Lothair III of Germany (1 June 1075-4 December 1137) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1125 to 1137, succeeding Henry V of Germany and preceding Conrad III of Germany.
Biography[]
Lothar of Supplinburg was born on 1 June 1075, son of Gebhard of Supplinburg and Hedwig of Formbach. He was born shortly after his father perished at the Battle of Langensalza against Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, and he purchased or inherited many lands through marriages. In 1106, he was made Duke of Saxony after supporting Henry V of Germany against his father, but in 1115 he defeated the emperor at the Battle of Welfesholz. In 1125, he was viewed as a perfect candidate to succeed Henry V as Holy Roman Emperor, and he was elected King of the Romans after a power struggle with Frederick II of Swabia. During his reign, the Hohenstaufen and Welf families began a succession dispute, and the Hohenstaufen family would install Conrad III of Germany as anti-king. In 1128, Conrad was crowned King of Italy, but Lothair seized Nuremberg and Speyer in 1129, weakening Conrad. He failed to take Milan in 1132, but he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor at Rome on 4 June 1133 by Pope Innocent II. The Hohenstaufens were forced to make peace with Lothair due to a lack of resources, but it would be Conrad that succeeded the childless Lothair on his death in 1137.