KONRADIN OF SWABIA, the last descendant of the imperial house of Hohenstaufen. (q.v.), was the son of Konrad IV., and was b. in 1252, two years before his father's: death. Innocent IV. immediately seized upon the young prince's Italian possessions ou the plea that the son of a prince mho dies excommunicated has no hereditary rights,. and the other enemies of the house of Hohenstaufen rejoiced to follow the pope's example.' Konradin was not left, however, totally friendless. His uncle Manfred took up arms in his behalf, drove the pope from Naples and Sicily. and in order to consolidate his nephew's authority declared himself king till the prince came of age. The pope's inveterate hatred of the Hohenstaufens induced him to offer the crown of the two Sici lies to Charles of Anjou, a consummate warrior and able politician. Charles immedi-• ately invaded Italy, met his antagonist in the plain of Grandella, where the defeat and death of Manfred, in 1266, gave hint undisturbed possession of the kingdom. But the
Neapolitans, detesting their new master, sent deputies to Bavaria to invite Konradin, then in his 16th year, to come and assert his hereditary rights. Konradin accordingly made his appearance in Italy at the head of 10,000 men, and being joined by the Nea politans in large numbers gained several victories over the French, but was finally defeated, and along with his relative, Frederick of Austria, taken prisoner near Taglia cozzo, Aug. 22,1268. The two unfortunate princes were, with the consent of the pope, executed in the market-place of Naples on Oct. 20. A few minutes before his execu-, tion, Konradin, on the scaffold, took .off his glove, and threw it into the midst of the crowd as a gauge of vengeance, requesting that it might be carried to his heir, Peter of . Aragon. This duty was undertaken by the chevalier de Waldbutar, who, after many hair-breadth escapes, succeeded in fulfilling his prince's last command. See SICILIAN'