Rudolf of Rheinfelden
| Rudolf of Rheinfelden | |
|---|---|
Bronze graveslab, Merseburg Cathedral
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| Spouse(s) | Matilda of Swabia Adelaide of Savoy |
| Noble family | Rheinfeld |
| Father | Kuno of Rheinfelden |
| Born | c. 1025 |
| Died | 15 October 1080 Hohenmölsen, Saxony |
| Buried | Merseburg Cathedral |
Rudolf of Rheinfelden (c. 1025 – 15 October 1080), a German aristocrat, was the Duke of Swabia (1057–1079), a brother-in-law of the Emperor Henry IV and the king-elect of a faction of the nobility in opposition to Henry from 1077. His election as King of Germany marked the outbreak of the Great Saxon Revolt, the first phase of open conflict in the contest between Empire and Papacy over the issue of episcopal investiture. Rudolf died as a result of battlefield injuries after his forces defeated Henry's at the Battle of Elster.
Rudolf was the son of Count (Graf) Kuno of Rheinfelden. He was first mentioned in a 1048 deed issued by the Salian emperor Henry III as a count in the Swabian Sisgau on the High Rhine (in present-day Northwestern Switzerland), an estate then held by the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. Rudolf's family had large possessions up to Sankt Blasien Abbey in the Black Forest and down to the Aargau beyond the border with the Kingdom of Burgundy. He probably was related to King Rudolph II of Burgundy (d. 937), the Dukes of Lorraine and the Ottonian dynasty.
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