Henry V 1081-1125
King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor

In 1106 he allied himself with the nobility and dethroned his father, Henry IV. His reign was dominated by the issues involved in the Investiture Controversy and his power struggle with the princes, whose support he alienated by favouring the Ministeriales and the towns. In 1111 he agreed with Pope Pascal II to give up his rights to invest bishops in return for coronation as emperor and the return of the royal insignia. This agreement was rejected by the German bishops and princes, whereupon Henry took the pope prisoner and forced him to concede both coronation and rights of investiture. This concession was later withdrawn and Henry was excommunicated. Finally, negotiations with Pope Calixtus II led to the end of the Investiture Controversy in the Concordat of Worms, in which the princes, rather than the emperor, took the initiative.