Heinrich II, German King and Holy Roman Emperor 1002 - 1024

Heinrich II (973 (978)-1024) – famous for his foundation of Bamberg – was the last Ottonian to rule Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.

Heinrich II recieves a book as a gift from the monk from Seeon — Heinrich II recieves a book as a gift from a monk from Seeon. Manuscript of St. Gregory’s Moralia, 11th century, StaatsBibl. Msc.Bibl. 41, Bamberg

Heinrich II became king of Germany in 1002 and Holy Roman emperor in 1014. He belonged to a cadet line, descended from Heinrich I (Der Vogel) (876-936), which held the position as Dukes of Bavaria.

Both his grandfather and father, Heinrich the Quarrelsome, had been made Dukes of Bavaria. And both had rebelled against all three Ottos. During Heinrich II’s childhood, his father had been forced to spend years exiled in Bohemia and the East. For several years, he was even imprisoned.

As witnessed by his clerical schooling, the younger Heinrich was likely destined for a career in the Church. Five years old, he was adopted into the household of Bishop Abraham of Freising. Later, he was educated at the Cathedral School of Hildesheim, which was generally considered the best then.

He was exposed to strong church influence in his youth, and his faith influenced him strongly. Contemporaries were impressed by his ability to intersperse his speeches with biblical quotations, while chronicles, as well as letters and other evidence, point to his fluid and comprehensive proficiency in Latin.

Nevertheless, he was also a ruthless and practical politician and was not averse to allying with his Slavic and heathen neighbours to the north.

Although in poor health, he spent 22 years as an itinerant king, riding on horseback through his dominions to quench feuds, chase rebels, pass judgements, and, in general, extend the power of the crown. Albeit he singled out the new Diocese of Bamberg to become the spiritual centre of this realm and a “New Rome”, he appears not to have been trying to establish the city as a capital.

Crown and Coronation

After the sudden death of the unmarried and heirless king and emperor, Otto III, in January 1002, Heinrich was not the first choice among his contemporaries. Aware of strong opposition to his succession, he succeeded in capturing the royal insignia and, bit by bit, gained the backing of his next of kin. Although the majority of the princes declared against Heinrich at the funeral of Otto III in Aachen, he succeeded in reaching Mainz in June 1002, where he secured both an election, an anointment and a coronation. Nevertheless, it took another year before he was fully recognised.

During his reign, he fought intermittently with his main enemy, the Polish King Bolesław I the Brave. This war did not end until 1018 when the two contenders compromised at Bautzen. Another war was fought in Northern Italy against Arduin of Ivrea, who had used the vacuum after the death of Otto III to style himself King of Italy. In 1013, he went on yet another expedition to Italy to be crowned emperor in Rome in 1014. Two months later, though, he was back in Germany, working to consolidate and secure the German kingdom and defend it from raids waged by his Slavic neighbours. Although he did return to Italy in 1021 to protect the papacy against the Lombards, the Byzantines and the Muslims, his focus was uniformly on Germany and a peaceful and orderly royal regime based on the so-called Ottonian system of government.

Therein, a main component was the royal rule over the land and power invested in the dioceses and bishops in the realm. Although he was generous when adding to their territorial holdings, he reserved the right as divinely appointed King to appoint whomever he might find best suited to take over a vacant bishopric. He also insisted on episcopal and priestly celibacy, thus securing a loyal faction whenever rebellious nobles or ambitious family members stirred the pot.

Sainthood

Reliquary busts of Heinrich II and Kunegunde. Source: WikipediaReliquary busts of Heinrich II and Kunegunde. Source: Wikipedia — Reliquary busts of Heinrich II and Kunegunde. Source: Wikipedia

The foundation of Bamberg as a new diocese is often considered his main achievement. Much against the will of the bishop of Würzburg, he succeeded in obtaining the German bishops’ consent in 1007. In 1012, the new Cathedral was consecrated on his birthday in May. The crowning event, though, was the Papal visit in 1020. Thanks to numerous gifts – relics, ornaments, silks, and books – the city of Bamberg was transformed from a castellated backwater to a thriving modern city supported by Heinrich and his queen, Kunegunde.

One reason, though, that Bamberg achieved this fame was the canonisation obtained in 1146, which turned the Cathedral into a shrine assiduously curated by the clerical community through the following centuries. Later, Kunegunde was also canonised, and a host of church-inspired legends were forged to explicate their lack of children as the result of a wilful endeavour to live in a chaste or Josephite marriage.

Even today, Bamberg continues to venerate a king, who is known to have sought political gains by allying himself with the Luticians, a heathen tribe located to the north between the Oder and the Elbe. Keeping Christian missionaries out of their backyard, he was able to enlist them in his war against the Polish ruler, Boleslaw, whose royal aspirations Heinrich sought to suppress.

Today, his canonisation is sometimes justified on the grounds that he was par excellence, the medieval German priestly King. His canonisation, though, probably reflects the European fashion in the 12th century to be able to parade such “national” saints. Another famous example is Edward the Confessor, who was canonised in 1161.