You pawned your lands at fourteen - would you cross the Alps?

A sixteen-year-old excommunicated duke rides through Rome to reclaim a vanished Hohenstaufen inheritance-would you cross the Alps for a lost legacy? You pawned your lands at fourteen - would you cross the Alps? In this episode, we follow Conradin’s journey from Bavaria to Rome and the choices he made as the last legitimate male Hohenstaufen heir. We trace the decisions, alliances, and obstacles that pushed a teenager to pawn his duchy and march on an empire that had been disputed in his absence; what does that tell us about duty, ambition, and youth? Person: Conradin, Duke of Swabia and nominal King of Jerusalem and Sicily Date: July 1268 (entry into Rome); November 1267 (excommunication); 1254 (Conrad IV's death); 1258 (Manfred crowns himself) Location: Bavaria, the Alps, Verona, Rome, Italy Status: Excommunicated; last legitimate male heir of the House of Hohenstaufen - At six, Conradin was an infant heir while Manfred used a false rumor to seize Sicily and crown himself. - Conradin’s grandfather was Frederick II, whose death left a fracturing Hohenstaufen empire. - At fourteen Conradin pawned his Bavarian lands to finance an army and crossed the Alps without his guardian Louis II. - Pope Clement IV excommunicated Conradin in November 1267 to deter cities from supporting him. - In July 1268 a sixteen-year-old Conradin rode through Rome amid cheering crowds while his claim faced rival forces. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].