Frederick IV, Duke of Swabia

Frederick IV, Duke of Swabia

Frederick IV (1145–1167) was duke of Swabia, succeeding his cousin Frederick Barbarossa in 1152. He was the son of King Conrad III of Germany and his second wife Gertrude von Sulzbach and thus the direct heir of the crown, had there been true heredity. However, on his death bed, Conrad III allegedly advised the only two persons present, his nephew Frederick Barbarossa and the bishop of Bamberg, to nominate Frederick Barbarossa; and handed the Imperial insignia to him. Barbarossa wasted no time in getting the Bavarian clerics to endorse him, and had the archbishop of Cologne convene a hurried election. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Frederick IV, Duke of Swabia is the 7,412th most popular politician (down from 6,322nd in 2019). (down from 993rd in 2019)