Henry IV of Germany (1040-1106), also called Emperor Heinrich the Chivalrous, was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1056 to 1106, succeeding Henry III of Germany and preceding Henry V of Germany.
Biography[]
Henry IV of Germany became king of Germany at the age of sixteen, of the Salian Frank dynasty. Henry was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III and his wife Agnes of Poitou; his father left the Holy Roman Empire with an impressive empire that had held the Italian city of Bologna, but was fragmented between rebels after his death. He was a champion of honour and religiously proper, yet he fell afoul of Pope Gregory VIII, who tried to wrest away all of his power in the Investiture crisis. He became a fierce rival of the Pope and his Guelph allies of the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Florence, and seized the city of Florence in an assault in 1082. Henry was rarely in Germany, starting the year 1080 in the city of Bologna, his fortress in northern Italy. From there, he campaigned against the Papal States and their allies. Henry was crowned as King of Italy in 1080 and deposed Pope Gregory, replacing him with the antipope Pope Clement III. He wore the Iron Crown of Lombardy, coronated in Pavia, signifying his dominance over northern Italy.
His campaign in northern Italy succeeded in taking Florence in 1082 from Martino of Florence, the rebellious Italian duke, and he consolidated his position amongst the Papal States. Emperor Henry IV established a legacy of hatred between the Hohenstaufen emperors and the Popes, and he made an alliance with the Byzantine Empire against the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. However, in 1104 his son Henry rebelled against him with aid from the bishops, with the towns remaining loyal to Emperor Henry. Defeated, he was forced to resign his crown in 1106. He later escaped from his son's captivity and gained the support of the Rhineland and the loyal party of the empire against Henry V and Pope Paschal II, and although he defeated his son's army at the Battle of Vise on 2 March 1106, he died soon after. His excommunication was overturned in 1111.
| Holy Roman Emperor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Henry III |
1056-1106 | Succeeded by: Henry V |
| King of Italy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Enrico III |
1080-1093 | Succeeded by: Corrado II |
| Duke of Bavaria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Otto II of Bavaria |
1077-1096 | Succeeded by: Welf I of Bavaria |