Gisela of Swabia, was queen of Germany from 1024 to 1039 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 to 1039 by her third marriage with Emperor Conrad II. She was the mother of Emperor Henry III. She was regent of Swabia for her minor son Duke Ernest II of Swabia in 1015, although it seems at that time her husband Conrad was the one who held the reins of government, leading to the enmity between stepfather and stepson.
Empress Gisela entering a church
Hair of Conrad and Gisela, preserved in the Speyer Cathedral. The strand of blond hair belongs to Gisela.
Gisela's epitaph in Speyer Cathedral
Conrad II brought back the corpse of their son Herman to Gisela (Conrad II. bringt seiner Frau Gisela die Leiche ihres Sohnes Hermann zurück, Wilhelm Zimmermann's Illustrirte geschichte des deutschen volkes, 1875)
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II, also known as Conrad the Elder and Conrad the Salic, was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms of Germany, Italy and Burgundy.
Miniature depiction, c. 1130
Mother Adelaide of Metz (b,l), 1037 foundation of the Öhringen Convent of canons
Speyer Cathedral, consecrated in 1061
Following his expedition into Italy in early 1026, Conrad II was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as the King of the Lombards.
