HENRY III., emperor of Germany, of the Salo-Franconian line, and the son of the emperor Conrad II., was b. in 1017, elected king of the Germans in 1026, duke of Bavaria in 1027, duke of Swabia and Burgundy in 1037, succeeded his father as emperor in 1039, and died in 1056. Henry III., who was possessed of natural abilities, which had been cultivated as far as the age permitted, was one of the most energetic and efficient rulers of Germany. By Ms vigor he maintained his ascendency notwith standing the encroachments of the church and the subordination of the princes of the empire. Having summoned a council at Sutri in 1046, lie availed himself of the influ ence which lie had acquired in by his judicious reconciliation of antagonist partlec, to secure a recognition of anew pope, Clement II., and thus brought to an cud the scandalous dissensions which were disturbing Christianity through the intrigues of three rival popes, Benedict IX., Sylvester III., and Gregory By his energetic maintenance of the integrity of the empire, he gained opportunities of adding new ter ritories to the imperial states, for having retaliated on the duke of Bohemia fur the hostilities which he had carried on against the Poles (luring the intestine disorders of Poland, his decisive successes compelled the Bohemian duke to acknowledge himself vassal of the empire; while Henry's campaign against Hungary had a similar result, terminating in 1047 in the recognition of the supreme power of the emperor over the kings of Hungary. He also secured powerful vassals in Italy, in the Norman con
querors of Apulia and Calabria.
Henry devoted the short intervals of peace which he enjoyed to the' eradication of numerous abuses in the chiirch, but his schemes of ecclesiastical reform were secretly frustrated byHildebrand, afterwards Gregory VII. (q. v.); and on the sudden deathof Henry, who is supposed to have been poisoned, the papal chair was found to have already entered upon decisive measures for its emancipation from imperial influence. Henry distinguished himself as the zealous promoter of learning and the arts, especially music. He also founded numerous monastic schools, over which he placed learned monks of Brittany, and built several churches, and the cathedrals of Worms, Mayence, and Spires, in the last of which he was interred.,