Italian Expedition of Henrich IV (1081−1084) in the Context of Investiture Controversy

Abstract. The article is devoted to the Italian expedition (1081−1084) of the King of the Holy Roman Empire Henry IV and its role in the Investiture Controversy (confrontation between popes and kings for the right to appoint bishops and abbots). The choice of such a plot is due to the significance of this trip for the development of relations between secular and clerical rulers. On the basis of annals, chronicles and other historical sources, an attempt is made to recreate and analyze the events of the expedition, as well as to consider the circumstances preceding the military campaign in order to try to answer the question why exactly at this time the king did decide to go to Italy. For Henry IV, in order to consolidate his position, it was necessary to obtain a coronation in Rome, conducted by a legitimate pope, and this required either reconciliation with his main rival, Gregory VII, or his overthrow. Since the pontiff did not acknowledge as legitimate Henry’s claims to the imperial crown, the king besieged Rome, while trying to find powerful allies among the Italian nobility and the clergy, and from Byzantium.

Keywords: Henry IV, Gregory VII, Clement III, Alexios I Komnenos, Robert Guiscard, Investiture Controversy, coronation, Rome, antipope.