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Rh bishops, and abbots from all parts of the realm. Here came among others Gunther, the German hermit of the Böhmer Wald, no less notable than any of the great princes, and soon to render a signal service to his king and countrymen in distress. To Ulm there came also the first formal embassy from Italy to the new ruler.

From Ulm Henry passed to the Rhine. He spent April at his palace at Ingelheim, where he received both a formal embassy from his Burgundian kingdom, and more important still, Archbishop Aribert of Milan, his father's stubborn opponent in Italy. Henry had never approved of Conrad's proceedings against him; and the siege of Milan, carried on by Italian princes at Conrad's command, had ceased automatically with Henry's accession. By receiving the explanations and the homage of the archbishop, Henry healed an open wound in the Empire. Thus auspiciously, with an act of justice and reconciliation, he opened the period of his lordship in Italy; thus too closed his inaugural progress through the realm.

During its course had died Henry's cousins, Conrad, Duke, and Adalbero, ex-Duke of Carinthia, after whom, as next heir, he succeeded automatically to the duchy. He was now therefore Duke of Swabia, Bavaria, and Carinthia; of the five great duchies, only Lorraine and Saxony remained apart from the Crown.

The progress through the German lands completed, Henry was free to turn to the Bohemian campaign, the necessity of which had been clearly shewn by the raids of Břatislav's Hungarian ally. Two months more Henry spent, apparently peacefully and piously, after his own heart, in both the Lorraines and in Alsace, at the ancient royal palaces of Nimeguen and Utrecht, at Liège, Metz, Nancy and Moyen-Vic; giving grants to churches; shewing marked favour to the reforming ascetic monasteries; attending, especially, the consecration of the new Minster at Stablo, under Poppo, the pioneer and leader of monastic reform in Germany. Probably it was from Stablo, a scene of peaceful and pious magnificence, that Henry issued the summons for the army to assemble against Bohemia. In July, 1040, at Goslar he again met Eckhard of Meissen, to formulate the plan of campaign. At Ratisbon he joined his forces and proceeded to Cham at the entrance to the Bohemian pass, by which he meant to attack; and on 13 August he broke camp for Bohemia.

The expedition failed speedily and disastrously; his troops were ambushed, their leaders slain. The mediation of the hermit Gunther, and the promise to restore the Bohemian hostages, including Břatislav's son, alone rescued hundreds of German captives. Břatislav was left exultant master of the situation.

Henry, silent and as it were dismissing Bohemia from his mind, retraced his steps through Bavaria. On 8 September he filled up the newly-vacant see of Bamberg by appointing Suidger, a Saxon, who was