Investiture Controversy Between Pope Gregory VII And Emperor Henry IV Of Germany

When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Catholic Church was the only powerful authority not complete disrupted by the attack by barbarians. In fact, the work of great Popes is what helped their power increase even more. The newly christened barbarians, done by the Pope Gregory the Great, inaugurated a new age in Jesus Christ called Christendom. All culture in Christendom conformed to that of the Church’s, and, with its headquarters in Rome, the powerful “papal monarchs”, as they were called, controlled the machine that was the Catholic Church.

The religious movement, a break of religion all over the where the main control of the catholic church broke. The ides of marriage were altered , “by which all that is the husband's is also the wife's” to show separation from the main part of religion (Luther document 4). Where people would not just give in to the christian way , “cannot submit [their] faith either to the Pope or to the Councils... frequently erred and contradicted eachother” because of these contradictions happening between the church's ranks (Luther document 8). The monks became vile , “breaking the vows of the church by having concubines and illegitimate children” their celibacy was now non existent (Bosch document 7). Also The added religions that formed at this time , “[They] ought not, by way of custom, to speak of predestination...they become negligent in the works” which all have changed their ways of how things happen which anger other. While people break the main religion religions produce like wildfire, however the were other thing affected at this period which made life in Europe drastically different, the social and political changes. The social and

The Catholic Reformation was the response of the Protestant movement in the sixteenth century. By the sixteenth century, many people lost the trust for the Catholic Church because it was corrupt. Popes and Cardinals became involved in politics and were more like kings than spiritual leaders and Nepotism was rampant. This loss of trust led people to moved on into other branches of Christianity which includes, Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism. Catholic Church’s realized it needed to re-establish itself, thus beginning the Catholic Reformation. The Catholic Reformation was successful because it triggered the start of The Society of Jesus and The Council of Trent which helped resolve the church’s corruption through education,

It set structures and the beliefs for the modern era we know today. A period in which the papal authority was challenged and questioned.

There is irrefutable evidence that over the period of the Middle Ages, both Christianity and Islam have been anchors in both shaping and influencing governance of kingdoms and empires comprising Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and territories ruled by Islam. Religion during this period was widely used to set laws, influence culture, justify armed conflicts, and pronounce punishment on citizens domiciled within the geographies depicted within this essay. I will attempt to illuminate the geopolitical climate, territorial demarcation, and religious influences that depicted life circa 500 – 1517 CE. From the background material submitted, I will directly answer the following questions:

500, the Church flourished due to new popularity(Ries ..pg.12) Charlemange was crowned the first Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo the third.(Ries,pg.14) Pope Gregory told the monks of England to burn all Idols.( Ries,pg.12)Many Kings who were german became Holy Roman Emperor ( Ries, pg.14) The Great Schism was when the church of christianity officially split, though the Eastern branches of the Church had long been divided on religious beliefs .(Ries,pg.17) Pope Gregory VII made and reinstated the papal Primacy( Ries,pg.14) Pope Gregory VII stopped kings from appointing bishops with the treaty known as the Concordat at Worms.( Ries,p14.)

2. The schism brought the church into disrepute and wakened the religious faith of many.

The German King, Otto I was crowned Emperor by Pope John XII in 962, officially recognising the German Kings as successors to the Carolingians, and by extension, the Roman Empire of old. It was during the Salian dynasty however, which replaced the Ottonian dynasty in 1024, that the first conflict between the papacy and the empire would take place. Pope Gregory VII vocally objected to the practice of secular kings appointing individuals to ecclesiastical offices, leading to the Investiture Controversy between Gregory and King Henry IV. Henry had his bishops excommunicate Gregory, who, in response, declared Henry both excommunicate and deposed. Henry managed to defeat the anti-king Rudolf of Swabia, chosen by the prince-electors, but was eventually

The development of christianity under the empire undoubtedly changed the relation between the political and spiritual spheres in following centuries. In fact, this transpires in how often emperors and empresses played dominant roles in the Eastern church after Constantine I's reign. In many

Christians believed that medieval era Christian Churches had become ungodly and nefarious. They did not believe there was any need for a religious leader with great authority, such as the pope. They also disagreed with the power the church was giving the priests, bishops and church doctrines. These reformers held protests to show how they felt about the Church. The sought to correct the faulty ways of the previous churches and became know as “protestants.”

During the Protestant Reformation in Germany around the 16th century chaos ensued. This was lead by Martin Luther, who brought the churches lie out in the open for all to see. He told the people of the corruption within the Vatican, and how they shouldn’t have to pay indulgences. Secularism spread throughout the lands, people began turning on the church. This all went on while the Renaissance was still affecting the European nations.

The Protestant Reformation opened the door for discussing and change with the inner workings of the Catholic Church. The Reformation occurred towards the end of the Catholic Church’s political stronghold on the Holy Empire’s region in the 16th and 17th centuries, periods known as the Middle Ages. The Church’s actions gave protesters legitimate arguments against the papacy. Leadership in the Church, particularly from Pope Leo X who deemed the selling of indulgences was necessary, and Pope Clement VII, who was unconcerned about the protests cemented Protestant frustrations across Europe, particularly in Germany. This led to violent protests from a Counter-Reformation within the Church and ultimately led to reform and the creation of new monasteries around the world, such as the Society of Jesus.

Lastly, the church was deeply involved in economic life. Therefore the church controlled a great deal of land, largely because it owned monasteries. The church also played a major role in the interactions

A political idea known as ‘respublica Christiana’ emerged in the Middle Ages, as the closest sovereign institution before the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. A joint arrangement, between the Sacerdotium, led by the Pope, and the Regnum, led by a designated emperor, ‘respublica Christiana’ was ‘universitas’ in that it was a unified authority devoted to Christian ‘redemption and salvation’. Although, this unification differs completely from the ‘societas’ notion of the sovereignty norm, in the Middle-Ages it was a bridge which helped

There is irrefutable evidence that over the period of the Middle Ages, both Christianity and Islam have been anchors in both shaping and influencing governance of kingdoms and empires comprising Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and territories ruled by Islam. Religion during this period was widely used to set laws, influence culture, justify armed conflicts, and pronounce punishment on citizens domiciled within the geographies depicted within this essay. I will attempt to illuminate the geopolitical climate, territorial demarcation, and religious influences that depicted life circa 500 – 1517 CE. From the background material submitted, I will directly answer the following questions: