Heinrich

Heinrich is a Germanic given name composed of the Old High German elements heim, meaning home or estate, and rīc, meaning ruler or power, yielding the overall sense of ruler of the home or lord of the realm. The name was borne by numerous Holy Roman Emperors, including Heinrich IV, whose conflict with Pope Gregory VII in the Investiture Controversy became one of the defining episodes of medieval European history. Its Latinized form Henricus spread the name widely across Europe, giving rise to cognates such as Henry in English, Henri in French, Enrique in Spanish, and Hendrik in Dutch. The modern German form Heinrich remains in active use and has produced the common diminutive Heinz.