Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

Reign: 1014 – 1024
Life: 973–1024

He was known as Saint Henry. He died without an heir in 1024 and was the last ruler of the Ottonian line. Since his father had rebelled against two previous emperors, the younger Henry spent long periods of time in exile, where he turned to Christianity at an early age, first finding refuge with Bishop Abraham of Freising and later during his education at the cathedral school in Hildesheim. Before Henry could arrive, however, Otto III died of fever, leaving no heir. After defeating several contenders to the throne, he was crowned Henry II, King of Germany, on 9 July 1002 as the first in a line of kings to adopt the title Rex Romanorum as an antedate to his coronation in Rome as Imperator Romanorum.

During Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor's reign, Cnut the Great ruled England, Olof Skötkonung ruled Sweden, and Malcolm II of Scotland ruled Scotland.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Henry IV of Germany, 1056–1106 by I. S. Robinson

Some book links on this site point to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, WhoWasRuling.com may earn from qualifying purchases.

The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

Meanwhile in history

One “meanwhile in history” story each week: who ruled where, and what was happening on thrones across the world.

By subscribing you agree to receive emails from us. See our Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe any time.

From the library

Go deeper on Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

Hand-picked histories and biographies for readers who want more than the timeline: the same era, told in full.

Henry IV of Germany, 1056–1106

I. S. Robinson

Robinson's standard on the Salian emperors, Henry II's dynasty and the road to Investiture.

Find this book on Amazon