See also: Salian Franks and Salic law
Conrad II (c. 990–June 4, 1039) was the son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelheid of Alsace, who inherited the titles the Salian Count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty. From his power base in Worms and Speyer as he matured he came to be well known by many noblemen in Germany, and when the Saxon line died off and the elected monarchy for the Eastern German realm was up for grabs, he was elected King of Germany in 1024 at the respectably old age of thirty-four years and crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on March 26, 1027, becoming the first of four kings and emperors of the Salian Dynasty—a term applied both to the imperial and royal dignities.

Last years
The Basilica of Aquileia (northern Italy) contains an apse fresco (c. 1031) showing emperor Conrad II, his wife Gisela of Swabia and Patriarch Poppone of Aquileia.