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Henry IV of Germany 1056–1106
This is the first book in English devoted to the German king and emperor Henry IV (1056–1106), whose reign was one of the most momentous in German history and a turning-point in the history of the medieval empire (the kingdoms of Germany, Italy and Burgundy). The reign was marked by continuous rebellions and fluctuating fortune. Earlier monarchs had also witnessed conflict between crown and aristocracy, but Henry IV's reign differed in that his conflicts could never be definitively resolved either by negotiation or by war. During the 1070s the young king gained a lasting reputation for tyranny, while his assertion of the crown's traditional rights over the imperial church aroused papal opposition. The alliance between the German princes and the papacy haunted Henry IV for the rest of his life. He meanwhile, by turns opportunist and compromiser, dedicated himself at all times to preserving the traditional rights of the monarchy.
420 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2000
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About the author
I.S. Robinson
6 books2 followersProfessor I. S. Robinson is Lecky Professor of History and Senior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. His research and publications have focused on Papal and Imperial history in the medieval period.
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April 13, 2024
Overall: a historians wet dream, but too much of the same for the casual reader.
One of the more tumultuous reigns of medieval Germany, Henry IV grew from a child-king into a headstrong but resilient monarch, whose reign was characterised by conflict. Some of his troubles were inherited, some he ran into, and some he caused himself.
Part of Henry’s trouble was inherited, in the dissatisfaction of the princes with certain of his fathers acts. Henry III took his association of the royal family with the kingdom too seriously for some. This was considered meddling a tad too much in tradition and custom. Because of Henry’s relatively sudden death, these problems went unanswered, until they resurfaced during his sons reign.
During his minority, Henry was at the mercy of some of the prominent princes, taken hostage not too long in his mothers regency. The regents (both Henry’s mother when she fulfilled that role, and the archbishops op Cologne and Bremen after her), had to buy the loyalty of the princes, which led to the loss of significant amounts of royal property and rights. It would become a theme in the adult Henry’s life to restore that property and the rights, and led to enduring conflict with the princes. Especially in Saxony, Henry would consistently be faced with the possibility of out-and-out rebellion, which did indeed break out several times.
Another central theme of the reign was the monastic reform-movement, coupled with the papal reforms (ironically made possible by Henry III’s intervention). In short, the traditional royal rights gradually collided with the growing self-awareness of the papal legislators and the demand for canonical purity as a whole. Relinquishing his rights would have meant a severe loss of control over the imperial church, and a government far less potent. But monastic reform was popular amongst the secular princes as well, especially in Swabia, and led to further princely intransigence. When the conflict escalated under pope Gregory VII, Henry was eventually faced with a ready-made oppositional faction that could provide backing for princes rebelling for other reasons. Indeed, the opposi-tional forces repeatedly closed ranks, the Swabian princes electing their own kings under the supervision of a papal legate. Gregory VII, by the way, remained open to a reconciliation for years, until he realised excommunicating Henry was unavoidable.
The book itself is rich on detail, giving lots and lots of quotes from documentary evidence. Because of the upheaval of the times (civil war, papal-royal strife), there is a large amount of written evidence, especially by chroniclers. Robinson essentially bases his narrative on their work, and quotes them very often (to the extent that I began to find them a bit tedious, since the point was often clear enough). Robinson splits his work up in several themes, but keeps the general chronology essentially intact. All in all a very good biography, essentially a political biography with large amounts of theology thrown in. Huge amounts of detail too. If there’s a downside, it’s that the narrative isn’t especially sparkling. But definitely worth the effort.
One of the more tumultuous reigns of medieval Germany, Henry IV grew from a child-king into a headstrong but resilient monarch, whose reign was characterised by conflict. Some of his troubles were inherited, some he ran into, and some he caused himself.
Part of Henry’s trouble was inherited, in the dissatisfaction of the princes with certain of his fathers acts. Henry III took his association of the royal family with the kingdom too seriously for some. This was considered meddling a tad too much in tradition and custom. Because of Henry’s relatively sudden death, these problems went unanswered, until they resurfaced during his sons reign.
During his minority, Henry was at the mercy of some of the prominent princes, taken hostage not too long in his mothers regency. The regents (both Henry’s mother when she fulfilled that role, and the archbishops op Cologne and Bremen after her), had to buy the loyalty of the princes, which led to the loss of significant amounts of royal property and rights. It would become a theme in the adult Henry’s life to restore that property and the rights, and led to enduring conflict with the princes. Especially in Saxony, Henry would consistently be faced with the possibility of out-and-out rebellion, which did indeed break out several times.
Another central theme of the reign was the monastic reform-movement, coupled with the papal reforms (ironically made possible by Henry III’s intervention). In short, the traditional royal rights gradually collided with the growing self-awareness of the papal legislators and the demand for canonical purity as a whole. Relinquishing his rights would have meant a severe loss of control over the imperial church, and a government far less potent. But monastic reform was popular amongst the secular princes as well, especially in Swabia, and led to further princely intransigence. When the conflict escalated under pope Gregory VII, Henry was eventually faced with a ready-made oppositional faction that could provide backing for princes rebelling for other reasons. Indeed, the opposi-tional forces repeatedly closed ranks, the Swabian princes electing their own kings under the supervision of a papal legate. Gregory VII, by the way, remained open to a reconciliation for years, until he realised excommunicating Henry was unavoidable.
The book itself is rich on detail, giving lots and lots of quotes from documentary evidence. Because of the upheaval of the times (civil war, papal-royal strife), there is a large amount of written evidence, especially by chroniclers. Robinson essentially bases his narrative on their work, and quotes them very often (to the extent that I began to find them a bit tedious, since the point was often clear enough). Robinson splits his work up in several themes, but keeps the general chronology essentially intact. All in all a very good biography, essentially a political biography with large amounts of theology thrown in. Huge amounts of detail too. If there’s a downside, it’s that the narrative isn’t especially sparkling. But definitely worth the effort.
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