The Events from Investiture Controversy - Research Paper Example

Name Instructor Course title Date The events from investiture controversy Investiture controversy is a conflict that occurred between the church and various states in Europe. The conflict happened in the late 11th and the early 12th century whereby the popes and the government of the European monarchies disagreed on who is more powerful within the empire. To a better understanding, the conflicting events that were experienced from the investiture controversy were struggles between the papacy and the European empire. Although different scholars have translated and illustrated the events that occurred due to the investiture controversy, only a few of these texts can fill the gap. McCarthy (pg. 43) states that the events that happened in the controversy were mostly experienced in the year 1078, and ended in 1122 with the assistance of the agreement of the parties involved in the conflict. Researchers claim that the holy empire as the main member in the controversy included states such as Germany, Italy and Burgundy. Mommsen, Henry, & Morrison (pg. 32) state that Pope Gregory VII was the other member who was directly involved in the controversy. Other parties that were involved in the investiture conflict involved King Henry IV of England and Pope Paschal II. Both Kings and the Popes writers fueled the whole controversy as they influenced the rise of issues during the 11th and the 12th century. This paper, therefore, focuses on identifying and discussing the way writers and politicians influenced the conflict between the religious people and politicians. The three main chronological events that led to the outbreak of the investiture controversy included the Synod of Sutri event, the event that occurred in the meeting of Canossa and the King IV event of taking Rome (Robinson pg. 23). In each of these events the politicians and writers influenced the arguments between the Popes and King. The writers who were directly involved in each of the mentioned events included the Kings writers and as well as the Pope Gregory’s writers. The Synod of Sutri event In the Synod of Sutri event, the division between the churches emerged as each member had a different perspective regarding the church officials’ elections. The conflict was fueled by the disagreement between the pope and the emperor King, and worsened by the disagreement between the Pope Gregory VII writers and King Henry IV writers. For instance, Duke Rudolf of Swabia who was the writer of Pope Gregory VII maintained his support for the Pope regarding the management of the church elections. Rudolf used hectic diplomacy and caused a war between him and King Henry IV. The war between Rudolf and King Henry resulted in an outbreak of the conflict between King Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. Russell (pg. 112) Rudolf, the Pope Gregory VII's writer, claimed that that King Henry IV Act was invalid and unjust. Also, Berthold of Carinthia influenced the controversy. Similarly, the controversy caused by the same event of Synod of Sutri in 1046 was all concerned with the reform movements. In this case, the emperor King Henry III intervened with the Pope of Rome election plans that were intended to reform the Church. This was a political move, and it directly influenced the outcome of the controversy (Sullivan, et al. pg. 123). As a political figure, at the Synod of Sutri in the 11th century, King Henry III appointed a candidate of his choice to compete in the papal elections. The Suidger, the archbishop of Bamberg, was the name of the candidate that was selected by the King Henry III at the Synod of Sutri 1046. The candidate later became Pope Clement II and served as a pope between the years 1046 to 1047. The whole process of the Suidger, becoming Pope was as a result of the influence of political powers of the King. As a result, this led to the inauguration of a reformed papacy henceforth, causing wrangles between the Pope’s and the King. The meeting at Canossa event The event is also known as the Walk of Canossa or the humiliation of Canossa. According to (Robinson pg. 103) the meeting at Canossa refers to the occasion whereby the King Henry IV met Pope Gregory VII in the year 1077. This meeting was intended to end the excommunication issue that the Pope had imposed to King Henry IV. The events that occurred at the meeting included the humiliation of the King by the Pope as King Henry IV was forced to go on his knees and waited for three days before entering the castle. These events that the King Henry IV faced at the Walk of Canossa led to an outbreak of the conflict between the Empire leaders and the church leaders. The Meeting at Canossa event was one major cause of controversy between the King Henry IV and the Pope Gregory VII. It was influenced by the King’s and the Pope’s writers. The Kings writers accused the Pope of being unlawful through his action of imposing excommunication actions (Morris pg. 98). For example, Lampert of Hersfeld was one of the writers who represented King Henry IV views regarding the matter of excommunication. Lampert in this event of the Meeting at Canossa, Lampert maintained a strong defense of on the views of the King Henry IV. Lampert felt that Pope Gregory had violated the church law by his act of excluding the King to attend the church functions. With Lampert having different viewpoints, both King’s and Pope’s writers manipulated the occurrence of a controversy. The controversy that happened during the Meeting at Canossa between the King Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII was motivated by political opinions of each member. As such, both wanted to gain the political powers to appoint the church official. As a result, the Pope went silent on the King, and this made the King travel from Germany through Italy so as to hold talks with the Pope regarding the matter of appointing church officials (MORTIMER pg. 72). The conflict between the two had some negative consequences. Subsequently, disagreements occurred regarding the power the church officials should have, the person who should appoint the church officials. Both wanted to assume the church authority and the pope wanted to be the political church leader different from the King’s perspective regarding the matter. King Henry IV taking over Rome As one of the most important figure in the 11th century, King Henry IV was the third ruler of the Salian dynasty. His regime was characterized by the investiture controversy as he engaged with Papacy conflicts. In his term of ruling the people of Salin dynasty, Henry IV’s conflict with the church was politically motivated, and it was also influenced by his representatives as well as the church representatives who were the writers (Robinson pg. 65). The conflict was culminated by the King policies and it was opposed by the church. The event of overtaking Rome happened when a ruler had lost his power to a former ruler. Through the support of the church, Henry IV overtook the Roman Empire. Henry IV was regarded as the most powerful figure in the community; Henry IV took Rome through his power as the King removed Gregory VII from his position. As a result, a new Pope was appointed, and this demonstrated the act of dominance the King had as well as the Pope or any powerful person in the empire. Another act that showed that Henry IV was a powerful King was when he brought an army to Rome and dethroned the Pope from the Church. The above events caused one of the unforgettable conflicts between the church and the King. The whole event was manipulated by the political activities as each party wanted to assume the power regarding the running of the empire. The Pope was considered the leader of the church and a political leader of the Catholic Church but the King Henry IV had a different perspective. Henry IV was determined to acquire the entire empire of Rome as a ruler of both the nation and the church. Though the Roman Empire was referred to as Holy, it reached a point whereby it became a political unit. Consequently, this forced the Empire to break out into some controversy regarding the conflict between Henry IV and the papacy. The event that involved Henry IV overtaking Rome was characterized by the fact that the Popes in Rome were claiming to be leaders of the empire. This type of struggle and wrangles formed a controversy in the empire as the Popes and the King directly disagreed regarding who is powerful and who should be the leader (McCarthy pg. 78). The conflict that was triggered by the political influence continued to strike the Rome Empire as the church leaders opposed the King’s action concerning his mandate to invest and appoint the church officials. As a result, of the conflict between the two, Pope Gregory escaped and later died. This caused a crisis in Rome as the church movements were calling for the reformation of the way the laws and other functions carried out in the church were being exercised. (Kohl pg. 33) States that the investiture controversy did not stop even after Pope Gregory escaped. For several years, the controversy concerning the church in Rome continued as each succeeding pope tried to eliminate the imperial power that was given to the King in controlling the church. Each Pope was concerned with making the church more powerful than the Empire leader. Conclusion In conclusion, different factors can be associated to some of the historical events that happened many years ago. For instance, in the case of investiture controversy, both politicians and writers influenced the conflict that emerged between the Kings and the Popes. Political influences were mostly related to the power that each party was demanding but most importantly, the power to appoint the church officials. As the Kings and the Popes were determined to acquire powers to control the church, the writers that represented each party maintained the support of their leaders. As a result, disagreements occurred, and several events also took place. Some of these events were treated as a way of solving the controversy, but they ended up making the matter more conflicting. However, as history unfolds, each event that took place has its significance, despite some of them not solving the investiture controversy in Rome. Works cited Kohl, Thomas. 'Wolfgang Hasberg / Hermann-Josef Scheidgen (Hrsg.), Canossa. Aspekte Einer Wende. Regensburg, Pustet 2012'. Historische Zeitschrift 298.1 (2014): n. pag. Web. McCarthy T.J.H. Chronicles of the Investiture Controversy. Manchester University Press, 2000. Print Morris, C. 'The Papal Reform Of The Eleventh Century: Lives Of Pope Leo IX And Pope Gregory VII'. The English Historical Review 120.488 (2005): 1072-1073. Web. Mommsen, Theodor Ernst, Henry, and Karl F Morrison. Imperial Lives And Letters Of The Eleventh Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. Print. MORTIMER, IAN. 'The Parliamentary Rolls Of Medieval England, 1275?1504 Volumes Vii (Richard II 1385?1397) And Viii (Henry IV 1399?1413). General Editor Chris Given-Wilson'. History 92.305 (2007): n. pag. Web. Russell, Jeffrey Burton. 'Book Review: The Investiture Controversy: Church And Monarchy From The Ninth To The Twelfth Century Uta-Renate Blumenthal.' The Journal of Religion 70.3 (2009): 453. Web. Robinson, I.S. Authority And Resistance In The Investiture Contest. Manchester: Manchester University Press [etc.], 2008. Print. Robinson, I. S. The Papal Reform Of The Eleventh Century. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004. Print. Robinson I.S. The Annals of Lampert of Hersfeld (somewhat neutral over Canossa). Manchester University Press, 2005, Print Sullivan, Richard E et al. Medieval Monks And Their World. Leiden: Brill, 2006. Print. Read More