The Emperor Henry II Remained Chaste Until His Death, and the Wars He Waged Were Solely For the Good, In the Spiritual as Well as the Temporal Order. He Obtained Admirable Victories, Both in the Struggles of the Interior Life and in the Battles Against the Enemies of the State and of the Faith.
Newsdesk (13/07/2021 23:50, Gaudium Press) In the spring of 973, Henry, the first son of the Duke of Bavaria and Princess Gisela of Burgundy, was born and baptized by St. Wolfgang, Bishop of Regensburg and a Benedictine monk. The prelate decidedly became the child’s godfather himself and took him under his care.
At the age of only 22, his father having died, the young Henry succeeded him as the head of the Duchy of Bavaria. At the same time, Bishop Wolfgang, to whom Henry owed his solid Christian education and whom he had considered to be a model and guide, also died.
Desirous of ruling the people with firmness, benevolence, and wisdom, the young duke often went to pray at the grave of his former mentor, asking for his help to carry out the office with perfection. One night, while he was praying there, the holy Bishop appeared to him and said, “Look carefully at the letters written on the wall beside my grave.” Henry, however, could read only these words: “After six.” Before he could ask him what it meant, the vision of the blessed Bishop vanished.
Six days, six months, six years.
Henry then believed that he would die in six days, and so he began to prepare himself to leave this life, dedicating himself almost exclusively to prayer and penance. Instead, at the end of the six days, he was enjoying perfect health, and so he thought he was wrong: his death must not be in six days but rather, in six months…
So he sought the Sacraments more assiduously and redoubled his charitable works, taking on an almost monastic lifestyle. However, the six months also came and went and nothing happened. Was his death to take place in six years then?
The six years ran their course and still, death did not take the Duke of Bavaria; instead, it took the young Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Otto III, who died in Italy, leaving no descendants.
On hearing the news, Henry remembered the enigmatic words of Saint Wolfgang: “After six”, revealed six years earlier, and he now understood their meaning: he was the closest relative of the deceased sovereign and therefore was the main candidate to succeed him on the imperial throne, which he did.
On assuming the throne, Henry occupied himself with learning the situation of the Kingdom and the needs of his subjects. He did this seriously and constantly, for “Christian, royal and military virtues give proof that to be a good king is a true gift from Heaven”.
Ongoing struggles
The circumstances of that historical period and the way in which his election took place forced him, however, to engage in continuous struggles to maintain the stability of the throne that he had legitimately obtained.
In fact, Hermann II, Duke of Swabia, who claimed a greater claim to the throne than Henry, began a struggle against Henry, by sacking the city and the church of Strasbourg.
But before the end of that year, Hermann presented himself barefoot to the king and, genuflecting, asked his pardon, promising to return an abbey to the damaged church in order to make reparation for his offense.
Some years before his election as King of the Germans, Henry had married Cunegunda, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg, a noble lady whom the Church has canonized. With his wife, he kept perfect “continence during the whole time of their union, and they gave to each other the most beautiful examples of Christian virtues”.
This queen consort truly reigned with her husband, for she assisted him in solving the complicated affairs of the court with a unique delicacy.
Peace for the Holy Church
More than the unity of his own kingdom, Henry desired peace in the Holy Church, and he employed his power and authority to remove from it any factor of division.
With the death of Pope Sergius IV in 1012, this peace was shaken, for a self-proclaimed antipope, Gregory VI, disputed the Chair of Peter with the legitimate Pope, Benedict VIII.
Gregory VI presented himself to the King of Germany, seeking refuge and support. Henry promised to judge the case according to strict justice and Canon Law. However, instead of supporting his claims, the king declared Gregory VI to be an anti-pope and forbade him to exercise any episcopal function in his territories.
At the end of 1013, the holy king and his wife met Benedict VIII in Ravenna, who took them to Rome, where they entered with all pomp, applauded as zealous protectors of the Apostolic See.
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
On 14 February 1014, the Pope anointed and crowned St. Henry Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and St. Cunegunda as Empress.
The Pope had ordered a gift to be made for the occasion: a golden globe topped by a cross and decorated with two circles of pearls and precious stones. The globe represented the world; the precious stones, the virtues with which Henry was to adorn himself; and the cross, the Religion of which he had become the protector.
“I command you to return to the world”
Arriving in Cluny, Henry once again felt the strength and peace of recollection and silence in his soul. However, he in some way left his heart there.
The years passed and his religious feelings grew; amid the grandeur of the court, the battles, and triumphs, the Holy Emperor desired a more excellent good: the poverty and solitude of the monastery.
It is said that when he decided to embrace the religious life, he presented himself to Richard, abbot of the Monastery of Saint Vannes in Verdun, for whom he had a special affection.
Feeling himself sheltered by the shadow of those blessed walls, he claimed as his own the words of the psalmist: “This is my resting place forever, this is where I will dwell because I have chosen it” (Ps 131:14).
He expressed to the abbot his desire to abandon the crown in order to better serve God as a monk. Bishop Haimon, who was present, was concerned; he called the abbot aside and warned him: “If you retain this prince and make him a monk, as he wishes, you will cause the ruin of the whole Empire!”
Seeking a way so as not to disappoint the emperor while at the same time not endangering the Holy Empire, the abbot asked Henry if – following the example of Jesus Christ who was obedient unto death – he was willing to make a promise of obedience.
Henry did so, replying that it was the greatest desire of his heart. Richard then said to him, “Well, you shall now carry out my orders: I command you to return to the world and to employ all your strength in directing the country that God has entrusted to you, and to consecrate yourself with trembling and fear of God to the good of your States”.
Henry accepted the abbot’s prudent decision and obeyed promptly, convinced that in this way he would serve God and his Church better than by living in the seclusion of the cloister. He continued, however, to pay Abbot Richard several visits, frequently to seek advice on the most important matters of government, and later became a Benedictine Oblate.
At the service of the Church and the Empire
Henry and Cunegunda encouraged religion to flourish in the vast imperial territory. From one end to the other, monasteries were founded and magnificent churches were built, many of which still stand today. The façade of these temples was flanked by two towers, the symbol of the two powers: Church and Empire.
The Empress had “a rare ability and a refined taste for construction. She personally directed the building of Bamberg Cathedral and the convent of the Poor Clares of Kaffungen”, where she became a nun when she was widowed a few years later. Her piety was equal to that of her saintly husband and it could be seen that they shared the same aspirations.
Henry’s life was one of continuous change. He knew that he would have been wrong to think that, while fulfilling his absorbing duties as a sovereign, he had no time left for the things of God.
He was very diligent in never allowing his piety to grow cold, and with each victory, his gratitude to God increased. Always ready to go out into the battlefield in defense of the Church, he never fought for personal glory. Besides daily Mass, he often performed spiritual exercises and had a great devotion to Saint Benedict.
It is said that while praying one day at Monte Cassino he was miraculously cured of kidney disease.
In 1024, when he was very ill and felt death approaching, he gathered all the courtiers around him, took the hand of the Holy Empress, and said to his family, “Behold, she whom you have given me for a wife before Christ; a virgin she was given to me, and a virgin I give her into the hands of God and into yours.”
A short time later he dictated his will, and since he was already living in complete detachment from the powers, the glory, and the riches of this world, his soul was ready to receive “the imperishable crown of glory” (1 Pet 5:4).
On 13 July of that year, he crossed the threshold of eternity.
Text Excerpted, with adaptations, from Heralds of the Gospel magazine n. 163, July 2015.
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Compiled by Sandra Chisholm