The reign of Conrad, Franconian king of the Germans, has been a continuous and generally unsuccessful struggle to uphold the power of the kingship against the growing power of the leading Saxon, Bavarian, and Swabian families—rulers of the other so-called stem duchies.

His military campaigns against Charles the Simple to regain the Duchy of Lorraine with the Imperial city of Aachen had ben failures, Archbishop Ratbod of Trier in 913 even becoming West Frankish chancellor.

Conrad's realm has furthermore been exposed to the continuous raids of the Hungarians since the disastrous defeat of the Bavarian forces at the 907 Battle of Pressburg, leading to a considerable decline in his authority.

His attempt to mobilize the East Frankish episcopate, led by Archbishop Unni of Bremen, to his cause at the 916 synod of Hohenaltheim has not been enough to compensate.

After several clashes of arms, Conrad at least has been able to come to terms with Duke Henry of Saxony.

The rebellious Swabian dukes Erchanger (executed in 917) and Burchard II, however, have been continuous threats, as has he Bavarian duke Arnulf the Bad.

Severely injured at one of his fights with Arnulf, Conrad dies on December 23, 918 at his residence Weilburg Castle.

He is buried in Fulda Cathedral.

The death of Conrad, a champion of Carolingian power, marks the end of the revived Roman Empire established in 800 by Charlemagne.