He was a son of Margrave Dedi III and his wife, Matilda of Heinsberg, the heiress of Sommerschenburg.
[1] Conrad inherited the March of Lusatia and the County of Eilenburg when his father died in 1190.
In 1195, Emperor Henry VI dissolved the March of Meissen after the death of Margrave Albert I.
This made Conrad the highest-ranking nobleman in the area, and the most senior member of the House of Wettin.
[2] In 1196, Conrad travelled via Italy to the Holy Land to participate in the Crusade of Emperor Henry VI.