Herman II, Duke of Swabia
Herman II was a member of the Conradine dynasty. He was Duke of Swabia from 997 to his death. In 1002, Herman unsuccessfully attempted to become king of Germany.
Life
Herman II was the son of Conrad I. There is, however, some debate about the identity of Herman's mother. She is often said to be Reglint, daughter of Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, and thus a granddaughter of Emperor Otto I. Others argue that his mother was Judith, daughter of Adalbert of Marchtal.In 997, after Conrad I's death, Herman II succeeded his father as duke of Swabia. That same year, Herman II accompanied Otto III, [Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Otto III] on his second Italian campaign.
Candidacy for the German throne
When Otto III died without heirs in January 1002, Herman II was one of the men, along with Henry II and Eckard of Meissen, who promoted themselves as candidates for the German throne. Both Herman II and Henry II claimed descent from Henry the Fowler, progenitor of the Ottonian dynasty. Eckard, though a powerful noble and military leader, was more distantly related to the Ottonians. Eckhard was assassinated in April 1002 by Saxons who opposed his candidacy. According to the chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg, the majority of the German nobles, who assembled at Aachen in April 1002, including the influential Archbishop Heribert of Cologne, supported Herman II. But his rival, Henry II, did not wait for the approval of the nobles. Instead, he had himself anointed and crowned king by Archbishop Willigis of Mainz on 7 June 1002.Herman initially refused to accept Henry II as king. He undertook military action against Henry and his supporters, including at Strasbourg, where Herman's men looted the episcopal church. Yet by October 1002, Herman II undertook a ritual act of submission before Henry II at Bruchsal. Herman accepted Henry's kingship and promised to make reparation for the damage that had been inflicted on Strasbourg. In Christmas 1002, Herman was present at the imperial court at Frankfurt, signalling that he was on better terms with Henry II. In January 1003, Henry II required Herman to cede control of the female monastery St Stephen in Strasbourg to Bishop Werner of Strasbourg.
Marriage and children
He married Gerberga of Burgundy, daughter of King Conrad of Burgundy. With Gerberga, Herman had three children:- Gisela who was the wife of Emperor Conrad II
- Matilda of Swabia who was the wife of Frederick II, Duke of Upper Lorraine
- Herman III, Duke of Swabia
- Beatrice , who was married to Adalbert of Eppenstein.