Digital Continent Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2016 | Page 51

44

be revered. If he should, however, oppose or resist divine command his subjects could rightly
despise him.94 Henry IV failed to heed such a prophetic warning and proceeded to exercise his
interpretation of royal power as he saw fit, sowing discontent and difficulty in his princely
relations.
Having assumed the reins of
power after a long and
unsuccessful regency, Henry
knew that his greatest challenge
would be winning over the
princes of the realm. When
Otto III had passed away
without a male heir, thus ending
the Ottonian line, the crown
estates in Saxony were
appropriated by secular magnates. During the minority of Henry IV, the royal influence in
Saxony that had been rebuilt by his father steadily declined. Faced with the uncertain loyalty of
the princes and spurred on by a need to consolidate his hold on his kingdom, young Henry
attempted to vindicate royal rights in Saxony. Determined to lay claim to his inheritance, he
opted to build fortresses and castles throughout the region and garrisoned them with Swabian
soldiers as representatives of the royal government. The Saxons viewed such actions as intended
to force them into a state of dependency.95 Henry’s massive fortifications, constructed in the

94

Tierney, 38-39.

95

Blumenthal, The Investiture Controversy, 110-11.