Henry iv germany biography definition

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Henry iv germany biography definition

Embroiled in the dispute with the papacy over the lay investiture of clerics, he deposed Pope Gregory VII and was in turn excommunicated by the Pope Rebellion in Germany weakened Henry's position. In , he was forced to do penance at Canossa. In Henry's son, Henry V , deposed him. More From encyclopedia. Updated Aug 24 About encyclopedia. Related Topics Roman Empire.

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch. Henry II, King of England. Henry I, King of England. Henry Heinbuche of Langenstein. Henry Harris. Henry Hallett Dale. In response, the Pope suspended Archbishop Liemar from office, and summoned the disobedient bishops to Rome. On 7 December , Pope Gregory asked Henry to compel the German prelates who had not obeyed his summons to attend a synod in Rome.

He blamed Henry's five advisors, likely those who had been excommunicated by his predecessor, for the conflict over the archbishopric of Milan. Henry and the German bishops wanted to avoid a conflict. They did not protest when the Pope deposed Bishop Herman of Bamberg. The Pope appreciated their obedience and appointed Siegfried to hold a reforming synod in Germany.

Henry had meanwhile made preparations to take vengeance for the desecration of the royal graves at Harzburg. He promised amnesty and gifts to those who joined his campaign against Saxony. Henry invaded Saxony again in autumn Henry regarded the Pope's words as a clear denial of the sacred nature of kingship. Henry's opponents regarded these incidents as divine retribution for his sinful acts.

Furthermore, he was to acknowledge the Pope's jurisdiction in his conflicts with the German dukes and bishops. Henry moved to Speyer and lived there as a penitent. Henry remained in Italy after his absolution, [ ] which surprised his German opponents. They held an assembly at Forchheim , arguing that it had not restored their oaths of fealty. Henry visited Ulm, Worms, Nuremberg, Mainz, Strasbourg , Utrecht and Augsburg to demonstrate the full restoration of his royal authority.

Henry sent troops to the Rhine to prevent the negotiations. The papal legate, Cardinal Bernard, excommunicated Henry on 12 November The papal legate celebrated Easter with Henry in Cologne on 8 April , demonstrating that the Pope had not regarded Henry's excommunication as valid. Pope Gregory prohibited all clerics from receiving royal appointments to bishoprics or abbeys in November The ring and crosier the prelates received from monarchs during their installation symbolised their mutual dependence.

Rudolf did not take advantage of his victory, however, because the Saxons who had deserted him did not return to his camp. Henry sent envoys to the synod of Lent in Rome and demanded the Pope excommunicate Rudolf, hinting he was ready to appoint an antipope to achieve his goal. The treatise, likely written by the jurist Petrus Crassus , uses arguments based on Roman Law, showing the corpus juris civilis had already been studied in Italy.

They also secured the support of northern Italian aristocrats for Henry. Henry's second excommunication was less harmful to his position than the previous ban. Nineteen Italian, seven German and a lone Burgundian prelate confirmed the Pope's deposition 25 June, accusing him of simony, heresy and other sins. Henry led a small army to Italy in March The Saxons only paid homage to Hermann four months later.

Henry left Italy for Germany in the autumn of but returned in February He concluded a secret treaty with the Roman aristocrats who promised to induce Gregory to crown Henry emperor or to elect another pope. Henry launched a military campaign against Robert Guiscard in February and March They were followed by other clerics and papal officials.

However, her army routed his allies at the Battle of Sorbara on 2 July. Pope Gregory VII repeated Henry's excommunication in late , but many of the Pope's former supporters came to pay homage to Henry as emperor at Cologne at Christmas. They deposed their peers—two archbishops and thirteen bishops—who had failed to come to Mainz. Henry exploited his most prominent opponent's death to consolidate his position.

The Saxons rose up in a new rebellion and forced Henry to withdraw to Franconia. Welf of Bavaria laid siege to the town at Easter, but Henry was relieved by his supporters. Henry did not attend. A new joint conference of the German prelates and aristocrats assembled at Speyer in August Henry's opponents were willing to pay homage to him provided he had been absolved by the Pope.

Henry refused them, maintaining he had been unlawfully excommunicated. The synod passed no resolution about Henry, suggesting the new Pope had adopted a conciliatory policy. A sudden illness prevented Henry from invading Saxony in October. After his recovery he launched a military expedition against the Saxon rebels. One of the rebel leaders, Egbert II of Brunswick , began to negotiate his surrender.

Henry offered him the Margravate of Meissen , but Egbert decided to continue the fight against Henry after two Saxon prelates, Hartwig of Magdeburg and Burchard of Halberstadt, promised to achieve his election as king of Germany. Abandoned by his principal allies, the ailing Hermann of Salm sought Henry's permission to leave Saxony for his native Lorraine.

His request was granted and he died in his homeland on 28 September Henry began negotiations with his Bavarian and Swabian opponents. Henry invaded Matilda's domains in March , forcing her to seek refuge in the mountains in April. Matilda of Tuscany and her husband managed to turn Henry's heir, Conrad, against him in the spring or summer of Empress Eupraxia decided to desert Henry and sought Matilda's assistance to rescue her from her house arrest early in Matilda sent a small force of soldiers to Verona who liberated the Empress and accompanied her to Tuscany.

They renewed a commercial treaty and Faliero agreed to continue to pay a yearly tribute to the Emperor. The German magnates and prelates deposed Henry's rebellious son, Conrad, and elected his year-old brother, Henry V , as Henry's co-ruler in May Conrad was abandoned by his allies and died forgotten in Tuscany. Although the dukes of Bohemia had acknowledged the German monarchs' suzerainty, this was the first occasion on which a Bohemian duke was invested in the same manner as the rulers of the German duchies.

Henry also announced he was planning to launch a crusade to the Holy Land. In it he explained to his godfather he intended to "make good the ruin of the Church, which was caused by us, through the restoration of peace and justice". He granted Robert II of Flanders the "remission of sins" the same spiritual privilege granted to crusaders for his fight against the Emperor's supporters.

A Bavarian count, Sigehard of Burghausen, criticised Henry for his favouritism towards the Saxon and Franconian aristocrats in Regensburg in January Sigehard's kinsmen and other aristocrats, however, blamed Henry for his death saying he had failed to defend him. Archbishop Hartwig of Magdeburg died in autumn His nearly contemporaneous biography claims that he wanted to secure the aristocrats' support before his ailing father's death to avoid a succession crisis.

Most Swabian and eastern Franconian aristocrats joined the younger Henry's rebellion. He also secured the Saxons' support during a visit to Saxony in April Henry moved from Mainz to Hammerstein and then to Cologne. He decided to return to Mainz, because he wanted to defend himself at the German princes' assembly his son had convoked.

Henry dismissed his retinue, because his son promised a safe conduct to Mainz. Henry was staying in Ingelheim after his abdication, but his supporters warned him his son had decided to imprison or execute him. In early February , he fled to Cologne where he was received by the townspeople with great respect. He declined all ceremonies, demonstrating that he was doing penance for his sins.

Robert II of Flanders also promised him assistance. All of them show he was determined to regain his throne. On 24 August his son ordered a new exhumation because he wanted to execute Henry's last will. His mother, Agnes, assumed the role of regent, but her limited abilities and reliance on others led to a government rife with intrigue and discontent.

The most influential figure during this period was Henry, Bishop of Augsburg, whose favoritism fueled jealousy and resentment among others. The weakness and mismanagement of the government prompted ambitious figures within the German clergy to seize power. Archbishop Anno of Cologne, a charismatic and ambitious leader, emerged as the driving force behind a plot to abduct the young king in The coup was successful, and Anno and his fellow bishops established a new government, effectively ruling the realm jointly.