Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor - Definition and Overview

Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, (1081 - May 23, 1125) was the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He forced the abdication in 1105 of his father, the emperor Henry IV and secured his own election as king, assuming the imperial crown in 1111.

Despite initial Papal support for his accession, Henry continued the Investiture Controversy started by his father against the Pope's insistence on control all ecclesiastical appointments in Germany. Invading Italy twice (1110 and 1116) and setting up a rival antipope in opposition to the Pope in Rome, Henry eventually secured a compromise (the Concordat of Worms, 1122) under which the Pope would invest church appointees with their spiritual offices, the Emperor with their lay rights.

In 1114, Henry married the young Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, at Mainz. They had no children.