The Holy Roman Empire was established in 936 by Otto I, who took the title of King of Germany. He worked closely with the Catholic Church, appointing bishops to government positions and sending troops to help the Pope. Over time, conflicts emerged between Popes and Holy Roman Emperors over who had the authority to appoint bishops. This struggle came to a head in the late 11th century between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV over lay investiture. Their feud intensified as they exchanged insults, culminating in Gregory excommunicating Henry in 1076. The struggle dragged on for decades until the Concordat of Worms in 1122 established that the Church had sole power over spiritual authority while the emperor retained control
2. The Holy Roman Empire
In 936, Duke Otto I of Saxony took the title King of
Germany
He worked closely with the Church and appointed
bishops to government positions
He sent troops to help the pope out
He and his heirs were titled Holy Roman Emperors--”holy” because they were crowned by the pope, and
“Roman” because they saw themselves as heirs to the
emperors of ancient Rome
4. Conflicts between Popes and
Emperors
Under the reforming pope Gregory VII, the conflict
between emperors and the Church erupted
Gregory was one of the greatest medieval popes but he
was also among the most controversial
6. Pope Gregory VII
He was determined to make the Church independent
of secular rulers
He banned the practice of lay investiture---the practice
in which a lay person “invested” or presented bishops
with the ring and staff that symbolized their office
According to Pope Gregory VII, only the pope had the
right to appoint and install bishops in office
7. Emperor Henry IV
He argued that bishops held their lands as royal fiefs
Since he was their overlord, Henry felt entitled to give
them the symbols of office
The feud heated up as the two men exchanged
insulting notes
9. The Struggle Intensifies
In 1076, Gregory excommunicated Henry
Henry was faced with revolts at home and was forced
to make peace with the pope
Henry traveled to see Gregory and beg for his
forgiveness
Gregory knew that Henry was just trying to save his
throne. Still, as a priest, he had no choice to forgive a
confessed sinner
He lifted the order of excommunication and Henry
went on to subdue his rebellious nobles and later
forced the pope into exile
10. Concordat of Worms
The struggle over investiture dragged on for almost 50
years
Finally in 1122, both sides accepted a treaty known as
the Concordat of Worms
In it, they agreed that the Church had the sole power
to elect and invest bishops with spiritual authority
The emperor, however, had the right to invest them
with fiefs
11. Frederick Barbarossa
Also known as Frederick I or “Red Beard”
Dreamed of building an empire from the Baltic to the
Adriatic
For years, he fought to bring the wealthy cities of
northern Italy under his control
13. The Height of Church Power
Pope Innocent III took office in 1198 and embodied the
triumph of the Church
He was actually elected pope a month before he was
ordained a priest
He claimed supremacy over all other rulers---he
clashed with all the powerful rulers of his day
Annul---to invalidate
Crusade---holy war