n.
born July 980
died Jan. 23, 1002, near Viterbo, Italy
German king (9831002) and emperor (9961002).
He was elected German king at age 3, and his mother and grandmother served as regents until he came of age in 994. He went to Rome to put down a rebellion (996) and installed his cousin as Gregory V, the first German pope. After returning in 997 to quell another revolt, he made Rome the centre of his empire. He saw himself as leader of world Christianity and hoped to revive the glory of ancient Rome in a universal Christian state. When Rome rebelled against him (1001), he requested help from Bavaria but died before it arrived.