# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor
# Generated: 2026-09-01T10:57:53.077Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor"
name: "Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor"
slug: "henry-iv-holy-roman-emperor"
description: "The emperor who walked barefoot through snow to beg a pope's forgiveness — then spent the next three decades fighting him anyway. Henry IV's standoff with Gregory VII over who controlled the Church became the defining power struggle of medieval Europe."
tagline: "Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Heinrich_4_g.jpg"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "Germany"
  isoCode: "DE"
category:
  name: "Historical Figures"
  slug: "historical-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Historical Figure"
  slug: "historical-figure"
  entityType: "https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2798645"
birthDate: "1050-11-11"
deathDate: "1106-08-07"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           58.6
  momentum:             0.06905481225722919
  historical:           25.085976
  currentAttention:     0.3836378458734955
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  70
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Politician"
    slug: "politician"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "Royalty"
    slug: "royalty"
  - name: "Literature"
    slug: "literature"
  - name: "Medieval Era"
    slug: "medieval-era"
sources:
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60094"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV,_Holy_Roman_Emperor"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Henry%20IV%2C%20Holy%20Roman%20Emperor"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%89_%D9%87%D9%86%D8%B1%D9%89_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9"
    title: "الامبراطور الرومانى هنرى الرابع"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrique_IV_del_Sacru_Imperiu_Romanu_Xerm%C3%A1nicu"
    title: "Enrique IV del Sacru Imperiu Romanu Xermánicu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bar.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_IV."
    title: "Heinrich IV."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%85_IV_(%D1%96%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80_%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%88%D1%87%D1%8D%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B9_%D0%A0%D1%8B%D0%BC%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B9_%D1%96%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%96)"
    title: "Генрых IV (імператар Свяшчэннай Рымскай імперыі)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A5%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BD%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%85_IV_(%D0%A1%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%89%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%A0%D0%B8%D0%BC%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F)"
    title: "Хайнрих IV (Свещена Римска империя)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_IV%2C_car_Svetog_Rimskog_Carstva"
    title: "Henrik IV, car Svetog Rimskog Carstva"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enric_IV_del_Sacre_Imperi_Romanogerm%C3%A0nic"
    title: "Enric IV del Sacre Imperi Romanogermànic"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jind%C5%99ich_IV."
    title: "Jindřich IV."
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_4.%2C_tysk-romersk_kejser"
    title: "Henrik 4., tysk-romersk kejser"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_IV._(HRR)"
    title: "Heinrich IV. (HRR)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%95%CF%81%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%94%CE%84_%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%91%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82_%CE%A1%CF%89%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%8A%CE%BA%CE%AE%CF%82_%CE%91%CF%85%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BA%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82"
    title: "Ερρίκος Δ΄ της Αγίας Ρωμαϊκής Αυτοκρατορίας"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor"
    title: "Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henriko_la_4-a_(Sankta_Romia_Imperio)"
    title: "Henriko la 4-a (Sankta Romia Imperio)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrique_IV_del_Sacro_Imperio_Romano_Germ%C3%A1nico"
    title: "Enrique IV del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_IV_(Saksa-Rooma_keiser)"
    title: "Heinrich IV (Saksa-Rooma keiser)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrike_IV.a_Germaniako_Erromatar_Inperio_Santukoa"
    title: "Henrike IV.a Germaniako Erromatar Inperio Santukoa"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B4_%DA%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%85"
    title: "هاینریش چهارم"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_IV_(Saksa)"
    title: "Henrik IV (Saksa)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_IV_(empereur_du_Saint-Empire)"
    title: "Henri IV (empereur du Saint-Empire)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anra%C3%AD_IV%2C_Impire_Naofa_R%C3%B3mh%C3%A1nach"
    title: "Anraí IV, Impire Naofa Rómhánach"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrique_IV_do_Sacro_Imperio_Romano_Xerm%C3%A1nico"
    title: "Henrique IV do Sacro Imperio Romano Xermánico"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9A_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%99%2C_%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%94_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%94"
    title: "היינריך הרביעי, קיסר האימפריה הרומית הקדושה"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_IV.%2C_car_Svetog_Rimskog_Carstva"
    title: "Henrik IV., car Svetog Rimskog Carstva"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_IV%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Enrico_IV_di_Franconia"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_IV._(HRR)"
    title: "Heinrich IV. (HRR)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%87%D9%86%D8%B1%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9_(%D8%A5%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A_%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3)"
    title: "هنري الرابع (إمبراطور روماني مقدس)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Henry IV inherited the German throne at five in 1056, his mother granting away royal lands to buy support while the papacy slipped from imperial control. Coming of age in 1065, he tried clawing back lost estates using lower-born officials, igniting revolts in Saxony he crushed twice by 1075. His insistence on appointing bishops collided with Gregory VII's reforms; excommunicated in 1076 and abandoned by his nobles, Henry crossed the Alps in winter for the humiliation at Canossa, kneeling three days for absolution. Restored to communion but not to power, he faced a rival king, suffered a second excommunication in 1080, installed his own antipope Clement III, and finally claimed the imperial crown in Rome in 1084. He spent his last decade campaigning in Italy against his own son Conrad and Matilda of Tuscany, proclaimed Germany's first empire-wide peace in 1103, then was deposed by his second son in 1105. He died the next year chasing a comeback, still unabsolved.