[Gravestone of Bertha of Savoy in Speyer Cathetral, photographed 2008 by Acoma, source: Wikimedia Commons]
Bertha was born the daughter of Adelaide of Susa and Otto of Savoy. Her parents betrothed her at the age of four to the five year old future Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Her father died not much more than a year after the betrothal, leaving Adelaide to run the counties of Savoy, Susa, and Turin and raise Bertha and her siblings. The betrothal, though, was unaffected and in 1066, Bertha married Henry at age fifteen, becoming Queen of Germany, though not yet Empress.
Their marriage was not a peaceful one. Henry strongly disliked Bertha and tried to repudiate her in 1069. The German bishops, however, could find no grounds for a divorce (Henry even admitted there weren’t any other than his dislike of her), and called on the Pope. The request for a divorce was denied and the German princes urged Henry to obey. Not only was the Church hierarchy opposed to a divorce, but the alliance with Adelaide and her family remained an important consideration. The first of the couple’s children was born in 1070.
The attempt would not be forgotten though, and Henry found himself paying a high price in land for his mother-in-law’s help in his conflict with the Pope. With Adelaide’s help, Henry, Bertha, and their young son Conrad traveled to Canossa. It was not just Bertha’s relationship with her mother that affected events though. During the time of Henry’s excommunication, another man set himself up as king, only to be defeated two years later: Rudolf of Rheinfelden, husband of her sister Adelaide.
Bertha was not crowned Empress until 1084, after Henry conquered Rome, forced Pope Gregory VII, and appointed his own antipope, Clement III. She would die only three years later at the age of 36.
Robinson, I. S. Henry IV of Germany, 1056-1106. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Adelaide of Susa - Epistolae
Previté-Orton. C.W. The Early History of the House of Savoy (1000-1233). Cambridge, 1912. - Archive.org
Bertha of Savoy - Wikipedia