Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

"It is clear that while Arrigo [Henry II] was merely the King of Bishops, Arduin was the King of the People. These two powers were vying for supremacy in Italy, and the scattered fragments of the great feudal aristocracy, the few lay lords still in existence, changed sides from one to the other, intent more on providing for their own safety than on tipping the balance in favour of one party or the other."

"Henry II was a pious and sincerely devout emperor. He managed to remain so even after seeing for himself what had become of the Church of Rome, where he had come to be consecrated in 1013."

"He had been a curious mixture of piety, chastity and ferocity. He had killed with the same zeal with which he had prayed. The Church forgot the murders, remembered the prayers, and some twenty years after [his death] canonised him."