Presentation of the faction: Salian House news

The beginnings of the Salian House :

The house owes its name to its origins in Rhenish Franconia; the term ‘salicus’ should not be taken as an expression of direct descent from the Salian Frankish tribe.

Sometimes also referred to as the Franconian dynasty, the family succeeded the Ottonians on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire with the election of Conrad II the Salic in 1024. This House is best known for the violent confrontation between the emperors of this family and the Pope, the temporal power and the spiritual power, which culminated in the Investiture Quarrel.

The Salian House at the beginning of the campaign :

For more than fifty years, the Ottonians, who had ruled the Holy Roman Empire since 962, had been replaced by the Salian emperors (also known as the Franconian dynasty) from the year 1027.

Since the year 1075, the power of the emperor is wavering, Henry IV has to deal with what historians later call the "Querelle des Investitures" which is a struggle between the emperor and the pope over who can appoint bishops. Moreover, this dispute divided not only the bishops of the imperial church but also the vassals between the camp of the emperor and that of the pope.

In 1080, Emperor Henry IV had to find a solution quickly because he had just been excommunicated again by Pope Gregory VII, who himself had just been deposed by the Germanic clergy. It was time for him to reassert the power of the imperial office and to show the Pope that his office was inferior to his own. Henry IV cannot fail, because if he does, his dynasty may well disappear from the history books...

Description of the faction :

• Faction Leader: Henry IV.
• Faction Heir: Conrad of Lower-Lotharingia.
• Diplomacy at the start of the campaign: Is allied with the Imperial Church and is at war with the Ecclesiastical principalities.
• Faction Location: Mainly in Franconia in present-day Germany.
• Strength(s): Already has an army, is distant from other factions.
• Weakness(es): At war from the start of the campaign.

Composition of the Salian House (Character present from the beginning of the campaign) :

Direct family (present in the game's family tree):
Henry IV (30 years) married to Berthe of Turin (29 years). They have 3 children: Agnes of Franconia (8 years), Conrad of Lower-Lotharingie (6 years) and Henry VI (0 years)

Indirect family (brother(s) and/or sister(s) of the faction leader): None found.

Companion or generals of the faction leader: Welf I of Bavaria (40 years), Liutold of Eppenstein, Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona (30 years), Leopold II of Babenberg the Handsome, Margrave of Austria (30 years) and Louis the Springer (20 years).

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Sources used for the article :

• Encyclopaedia Britannica article: "Salian Dynasty".
• Wikipedia article : "Dynastie franconienne".