Henry III "the Pious", Holy Roman Emperor (28 October 1017-5 October 1056) was Holy Roman Emperor from 4 June 1039 (crowned on 25 December 1046) to 5 October 1056, succeeding Conrad II of Germany and preceding Henry IV of Germany.
Biography[]
Henry was born on 28 October 1017, the son of Conrad II of Germany and Gisela of Swabia. In 1026, his father made him duke of Bavaria after the death of Henry V of Bavaria, and in 1028 he was crowned King of the Romans after his father became Holy Roman Emperor on Easter Day. In 1033, he inherited Burgundy; Herman IV of Swabia's death in 1038 led to him inheriting Swabia as well. In 1039, Conrad II's death made Henry the sole ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, and in 1040 he launched a failed campaign against Bohemia; he also had a campaign in Hungary. In October 1043, he announced a Peace and Truce of God, forgiving all injuries against him. However, on 6 July 1044 he returned to Hungary and defeated Samuel Aba's army in the bloody battle of Menfo, and Peter Orseolo became king of Hungary. In 1045, he put down unrest in Lorraine as well, consolidating his realm. In 1051, he undertook a third Hungarian campaign, which failed; he then launched a fourth one next year, failing to take Bratislava (Pressburg). He died in 1056, and his son Henry IV of Germany succeeded him.