GERMANY. 
A.D. 1072; and commenced his adminiftration by re¬ 
training the robberies and extortions which the inlia- 
bitants of Saxony had long exercifed upon ftrangers, 
and among themfelves, to the great prejudice of the 
public tranquillity. In order to crufli thefe praOfices, 
he took up his refidence among them at Collar, and or¬ 
dered feveral caftles to be eredted as a check upon the 
country, and a protedlion to the innocent fufferers. 
This meafurc, however, excited a general difcontent in 
the ducliy, and both laymen and ecclefialtics accnfed 
him of intending the fubverfion of their liberties. 
It mull indeed be acknowledged that the violence of 
Henry’s palTions often hurried him into indilcretions, 
•ahicli fixed an indelible fiain upon his charadter, and 
induced his molt powerful adherents to abandon his in- 
terells. His incontinence, in partictilar, was fo great, 
that he endeavoured to facrifice every beatitiful female 
to his unlawful defires ; and he was fo highly exafpe- 
rated at Jtis emprefs for attempting to obftrudt thefe li¬ 
centious amours, that he earneftly folicited the pope to 
dilfolve his marriage, and even authorifed one ot his 
cotn tiers to attempt lier honour, that he might obtain 
:i divorce. But the injured princel's condudted herfelf 
with exemplary prudence, and Henry’s bafe defigns were 
liappily fruftrated. 
Soon after the conclufion of the treaty with his Saxon 
fubjects, Henry was accufed, by one of his own do- 
mefrics, of having laid a plan for the dellrudtipn of the 
dukes of Swabia and Carinthia ; and tiiis calumny, 
though entirely groundlefs, proved of fuch y>rejudice to 
his affairs, that he was compelled to take refuge in the 
city of Worms; wliile the princes of the empire alfem- 
bled at Mentz for the exprefs purpofe of depofmg him, 
and of elctting another emperor. After fomc time, 
however, a conference w’as held at Oppenheim, in which 
Henry, by a folemn acknowledgment of his faults, ap¬ 
pealed the princes who claimed to be eledtors, and was 
by them peiiuitted to refume liis authority. 
No looner had the emperor’s fears fublided, in confe- 
quence of this accommodation, than the Saxons broke 
out in a frelh revolt, which occalioned a prodigious ef- 
tulion of blood ; and, though they were eveiutially com¬ 
pelled to fubmit, they were encouraged by the partifans 
ot Hildebrand, who had affumed the papacy under the 
name of Gregory VII. to fend ambalfadors to Rome, 
complaining of the injtiries they had received from the 
emperor, and requelting that the pope would depofe 
him, on account of his mifeonduef and immorality. 
Gregory, in confequence, exerted himfelf fo fuccefs- 
fully in embroiling the affairs of Germany, that the 
princes of the empire adlually renounced their allegi¬ 
ance, and placed Rodolph duke of Swabia on the im¬ 
perial throne. Henry, being apprifed of this rebellion, 
marched with all potlible difpatch againff the infur- 
gents, and gained three fuccelliye victories over them ; 
but his affairs Itill continued in a perilous lituation; a 
lentence of excommunication was fulminated againlt 
him, and the Roman pontiff'eff'edtually revived the I'pi- 
rits ot the malcontents, by confirming the election of 
Rodolph. 
Henry convened an alTembly of the German biff.ops 
at Mentz, to inVeftigate this pretended right of tlie 
pope to dethrone an emperor, or whether lie might le¬ 
gally depofe Hildebrand, and nominate another prelate 
to the apoftolic cliair. After mature deliberation, the 
nineteen bithops propofed that Henry ihouid call in all 
the other prelates, and hold a national qouncil at Brixen. 
T his file emperor agreed to ; and, on the revival of the 
bufinefs at Brixen, the depofition of Gregory was fo- 
lemnly confirmed; and cardinal Wibefti, archbifliop of 
Ravenna, was cholen pope, under the name of Cle¬ 
ment III: In the mean time, Rodolph alfembled fome 
forces in Saxony, and began to make formidable prepa¬ 
rations againff Ids competitor. Henry, receiving intel¬ 
ligence of Id's motions, marched againff him with great 
expedition, and the two armies engaged near Merfberg, 
with equal fury. For fome time victory feemed to ho¬ 
ver over the rebel troops ; but their leader’s hand being 
cut off by the duke of Lorrain, they were feized with 
a panic, and foon gave up the advantage they had 
gained. Rodolph, perceiving himfelf at the point of 
death, ordered the hand which he had loff to be brought 
to him, and, addreffing himlelf to his officers, “Be¬ 
hold, (faid he,) the hand with which I took my oath of 
allegiance, to Henry, which I have violated at the infti- 
gation of the court of Rome, in perfidioufiy afpiring to 
an honour that was not my due ! ” Having uttered thefe 
words, he expired with great penitence, and was buried 
at Merlberg in Saxony. 
The diffurbances of Germany being thus compofed, 
Henry, in 1081, led a numerous army into Italy, for 
the purpofe of fetting Clement in the papal chair ; but 
Gregory had ordered the gates of Rome to be ffiut 
againff him, and the garrifon withlfood a fiege of two 
years and a half. At the expiration of that time the 
city was taken by alfault ; Gregory retired firff: to the 
caffle of St. Angelo, and afterward to Salerno; and 
the new pope, being confecrated in the church of 
St. Peter, expreffed his gratitude by crownitig Henry, 
on Eaffer-day, emperor of the Romans. 
Henry now hoped to enjoy fome tranquillity, fince 
the chiefs of the German rebels were dead, and an ac¬ 
commodation had been entered into with the Saxons 
and Bavarians, A. D. 1099, But his fubfequent at¬ 
tempts to preferve the rights of the empire relative to 
the nomination of a pope, lerved to foment the enmity 
of the Romans, and induced Pafeal III. the fucceeding 
pontiff, to fulminate a new excommunication againlt 
him for introducing fchilms into the church. 
Whilff the emperor laboured under thefe preffing ca¬ 
lamities, his unnatural Ion Henry took up arms againff 
him, and avowed the intention of wrefting the fceptic 
from his hands; alleging that, as the fubjects were 
difeharged from their allegiance, he was obliged to ful¬ 
fil the duties of the imperial ffation ; and that, as the 
laws of the church were fuperior to thofe of nature, 
he could not acknowledge Flenry for his father, until 
he ffiould be abl'olved from the fentence of excommu¬ 
nication. The emperor ufed many remonftrances to 
dilfuade his Ion from proceeding to luch extremities : 
but thefe produced no effect; and the ufurper brought 
an army into the field which put him in poffellion ot 
Spire, and the imperial treafures. Ffe then fixed a day 
for the princes to afl'emble at Mentz ; but as he under- 
ffood that the emperor deligned to be prefent, with a 
very numerous army, he had recourfe to treachery, 
and, throwing himfelf at his father’s feet, implored for- 
givenel's for his undutiful behaviour, which he imputed 
to the advice of evil counfellors. '1 he ill-fated empe¬ 
ror heard this declaration with unl'peakable joy, and, 
at the requeft of his Ion, dilbanded the imperial army ; 
but he was ne.xt day confined to his chamber by the 
luppofed penitent, and the archbilhop of Mentz and 
Cologne, together with the bilhops of Worms, were 
lent to inform him of his depolition, and to demand the 
crown and other regalia. 
The emperor received this deputation, A.D. 1106, 
v/ith concern and aftonifitment, and earneftly demanded 
the caufe of fuch indignant u eatment. The archbilhop 
of Mentz replied, that he had rendered himfelf itn- 
■vvorthy of v/earing the imperial diadem, by the nume¬ 
rous Ichilms he had introduced into th.e church, and the 
fcandalous manner in which he expofed beitc-fices to 
fale. “ If then, (exclaimed the agitated prince,) we 
have proftilLited the benefices of the church for liire, 
you are the molt proper perfons to convict us of that 
charge. Say then, 1 aujure you, what have we either 
exacted or received t'oi' jypur proiiiotion to-the dignities 
which you now enjoy?.—You acknowledge our inno¬ 
cence with. refpeCt to your prcfermcHt; and yet, the 
arch- 
