HENRY III. (1017-1056), surnamed the "Black," Roman emperor, only son of the emperor Conrad II., and Gisela, widow of Ernest I., duke of Swabia, was born on Oct. 28, 1017, desig nated as his father's successor in 1026, and crowned German king at Aix-la-Chapelle on April 14, 1028. In 102 7 he was appointed duke of Bavaria, where he had been educated under Bruno, bishop of Augsburg and under Egilbert, bishop of Freising. In 103 2 he took part in a campaign in Burgundy; in Io33 led an expedition against Ulalrich, prince of the Bohemians; and in June 1036 married Gunhilda, afterwards called Kunigunde, daughter of Canute, king of Denmark and England. In 1038 the emperor formally handed over to him the kingdom of Burgundy, or Arles, and appointed him duke of Swabia.
When Conrad died in June io39, Henry became sole ruler of the empire. A struggle soon broke out with Bretislaus, prince of the Bohemians, who revived the idea of an independent Slavonic state, and conquered various Polish towns. After suffering two defeats in io4o, in the following year Henry was able to compel Bretislaus to sue for peace and to do homage for Bohemia. In 1042 he received the homage of the Burgundians and his attention was then turned to the Hungarians, who had driven out their king Peter, and set up one Aba Samuel, or Ovo, who attacked eastern Bavaria. During 1°43-45 Henry restored Peter, and brought Hungary completely under the German king.
In 1038 Queen Kunigunde had died and in 1 o43 the king married Agnes, daughter of William V., duke of Guienne. In io44 Gothelon (Gozelo), duke of Lorraine, died, and some disturb ance arose over Henry's refusal to grant the whole of the duchy to his son Godfrey, called the Bearded. Godfrey took up arms, but after a short imprisonment was confirmed in the possession of Upper Lorraine in i o46 which, however, he failed to secure. About this time, the rival popes were deposed, and the king secured the election of Suidger, bishop of Bamberg, who crowned Henry emperor on Dec. 25, io46. He was immediately recognized by the Romans as Patricius, an office which carried with it at this time the right to appoint the pope. Supreme in church and state alike, ruler of Germany, Italy and Burgundy, overlord of Hungary and Bohemia, Henry occupied a commanding position. He made a victorious progress in southern Italy, where he restored Pandulph IV. to the principality of Capua, and asserted his authority over the Normans in Apulia and Aversa. Returning to Germany in io47 he appointed two popes, Damasus II. and Leo IX., in quick succession, and faced a threatening combination in the west of the empire, where Godfrey of Lorraine was again in revolt, and with Baldwin V., count of Flanders and Dirk IV., count of Holland, who had previously caused trouble, was ravaging the emperor's lands in Lorraine. Assisted by the kings of England and Denmark, Henry subdued the rebels in io5o. Godfrey was deposed; but Baldwin in 10S4 again revolted.
Meanwhile a reaction against German influence had taken place in Hungary. King Peter had been replaced in io46 by Andreas I., and inroads into Bavaria followed. A brief peace was secured in 1°53, but the emperor, occupied elsewhere, soon lost his authority in the east. On pope Leo's death, Henry nominated Gebhard, bishop of Eichstadt, to the vacant chair. In 1055 the emperor went a second time to Italy, where his authority was threatened by Godfrey of Lorraine, who had married Beatrice, widow of Boniface III., margrave of Tuscany and was ruling her vast estates. Godfrey fled, however, on the appearance of Henry, who only remained a short time in Italy, during which he granted the duchy of Spoleto to the pope. During his absence, the deposed Conrad III., duke of Bavaria, Welf, duke of Carinthia, and Geb hard III., bishop of Regensburg, formed an unsuccessful con spiracy against him. The emperor died at Bodfeld on Oct. 5, 1°56. He was a peace-loving prince, who favoured church reform and sought to suppress private warfare. But he alienated the sympathies of the nobles as a class, and, by allowing the southern duchies to pass into other hands, restored a power which was not always friendly to the royal house. Henry was a patron of learn ing, a founder of schools, and completed cathedrals at Spires, Worms and Mainz.