HENRY IV., the son of the preceding, was born in 1050, and had been chosen king of the Romans in 1054. His mother Agnes under took the care of his eduostion, and the diet chose her as regent during his minority. But the strong hand and will of his father were wanting. The great princes of tho empire were soon in open revolt. The custody of the young emperor's person was shifted from one powerful subject to another, with little advantage to the realm, and great detriment to the monarch, who became licentious, extravagant, and careless of all but his pleasures. He commenced a war against the Duke of Saxony, in which he displayed much courage and some military talent; but in the course of it he was induced to seek the intervention of the pope, which was sought also by his opponent. This pope was now Gregory VII.; the former Hildebrand, who decided against him. Henry assembled a diet at Worms, who pro nounced the deposition of the pope for presuming to constitute himself the judge of his sovereign. Gregory however excommunicated him, and declared his subjects absolved from their allegiance. Henry at length saw himself compelled to submit to the haughty primate ; he crossed the Alps with his wife and child in the depth of winter, arriving at Canossa, where the pope was residing, in January 1077; and was compelled to stand for three days in the open court-yard before the excommunication was removed. While Henry was iu Italy, Rudolph of Suabia had been elected emperor in Germany, but on his return Henry levied an army, and a devastating contest took place, which was only partly ended by the death of Rudolph in battle, ou October 15, 1080. Gregory, who had excited much discontent among a great portion of the clergy by rigidly insisting on their celibacy, had been blockaded iu Canossa by some Italian partisans of Henry; but had been released. lie sent Rudolph a crown, and placed Henry anew
under the ban of the church. Henry, now a conqueror, retaliated by summoning a fresh council at Brixen, who deposed Gregory, elected Clement III, as pope ; and Henry entered Italy with an army, forced Gregory to take refuge in the castle of St. Angelo, and had himself and wife crowned by Clement in 1084.
In Germany in the meanwhile a new emperor, Hermann of Luxem bourg, had been elected by the disaffected princes. Robert Guiscard, with a large force, bad relieved Gregory from the state of siege; and Henry returned to Germany, where he succeeded in conquering his rival, and forcing the Saxons to sue for peace. In 1090, for the third time, be entered Italy, and after some successes was recalled by the rebellion of his eldest eon, Conrad, who had been elected king of the Romans. This insurrection was suppressed, though supported by pope Urban II., and in 1097, at a diet held in Aix-la-Chapelle, Henry, the second son, was elected king of the Roman. instead of Conrad, who died In 1101. The second son however was worse than the first. Gained over by the legate. of the pope he declared war against his father, and when the emperor wrote in hopes of recalling him to his obedience, he appointed a meeting at Mainz, where he implored pardon, succeeded in withdrawing the emperor outside the town, then seized him as a prisoner, and confined him in the castle of Burghenheim. Henry after a time escaped, and retired to Liege, where he died on August 7, 1106. in this reign the first crusade was commenced.