Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105

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Lived 1050–1106, aged 56

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Era
1050–1106
Aged 56

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FatherHenry III, Holy Roman Emperor

ChildHenry V, Holy Roman Emperor

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1084–1105 and spent much of his reign clashing with the Pope over who controlled what. Henry IV got kidnapped as a kid by an archbishop, which frankly set the tone for a pretty contentious reign.

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Henry IV was Holy Roman Emperor (1084–1105), King of Germany (1054–1105), and King of Italy and Burgundy (1056–1105). A Salian ruler, he was the son of Henry III and Agnes of Poitou. After his father's death in 1056, his mother acted as regent, granting lands to secure aristocratic support. Unable to control papal elections, she witnessed the growing assertion of the "liberty of the Church", a principle central to the emerging Gregorian Reform. In 1062, Archbishop Anno II of Cologne kidnapped Henry and governed until he came of age in 1065.

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