Frederick III (Staufer)

I. Genealogy, Origins of Family and Title.
Of the House of Staufen, a line descended from Henry IV through his daughter Agnes.

Lords of Staufen, Counts
The Staufer were a noble family in northeastern Swabia with several strategically positioned castles around the Fils, Lorch, and Nekar rivers. In 987, a Frederick (d. after Jul 1027) in this region became Count, and in 1003 became Count in the Sundergau (presumably the Sundgau in Alsace). Sometime before 1000, his sister Bertha (d. after 1000) married Landholt, the youngest brother of the Count of Altenburg; In two generations, this union produced the Zähringer. In 1053, his only son, Frederick of Büren (b. before 1027, d. 1068), became Count Palatine of Swabia, and had four sons and one daughter by his wife Hildegard (d. [1094/23 Jul 1095]). The eldest son, Otto of Büren (b. before 1050, d. 1100), was Bishop of Strasbourg (r. 1083-1084). The second, Frederick [II] of Büren (b. 1050, d. before 21 Jul 1105, r. 1079-[1092/1098-]1105), was made Duke of Swabia in 1079 by King Henry IV (b. Goslar 11 Nov 1050, d. Liège 7 Aug 1106, bur Speyer Cathedral, r. King Henry IV 1056-31 Mar 1084/Emperor Henry III 31 Mar 1084-7 Aug 1106), replacing the rebellious Rudolf of Rheinfelden (d. in battle near Hohenmölsen near Merseburg [15/16] Oct 1080). He was temporarly deprived of his duchy by Henry IV in 1092 in favor of Berthold of Zähringen (b. 1050, d. 12 Apr 1111[, r. 1092-1098]), who renounced his claims to the duchy in 1098 in favor of Frederick, who had opposed the appointment of Berthold. The third son, Ludwig of Büren (b. 1050 or later, d. 1103), became Count Palatine of Swabia in 1094. The two youngest sons are insignificant: Walter of Büren (b. after 1050, d. before 1105) and Conrad of Büren (b. 1051 or later, d. [1094/23 Jul 1095]). The family sided with the King during the Wars of Investiture.

Dukes of Swabia
Along with the Ducal appointment in 1079, Frederick was betrothed to King Henry IV's second daughter and third child, Agnes (b. [Summer 1072/early 1073], d. 24 Sep 1143). They married in 1089. This union bore twelve children, two sons and ten daughters. After Frederick's death, she married Margrave Leopold "the Saint" of Babenberg (b. [1080/86], d. 15 Nov 1136, r. as Margrave Leopold III of the Bavarian East March 1095-1136) in 1106. This union produced five sons and seven daughters. The eldest son of the union of Frederick and Agnes, Frederick II "the One-eyed" (b. 1090, d. 6 Apr 1147, bur Walburg Abbey, r. 1105-6 Apr 1147), succeeded his father in 1105, and in 1116 became Regent when Emperor Henry IV (b. 1086, d. Utrecht 23 May 1125, bur Speyer cathedral, r. King Henry V 1106-13 Apr 1111/Emperor Henry IV 13 Apr 1111-23 May 1125) left Germany for Italy. The second son, Conrad (b. 1093, d. Babenberg 15 Feb 1152, bur Babenberg Cathedral), was made Duke of Franconia (r. as Conrad IV 1115-1125) by Emperor Henry IV in 1115, and was elected King of the Romans 7 Mar 1138 (r. as King Conrad III 7 Mar 1138-15 Feb 1152) and was the first King of the Romans not to be crowned Emperor. In 1115, Conrad married Gertrud of Komburg (d. [1130/31], bur Kloster Lorch), daughter and heiress of Count Henry of Komburg, Count of Rothenburg and his wife Gepa of Mergentheim. This union produced two daughters. Following Gertrud's passing, Conrad married Gertrud of Sulzbach, daughter of Count Berengar of Sulzbach his second wife Adelheid von Wolfratshausen [Diessen] (d. Hersfeld 14 Apr 1146, bur Kloster Ebrach), sometime before 1134. This union produced two children, Henry Benergar (b. [1136/37], d. 1150 after Feb), and Frederick IV (b. [1144/45]).

Between 1119 and 1121, Frederick II married Judith of Bavaria (b. after 1100, d. 22 Feb [1130/31], bur Walburg im Heiligen Forst, Alsace), the second daughter and fourth child of Welf Duke Henry "the Black" (b. 1074, d. Ravensburg 13 Dec 1126, bur Weingarten Abbey, r. Duke Henry IX of Bavaria 1120-13 Dec 1126) and Billung Heiress Wulfhild of Saxony (b. after 1100, d. [22 Feb 1130/31], bur Walburg im Heiligen Forst, Alsace). Frederick II was the designated successor to Emperor Henry V, but the princes overturned this decision and awarded the crown to Lothar of Süpplingenburg (b, [1/8] Jun 1075, d. Breitenwang am Loch in Tirol 4 Dec 1137, bur Königslutter, r. as Duke Lothar of Saxony 1106-24 Aug 1125/King Lothar III 24 Aug 1125-4 Jun 1133/Emperor Lothar III 4 Jun 1133-4 Dec 1137). Frederick and Conrad were outlawed for refusing to render possession of the crown lands to Lothar; Frederick submitted in 1134 and Conrad reconciled in 1135, agreeing to surrender Franconia and the crown lands to Lothar, and allowing Frederick to keep his ducatus in Swabia. When Lothar died, the princes elected Conrad as King.

The union of Frederick II and Judith produced a son, Frederick III (b. 1122, r. as Duke Frederick III of Swabia 1147-), and a daughter. In 1132 or 1133, Frederick II married Agnes of Saarbrücken (d. after 1147, bur Walburg Abbey, Upper Lorraine), third child and only daughter of Frederick, Count in the Saargau (d. before 1135, r. as Count Frederick -before 1135) and his wife Gisela. Agnes' eldest brother Simon became Count of Saarbrücken in 1139, and their brother Adalbert (d. Erfurt 17 Jul 1141, bur Mainz Cathedral, r. as Archbishop Adalbert II 1139-1141) became Archbishop of Mainz until his death. The union of Frederick and Agnes produced a son, the second child, Conrad (b. [1134/36]), and a daughter.

In Eger, sometime before 2 Mar 1147, Frederick III married Adela of Vohburg, heiress of Egerland, fifth child and fourth daughter of Margrave Diepold III of Vohburg and Cham (b. ca. 1079, d. 8 Apr 1146), and his first wife Adelajda of Poland (b. [1090/91], d. [25/26] Mar 1127), third daughter and third child of Prince Władysław Herman of Poland (b. 1043, d. 4 Jun 1102), and his second wife, Princess Judith-Maria of Germany (b. 1054, d. 14 Mar [1092/96], bur Admont Abbey). This union has not yet produced issue.

II. Biographical Sketch
Born in 1122 to Duke Frederick II of Swabia and his wife Judith of Bavaria. By the time Frederick III was aware of what was going on around him, Lothar III had become King of Germany after the death of Henry V. Unrelated to the previous dynasty, Duke Frederick II and his brother Conrad considered him a usurper, especially since Frederick II had been promised the crown. For almost ten years, the elder Frederick was away on campaign, fighting Lothar and his supporters for control of the Kingdom. Finally, when young Frederick was 12, his father submitted and returned home. Conrad, Duke Frederick's brother, was away in Italy, having been crowned King of Italy, fighting for possession of the Mathildine lands, at which he was unsuccessful. The following year, the elder Frederick and Conrad reconciled with Lothar, permitting Frederick II to retain his ducatus in Swabia, but surrendering the crown lands and Conrad's ducatus in Franconia. These years were spent wondering when his father would return and eagerly awaiting news of the battles. Even as a young child, he was curious and asked many questions, and his tutors found him difficult to work with because of his energy and curiosity.

Frederick was therefore just old enough to be tutored by his father in the true arts of knightly combat, growing to manhood under the watchful tutelage of his father and uncle. When he turned 16, Conrad was elected King of Germany, and he was knighted at the festival following the coronation. Shortly thereafter, he and his father accompanied his uncle in the campaign against Welf Duke Henry X "the Proud" of Bavaria, after Henry and Conrad failed to reach a deal to secure Henry's recognition of Conrad's kingship. In response, Conrad declared that Henry would be deprived of his duchies (he was also Duke of Saxony as Henry II), giving Bavaria to his half-brother Margrave Leopold IV of Austria and Saxony to Ballenstedter Margrave Albert "the Bear" of Saxony. After Henry's death in 1139, the war was continued by his son Henry "the Lion" and his brother Welf VI, the latter being defeated by Conrad at Weinsberg in Swabia in December 1140. Young Frederick was present for the siege, as was his father, and they accompanied him to Frankfurt in 1142 for the peace negotiations with the Welfs. He also accompanied Conrad on the expedition to Bohemia, but did not accompany him to Poland.

Following the peace with the Welfs, his father declared his intention to return to Swabia and put his affairs in order there. This would be the last campaign in which the Elder Frederick would participate. In 1147, Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade in Speyer, and Frederick and his uncle Conrad took the cross. For some time already, Frederick had been the de facto ruler of his father's duchy, as the latter had by this time fallen ill. The elder Frederick, on his deathbed, attempted to persuade his brother not to allow his son and heir to embark on the dangerous journey to the Holy Land, but to no avail; young Frederick would be allowed to accompany the King on crusade. The latter distinguished himself as an able knight and commander, performing many brave deeds in battle and exhibiting the qualities of a man destined for greatness. He possesses a command presence.