conrad was the son of the saxon count thimo of wettin and his wife ida, a daughter of count otto of nordheim. both his father and maternal grandfather had been involved in the saxon rebellion against the salian king henry iv in 1073–75. thimo was the first to call himself a count of wettin after the ancestral seat on the saale river, while his elder brother dedi ruled in the saxon march of lusatia (eastern march). his son henry the elder also became the first wettin margrave in meissen in 1089.