Person

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

1050–1106 · 11th century

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, was king of Germany from 1056 and emperor from 1084. His clash with Pope Gregory VII over the appointment of bishops began the Investiture Controversy, and he did penance at Canossa in 1077. He also fought the Saxon rebellion, an episode described by the chronicler Lampert of Hersfeld, and was eventually deposed by his son.

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Image: AnonymousUnknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Principality of HersfeldMarch of TuscanyMarch of TurinPatriarchate of Aquileia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor
MLA
“Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻