Henry IV forced to abdicate

December 31, 1105

The Holy Roman Emperor, excommunicated once for appointing his own bishops and hounded for decades by his own son, was lured to a meeting at Ingelheim and coerced into handing over the imperial regalia. Henry V had his throne; his father escaped to die a fugitive. The elder Henry spent his last months wandering the Rhineland pleading with bishops for support, a spectacle that horrified even his enemies.