Portal:Holy Roman Empire/Article of the month/November
Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV was the son of Emperor Henry III and Empress Agnes. From 1053 he was co-regent, in 1056 he became King of the Romans and from 1084 until his forced abdication on 31 December 1105 by his son Henry V, he was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Henry IV was the third emperor from the Salian dynasty. his was one of the most controversial rules of the Middle Ages, one of the most fascinating German imperial figures with one of the most chequered personal lives. His 50-year-long reign - the longest of the Early and High Middle Ages - polarised contemporary and subsequent generations of historians. His dispute with Pope Gregory VII and his journey to Canossa were the high point of the Investiture Controversy.