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

1. Section 2 Notes

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

3. Duke Otto I

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

5. Pope Gregory VII

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

8. Emperor Henry IV

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

12. Frederick Barbarossa

13. The Height of Church Power
 Pope Innocent III took office in 1198 and embodied the
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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