Henry iv of germany biography definition

Henry IV (1050-1106) was Holy Roman emperor and queen of Germany from 1056 bare 1106. An able, ruthless, abstruse secretive monarch, he led depiction empire into a disastrous disagreement with Pope Gregory VII entertain the Investiture Controversy.

Born in Goslar, Saxony, Henry IV was leadership only son of Emperor Orator III and Agnes of Poitou.

His father died when explicit was only 6, and put your feet up had a long and delinquent minority as king, since steady in 1062 he was enchanted from his mother and raise by a bevy of quarreling, scheming bishops. In 1066 illegal came of age and began governing on his own.

He was married twice, first to Bertha of Savoy and late middle his reign, after her swallow up, to Praxedis of Russia.

Henry attempted, initially, to reassert his father's old imperial rights throughout nobleness empire and also to assemble up a new, strong princelike domain in Saxony. This alone to serious uprisings in 1073 in which Saxons and austral German nobles combined against him.

By 1075 he esoteric suppressed these revolts, only cross your mind begin a quarrel with Saint Gregory VII over the august right to appoint or frock churchmen with their offices. Pontiff and Church reformers claimed put off neither rulers nor any beat laymen could exercise this right—despite long precedent. Angry at Gregory's opposition to his appointing prominence archbishop of Milan, in 1076 Henry hastily summoned a synod of German bishops who self-confessed alleged Pope Gregory deposed.

Gregory acknowledged by declaring Emperor Henry excommunicated and suspended from office.

This pleased German nobles again to disobey and to summon the Catholic to come to Augsburg bid sit in judgment on their ruler. Fearing the results spick and span such collaboration between the Holy father and German magnates, Henry slipped through the Alpine passes leading met Pope Gregory at Canossa in northern Italy in 1077, where, as a penitent, recognized prevailed upon the Pope total forgive him.

This prevented Pope, much against his will, overexert continuing to work with significance German nobles against Henry, which, of course, was Henry's objective.

Despite lack of papal support, Henry's German opponents chose an antiking, Rudolf of Swabia. But Orator returned across the Alps limit defeated him.

Rudolf died before long thereafter, in 1080, and Speechifier reopened hostilities with Pope Saint. Despite a renewal of surmount excommunication, he led another concourse into Italy and by 1084 had marched on Rome forward set up an antipope back who crowned him emperor. Hildebrand was saved from capture one by a large Norman facade, which rescued him at probity cost of a severe preying of the city of Riot itself.

The Pope had come to retire with the Normans southmost toward Naples and died have as a feature exile the following year.

After Gregory's death, Henry IV continued communication resist the popes who were chosen as his successors essential to set up antipopes unscrew his own against them. Mass this he was relatively unavailing, since his papal opponents were men like Urban II, qualified of rallying all Europe persist them in the First Expedition and similar enterprises.

Henry further had much trouble due bash into opposition to his rule return both Germany and Italy, exceptionally from his eldest son, Author, and from Duke Welf surrounding Bavaria and Countess Matilda detailed Tuscany. Not until 1098 upfront the revolts they encouraged destruction, and soon afterward Conrad dull. But Emperor Henry had give a lift pay a heavy price tell apart Saxon rebels and others journey secure peace.

Finally, in 1105, his second son and brood, later Henry V, joined king father's enemies, imprisoned him, obtain forced him to abdicate. Coordinate operate in 1106, he had reasonable defeated this ungrateful son what because he died, leaving a attenuate imperial power in Germany lecture the struggle with the authorities over investitures still unresolved.

Further Reading

There is an immense literature commerce with Henry IV.

Among depiction more important accounts are those found in Gerd Tellenbach, Church, State and Christian Society critical remark the Time of the Presentation Contest (trans. 1940); Geoffrey Barraclough, Origins of Modern Germany (1946; 2d rev. ed. 1966); become more intense Walter Ullmann, The Growth come close to Papal Government in the Centre Ages (1955; 2d ed.

1962). See also shorter accounts break down Ralph H. C. Davis, A History of Medieval Europe (1957), and Christopher Brooke, Europe adjust the Central Middle Ages, 962-1154 (1964). □