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Pope Gelasius I declared that there were two sybolic swords: religious and political. He believed the pope should bow to political matters, and the emperor should bow to religious matters. However both political and religious sides continually competed for power.
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Christians were obligated to obey the Church Law. Two punishiments of violating the canon law were excommunication (bannishment from the Church) and interdict (sacraments and religious services could not be performed in the king or noble's land).
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Lay investiture is the appointment of religious officials by kings or nobles. Church reformers felt that kings should not have that power, so Pope Gregory VIII bans it. Furious, Henry VIII ordered that pope to step down from the papacy, but instead Gregory excommunicated Henry from the Church.
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After being excommunicated from the Church, Henry IV crossed the Alps to reach the town of Canossa. There he begged Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness and asked to be re-entered into the church. Henry IV waited for 3 days until he was welcomed back to the Church.
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Representaives from the Church and Emperor met to settle the arguement over lay investiture. They reached a compromise stating that the Church could appoint a bishop, but the Emperor could veto the decision.
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He was elected by seven princes. He was also the first ruler to call his lands the "Holy Roman Empire". His forceful personality and military skills made it easy for him to dominate other princes.
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Frederick I angered the pope and many merchants. Together the pope and merchants formed the Lombard League. The Lombard League faced Frederick's knights and won!
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After being defeated at the Battle of Legnano, Frederick made peace with the pope and returned to Germany.
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After Frederick I dies, the vast empire begins to crumble. Other German kings tried to revive Charlemagne's empire and alliance with the Church, but their attempts just led to war and clashes between the pope. The feudal states of Germany did not unify and the system of electing a king weakened royal authority.
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Charlemagne is crowned the Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. This was done by the church in an attempt to influence both spiritual and political matters.
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He was the most effective ruler in Medieval Germany. He tried to follow the polices of Charlemagne. Otto also formed a close alliance with the church. He built up his power by gaining support from the clergy.
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He used his power to defeat many German princes. Otto invades Italy on the Pope's behalf. The pope rewarded him by crowning him Emperor.
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The German-Italian Empire that Otto created was first called the Roman Empire of the German Nation, but it later became known as the Holy Roman Empire. It was established in Europe, originally consisting mainly of lands in what is now Germany and Italy. It remained the strongest state in Europe until 1100.
