Death of Emperor Henry III
October 5, 1056
The Salian ruler who had tamed Italy, deposed three popes, and launched the church reform that would soon challenge his dynasty died suddenly at Bodfeld. He left a six-year-old heir, Henry IV. A minority regency always invites disaster; this one would set the stage for the Investiture Controversy, the defining conflict between papal and imperial authority that would convulse Western Christendom for half a century.
In context
Also in 1056 (3 other events on record)
- Yusuf ibn Tashfin takes command of Almoravids · Africa · War
- Song China Experiments with Gunpowder Grenades · East Asia · Technology
- Vietnam Casts a Twelve-Ton Bronze Bell · Southeast Asia · Culture
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Politics
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.