St. Henry

St. Henry, son of Henry, Duke of Bavaria, and of Gisella, daughter of Conrad, King of Burgundy, was born in 972. In 995, St. Henry succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria, and in 1002, upon the death of his cousin, Otho III, he was elected emperor.

In 1014, he went to Rome and received the imperial crown at the hands of Pope Benedict VIII. He led an army to the south of Italy against the Saracens and their allies, the Greeks, and drove them from the country. His death occurred at the castle of Grone, near Halberstad, in 1024.

Henry is a patron saint of the childless, of Dukes, and of the handicapped. His feast day is July 13th.