Konrad Spindleshanks
Encyclopedia
Konrad Spindleshanks was a Duke of Głogów since 1177 until his death.

He was the third and youngest surviving son of Władysław II the Exile by his wife Agnes of Babenberg
Agnes of Babenberg
Agnes of Babenberg , was a German noblewoman, a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia....

, daughter of Margrave Leopold III of Austria
Leopold III, Margrave of Austria
Saint Leopold III was the Margrave of Austria in 1073–1136. He is the patron saint of Austria, of the city of Vienna, of Lower Austria, and, jointly with Saint Florian, of Upper Austria. His feast day is November 15.-Biography:...

 and half-sister of King Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III was the first King of Germany of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia, and Agnes, a daughter of the Salian Emperor Henry IV.-Life and reign:...

.

Life

Little is known about Konrad's first years of life. He probably was born around 1146 in Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...

, were his family lived in exile after Władysław II's deposition. As the youngest child, he was prepared for an ecclestical career at the Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...

 Abbey of Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...

. He was still a minor in 1163, when his elder brothers Bolesław I the Tall and Mieszko I Tanglefoot, backed by the Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...

, returned to Poland and received the Duchy of Silesia
Duchy of Silesia
The Duchy of Silesia with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval duchy located in the historic Silesian region of Poland. Soon after it was formed under the Piast dynasty in 1138, it fragmented into various Duchies of Silesia. In 1327 the remaining Duchy of Wrocław as well as most other duchies...

 from their uncle High Duke Bolesław IV the Curly. Konrad probably remained in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 at that time.

Bolesław I the Tall and Mieszko I Tanglefoot first ruled jointly but soon came into conflict with each other and in 1173 divided the Duchy. Bolesław then ruled over the larger part of Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia ; is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to the southeast.Throughout its history Lower Silesia has been under the control of the medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1526...

 including Wrocław and Głogów and Mieszko obtained Racibórz
Racibórz
Racibórz is a town in southern Poland with 60,218 inhabitants situated in the Silesian Voivodeship , previously in Katowice Voivodeship...

 and Cieszyn
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....

. When Konrad came of age he return to Silesia and also claimed his rights, nevertheless as the quarrels between the brothers continued, it was not until 1177, when Bolesław I the Tall at the instance of the High Duke Casimir II the Just
Casimir II the Just
Casimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...

 ceded the newly established Duchy of Głogów to him.

Konrad had never married and had no children. As he is not mentioned after 1178, he may have died shortly afterwards, although some sources ranked his death aroun 1190. His domains were inherited by his brother Bolesław.
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