Where it all began...
The conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor King Henry IV
Who were the popes and what was the papacy?
After the death of Jesus, popes were put there to lead the church. Popes established themselves as spiritual and political leaders after 800. They became the first bishops of the city, which were very important to the development of the city. Political support shown to the papacy was the Donation of Pepin and the Donation of Constantine. The Donation of Pepin was a gift of lands in Italy in 756 by Pepin III, King of the Franks. The Donation of Constantine was a decree drafted in the late 700's. It granted rule over the western Roman Empire to the papacy. This also gave the pope imperial palace in Rome, crown, and Cavalry. The popes in Rome claimed the right to crown emperors bestowing imperial authority on monarchs. Emperors protected the papacy from threats and this relationship continued throughout most of the 800's. At the beginning of the 800's, the authority of the papacy began to decline. Christians considered the decline a major disaster.
Why did people think so highly of the pope?
People believed the pope the highest religious authority was chosen and created by god to rule all Christian means. Pope Gregory stated that "The Roman Church was established by God alone" Pope Innocent III said "The Church has set up two great lights on earth, the greater light, being the earth, to rule over the souls and the lesser light, being the king, to rule over the bodies." The Pope was considered more important because he ruled over the souls of everyone and the king controlled merely the bodies. The pope had the highest position in the church, and since the church was the foundation of the middle ages, the pope was thought very highly of by the people. Because of his power, the pope exercised a great influence over the people, even more power than the king. Pope Innocent continues, saying "Just as the moon's light comes from the sun, so does the power of the king come from the pope." This means that the power of the king is dependent of the Pope. This dependency gives to much conflict between government and the Papacy.
what was the main issue between pope gregory vii and emperor henry iv?
The main issue between the Pope and the Emperor was who had the right to appoint church officials in the Catholic church. This time period was called the Investiture of Controversy. Prior to Pope Gregory VII taking office the common practice of many monarchs, including the preceding Holy Roman Emperor was to pick the high ranking church officials they wanted and placed them in office. Gregory wanted to put an end to that practice in 1074-1075, which he did end up doing. This forced the Holy Roman Empire into conflict with the Catholic Church, since many Catholic bishops essentially held "duchies" and "fiefdoms" of their own, so when Henry lost the power to name bishops he also lost control of just about half his lands.
Papacy: The office or authority of the pope
Excommunication: A religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community
Excommunication: A religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community