Charles of Anjou. At Naples he was tried as a traitor, and on October 29, 1268 was beheaded with his friend and companion Frederick of Baden, titular duke of Austria.

With Conradin's death the legitimate Hohenstaufen line became extinct. His remains, with those of Frederick of Baden, lie in the church of the monastery of Santa Maria del Carmine at Naples, founded by his mother for the good of his soul; and here in 1847 Maximilian, crown prince of Bavaria, erected a marble statue by Thorvaldsen to his memory. In the great 14th century Manesse manuscript, a collection of medieval German lyrics, preserved at Heidelberg, there appear two songs written by Conradin, and his fate has formed the subject of several dramas.