Lothair III: From Rebel’s Son to Holy Roman Emperor
Early Life and the Saxon Rebellion In the summer of 1075, the Holy Roman Empire was roiled by rebellion and war. Emperor Henry IV, the Salian ruler, had just crushed a major uprising of Saxon nobles at the Battle of Langensalza in June of that year. Among the fallen Saxon lords on that battlefield was Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, a minor noble who had risen against the Emperor’s heavy-handed…













