Conrad was bishop of Utrecht between 1076 and 1099.

Before becoming bishop he was chamberlain of Archbishop Anno II of Cologne and, for a time, tutor of Prince Henry, the future Emperor Henry IV

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...

. When the excommunicated Bishop William of Utrecht

William I, Bishop of Utrecht

William I was bishop of Utrecht between 1054 and 1076. He was a typical representative of the German imperial system in which bishops were the main officials of the empire. He was a loyal follower of king Henry IV of Germany...

 died in 1076, the emperor gave the episcopal see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

 of Utrecht

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht

The Archdiocese of Utrecht is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The archdiocese is the metropolitan for 6 suffragans, the dioceses of Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam, Roermond, Rotterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch....

 to Conrad, who, like his predecessor, sided with Henry IV in his conflicts

Investiture Controversy

The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...

 with Gregory VII

Pope Gregory VII

Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...

, and at the Synod of Brixen in 1080 even condemned the pope as a heretic.

The contemporary annalist, Lambert of Hersfeld

Lambert of Hersfeld

Lambert of Hersfeld was a medieval chronicler, probably a Thuringian by birth. His work represents a major source for the history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in the eleventh century....

, calls Conrad a schismatic bishop, unworthy of holding an episcopal see. In a battle with Robert I, Count of Flanders

Robert I, Count of Flanders

thumb|Robert I of FlandersRobert I of Flanders , known as Robert the Frisian, was count of Flanders from 1071 to 1092.-History:...

, Conrad was defeated, afterwards taken captive and compelled to yield part of West Frisia

South Holland

South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...

 to Robert. This territorial loss of the bishop was compensated by the emperor, who, in 1077, gave him the district of Stavoren

Stavoren

Stavoren is a small town on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km south of Hindeloopen. It lies within the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Stavoren was granted city rights in 1118, making it the oldest city in Friesland...

, and in 1086 added the two other Frisian districts, Oostergo and Westergo. He was in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 when king Henry was crowned by the pope as emperor in 1084.

Conrad is the founder and architect of the collegiate church of Notre-Dame at Utrecht. He was assassinated, shortly after completing the Holy Sacrifice, by his Frisian architect whom he had discharged, and who, in the opinion of some, was instigated by a certain nobleman whose domains Conrad held unjustly. The church of Saint Mary in Utrecht

Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

 got a chapter during his reign.

He is said to have written the discourse Pro Imperatore contra Papam, and to have delivered it at the Synod of Gerstungen in 1085. It is inserted by Johannes Aventinus

Johannes Aventinus

Johannes Aventinus was a Bavarian historian and philologist. He wrote Annals of Bavaria, a valuable record of the early history of Germany...

 (d. 1534) in his Vita Henrici IV and by Goldast (d. 1635) in his Pro Henrico IV imperatore. Hefele

Hefele

Hefele:* Melchior Hefele , Austrian-Hungarian architect* Karl Josef von Hefele , a German Roman Catholic theologian, bishop* Hermann Hefele , German historian* Herbert Hefele , astronomer...

is of the opinion that the discourse is falsely attributed to Conrad of Utrecht, and that Aventinus himself is the author.

He was killed at Utrecht by a Frisian on 14 April 1099.