Emperor Henry II
Henry the Pious or Henry the Lame, Duke of Bavaria and Holy Roman Emperor, was the last of the Saxon dynasty of emperors. Well-educated for his time and originally intended for the priesthood, Henry was a conscientious leader and worked for cooperation between church and state. After a troublesome beginning (which included internal opposition as well as campaigns into Italy and Poland), he achieved peace and unity in Germany. Henry was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII, with whom he planned ecumenical reform; but he died before the plans could be carried out.
Henry is also known as Saint Henry (Sankt Heinrich in German). Though never a particularly saintly man, he was canonized in 1146 due to some legends that circulated after his death. He was, however, a pious individual and founded a bishopric in Bamberg. Henry is the only emperor of the so-called Holy Roman Empire to be made a saint.
Important Dates
Born: May 6, 973
Crowned king of Italy: May 15, 1004
Crowned emperor: Feb. 14, 1014
Died: July 13, 1024
On the Web
Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Henry II
Thorough biography by Franz Kampers.Christ Crowns Emperor Henry II
An illumination, placed online by Fr. Bob Wister.Henry II
Concise bio at Infoplease.Saint Henry
A hagiographical look at the emperor from the Magnificat website.Saint Henry the Emperor
Friendly bio by Fr. Robert F. McNamara.
In Print
The link below will take you to mySimon, where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.
The Origins of Modern Germany
by Geoffrey Barraclough
Related Resources
Medieval Europe
A multi-page index of sites covering Early Europe, the Carolingian Empire, general history of the continent, and various topics in European history.Hagiography
Indices, primary sources, and general sites focusing on the study of Saints' lives.
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