Ep. 22: Konrad II (1024-1039) - Who Would Have Thought

History of the Germans from the Middle Ages to Reunification

Dirk Hoffmann-Becking

History, Society & Culture, Education

4.9 • 552 Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2021

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On July 13th, 1024 Emperor Henry II died without an heir. not only that, but his family has so comprehensively died out, there is not a single descendant in the male line left. Fear of unrest and civil war grips the inhabitants of the empire. An election is called for early September, as quickly as such things could be organised in the 11th century. The upper echelons of society debate a long list of candidates before agreeing on a shortlist of just two, both named Konrad, both from the same clan of Salian Franks. Medieval imperial elections have little in common with today's elections. there are no set rules about the electors, the purpose is not to determine the will of the people but to unveil the will of God. Decisions are unanimous, mainly because dissenters leave before the votes are cast. Ultimately Konrad the elder (1024-1039) a giant of a man at 2m tall is elected. He appears in all and everything the opposite of his predecessor. But that may be just appearance... The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0. Homepage with maps, photos and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com Facebook: @HOTGPod Twitter: @germanshistory Instagram: history_of_the_germans Reddit: u/historyofthegermans Patroon: https://www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans?fan_landing=true

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Season 2 of the History of the Germans, the Salians.
0:10.0	I'm really excited because this is the big one.
0:13.0	That's the bit of German medieval history really need to know about.
0:17.0	We start with episode 22.
0:20.0	Conrad II. Who would have thought?
0:24.9	It has been a while since we stopped the narrative and so I thought we should best start
0:29.4	with a bit of context. We are in the year 1024 and this season will cover almost exactly a
0:36.6	century until the end of the Salian dynasty in 1125.
0:40.8	This is a period of quite fundamental change, not just in the empire, but in Europe more generally.
0:47.5	As the economic boom of the Middle Ages gains pace, people begin to think beyond their next meal
0:53.0	and a roof over their head for the night.
0:56.0	They call for an end to the constant violence, creating the peace movement that emerges in France
1:01.4	and encompasses the whole of Europe. That movement is closely intertwined with the Crusades,
1:06.6	which begin in 1095, not least as a means to channel military restlessness away from the domestic
1:13.2	peasants to foreign lands. Now once the physiological needs for food, water, warmth and rest are covered
1:20.5	and some degree of safety is provided, more and more people move up Maslov's pyramid,
1:26.5	looking for belonging, love, status, knowledge,
1:30.3	aesthetic beauty, self-actualization, and ultimately transcendence.
1:35.3	In the 11th century, the afterlife becomes the dominating concern of everyone, from the mightiest aristocrat to the lowliest peasant.
1:45.0	Therefore, priests and clergy held to ever higher standards to ensure the effectiveness of
1:50.0	prayer providing access to heaven.
1:53.0	And then there's the idea that even after your death, prayers by those who still alive
	...

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