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Why did German princes confirm the succession of Henry IV’s son Conrad in 1075?
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Henry IV
Henry IV, illumination from the manuscript Ekkehardi historia, c. 1113; in possession of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
In 1075, the German princes confirmed the succession of Henry IV’s son, Conrad, following the emperor's overwhelming military victory over the rebellious Saxons in June of that year.1
Prior to this victory, Henry IV had faced significant domestic unrest, including a widespread rebellion that began in 1073 and forced him to make concessions to the rebels. However, after the decisive defeat of the Saxons in 1075, the political landscape shifted, compelling the princes to swear an oath confirming the succession of the one-year-old Conrad to ensure the continuity of the Salian dynasty.1