Henry V (1105-1125)

Even though Henry V takes over from his father through treachery, the early years of his reign are a much needed reprieve from the turbulent reign of his father.

Things get out of hand when he accepts a proposal of Pope Paschalis II to forsake any involvement in the management of the church in exchange for receiving all of the church lands and rights back, a good third of all the assets of the empire.

Though the plan cannot be implemented against the staunch opposition of the princes, it has repercussion on the standing of the young emperor. How can the bishops and abbots, and their cousins, the dukes, counts and barons believe the emperor is a guarantor of their ancient rights, when he almost expropriated them.

Henry V finds himself quickly in a situation not dissimilar to his father. He tried to seal this can of creepy-crawlies with the Concordat of Worms…

Ep. 39: Investiture Controversy (1065-1122) – The Final Betrayal
byDirk Hoffmann-Becking

This week we will talk about the last years of Henry IV, which, as hard as it is to believe, holds a final humiliation that capped the pain this man had already endured.

The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.

As always:

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To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.

So far I have:

The Ottonians

Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy

Fredrick Barbarossa and Early Hohenstaufen

Frederick II Stupor Mundi

Saxony and Eastward Expansion

The Hanseatic League

The Teutonic Knights

The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356

The Reformation before the Reformation

The Empire in the 15th century

The Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs

Ep. 39: Investiture Controversy (1065-1122) – The Final Betrayal
Ep. 40: Investiture Controversy (1065-1122) – Henry V has a Cunning Plan
Ep. 41: Investiture Controversy (1065-1122) – The Concordat of Worms

Listen as Spotify Playlist

The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.

#40 Henry V has a Cunning Plan
Pope Paschal II offers to hand back all imperial fiefs which causes havoc

Having lured his father into a trap and then deposed, we now have a new king, Last week you heard the story from the father’s perspective, this time we look at it from Henry V’s perspective, and maybe he was not as much of a rotten apple as it looks?

Click here for transcript

#41 The Concordat of Worms
Henry V brings the Investiture Controversy to an end (not voluntary)

In this week’s episode Henry V the last of the Salians will find that despite all his efforts, the tide of history cannot be stemmed, leaving him in almost exactly the same place his father ended up in 1076.

Click here for transcript

#42 A World Revolution?
What did the Investiture Controversy really change

Many writers have compared the Investiture controversy to the great world revolutions of 1789 and 1917 – let’s look at the arguments

Click here for transcript