Portrait d’Henri IV (empereur du Saint-Empire)

This portrait depicts Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105. His reign is marked by the famous Investiture Controversy, a major conflict with the papacy over the authority to appoint bishops. In opposition to Pope Gregory VII, Henry IV was excommunicated and had to travel to Canossa in 1077 to seek forgiveness. This confrontation illustrates the deep tensions between imperial power and religious authority in medieval Europe. His reign took place alongside that of Philip I of France, during a period of shifting power dynamics in Western Europe.