Lothar II (Holy Roman Emperor)

A Saxon by birth, rich and educated, Lothair was always an enemy of the Franconian dynasty and rebelled several times against Henry V , although the latter appointed him Duke of Saxony.

After the termination of the Franconian dynasty, 50-year-old Lothar was chosen on August 24, 1125 in Mainz by the German king and crowned in Aachen on September 13 of the same year. The choice of Lothar was a victory for the clerical party, hostile to the Franconian emperors.

Immediately after the coronation, Lothar spoke out against the Duke of Swabia, Friedrich Hohenstaufen , who took possession of the patrimonial possessions of Henry V. By declaring him at the Strasbourg Sejm in 1126 as a rebel, Lothar secured an alliance of the Czech prince Sobeslav I , who brought him vows to the battle for battle , and brought him to the vassal oath in battle with the command of the Czech Republic Sobeslav I , who brought him vassal oath in front of the battle for the battle. his side of Welf , giving his daughter Gertrude a powerful Bavarian duke Heinrich Proud (1127).

The Hohenstaufens , however, repelled an attempt by Lothar and his allies to take Nuremberg (1127) and themselves occupied Speyer (1128). Then Lothar turned to the Zheringen , adherents of the Franconian dynasty, and entered into an alliance with them. The war with the Hohenstaufen was fought with varying happiness in both Burgundy and Lower Lorraine (1129). In 1130, Lothar took Nuremberg and pacified his opponents in Saxony and Thuringia.

In the same year, Lothar had to tackle the struggle for the papal throne of Innocent II and Anaclete II . The Romans, who had promised the imperial crown to Lothar, were behind Anaklet, and the German clergy were in favor of Innocent. Lothar acknowledged Pope Innocent, but Anaclette sat down in Rome . In 1132, Lothar went to Italy and, having suffered several failures in Lombardy, approached Rome, but could not take possession of the temple of St. Petra Then Innokentiy crowned him and his wife Rihenzu in the Lateran church (June 4, 1133). Lothar took the oath of allegiance to the Pope, recognized the former possessions of Matilda by the Tuscan property of the Roman throne, and retired to Germany.

At the Bamberg Seimas of 1135, Friedrich of Swabian swore allegiance to Lothar, who established him as Duke of Schwabski. At the same time, the power of Lothar was recognized by Frederick's younger brother, the Duke of Franconian Conrad III , who in 1127 called himself King of Germany. The power of Lothar increased, all the neighboring rulers were looking for his friendship, in Germany was established a universal truce for 10 years.

Then Lothar conceived a second expedition to Italy to restore imperial power there and to stop the church disputes. With a huge army he went through Trieste to Lombardy (1136), took Pavia , Turin , Piacenza , Bologna and in 1137 moved south, planning to cross from Calabria to Sicily . The quarrel between Lothar and Pope Innocent due to Salerno forced Lothar to abandon the continuation of the march. On the way back to Germany, he died on December 4, 1137, leaving behind a good memory, as an energetic, brave sovereign, honest and moral person. He was buried in Konigslutter in the imperial cathedral , which he built in this city.

Wife and children

Wife - (from about 1100) Richenza Northheim (c. 1087 - 10 June 1141), daughter of Count Northeim, Heinrich Tolstoy , and Gertrude of Brunswick (c. 1060 - 9 December 1117), heiress of the Brunon lands.

Daughter - Gertrude Supplingburg (April 18, 1115 - April 18, 1143), wife (since 1127) of Heinrich Proud , Duke of Bavaria and Saxony.

Ancestors

• Bernhardy, "Jahrbücher der deutschen Geschichte unter Lothar von Sachsen" (Lpts., 1879).
• Lothar II // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.