Die Salier

In 1024, Conrad II was the first Salian to be crowned king. With him began the first German royal family. Three more Salians - Henry III, Henry IV and Henry V - were to follow him on the throne. Their time, the "Century of the Salians" (1024 - 1125), was characterized by serious conflicts between the rulers and the princes of the empire and the papacy. Both the princes' striving for increased participation in power and a powerful ecclesiastical reform movement demanded consensual action to defuse the emerging conflicts, but hardly ever did one of the Salian kings show himself capable of meeting these demands. Thus the unity of church and empire broke down - visible to everyone in the famous walk to Canossa. It was not until the early 12th century that a new order was established.

In his stimulatingly written, informative book, Johannes Laudage paints a multifaceted picture of this dramatic period of the Middle Ages.