Eberhard III of Franconia
| Eberhard | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Franconia | |
| Reign | 918–939 |
| Noble family | Conradines |
| Father | Conrad the Elder |
| Mother | Glismut of Carinthia |
| Born | c. 885 |
| Died | 2 October 939 Andernach, Lotharingia |
Eberhard III (c. 885 – 2 October 939), a member of the Conradine dynasty, was Duke of Franconia succeeding his elder brother, King Conrad I, in December 918. From 926 to 928, he also acted as ruler of Lotharingia.
Eberhard was the second son of Conrad the Elder and his wife Glismut (d. 924), probably an illegitimate daughter of the Carolingian emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. The Conradines, counts in the Franconian Lahngau region, had been loyal supporters of the Carolingians. At the same time, they competed vigorously for predominance in Franconia with the sons of the Babenbergian duke Henry of Franconia at Bamberg Castle. In 906 the two parties battled each other near Fritzlar. Conrad the Elder was killed, as were two of the three Babenberg brothers. The Babenberg feud ended, when King Louis the Child took the Conradines' side and Conrad the Younger became the undisputed duke of all Franconia.
Upon the early death of King Louis in 911, the Saxon, Swabian and Bavarian princes elected Conrad the Younger King of East Francia. Under the rule of his brother, Eberhard from 913 appeared as count in the Franconian Hessengau and Persgau, 913 and 928 als as count in the Upper Lahngau. He supported his brother against the rivalling dukes Arnulf of Bavaria and Henry of Saxony (Henry the Fowler). In 914 he assumed the office of a Franconian margrave; nevertheless, unable to assert his claims, he had to witness Henry's conquest of the Thuringian lands of late Duke Burchard.
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