Conrad III of Germany

Among crusades scholars, Conrad III, king of Germany (r. 1138 to 1152), is best known as a leader of the Second Crusade. However, in 1124 - more than two decades earlier - he set out for Jerusalem of his own accord. His motivations for doing so are not clear. Though Conrad’s grandfather, Emperor Henry IV (likely influenced by the prestige of crusader status after the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099) appears to have attempted to set out on his own expedition in 1103, his venture came to nothing. Before that, in the late eleventh century, Henry had been in open warfare with the papacy. Taking these circumstances into account, Conrad is thought to have been motivated by factors other than family tradition.