The Oracle will answer but one question; ask wisely.

[cmzero]

From eternalism, thunderphoenix, et al.

If you want to take part, reply to this entry. I will poke around in your list of interests on your profile and ask you one question about one of them. You wax rhapsodic on the subject of your interest for the edification of all and we'll learn something keen about you. Then you post these instructions in your own journal.

Comments

[westmarked]

Well, if you're going to break the pattern, so will I:

You probably are aware of the conflict between Pope St. Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Typically, the conflict is portrayed in history textbooks as an example of the power of the Medieval Church, how Gregory excommunicated Henry and forced him to submit to papal claims of authority before restoring him to good graces. I distinctly remember the picture of the history text in Ms. Mott's class (I'm guessing it was the same printing you used as well) showing poor Henry doing penance in the snow.

There are just a couple of problems with this portrayal. The first is that the conflict was over the appointment of bishops--specifically, Henry, like many kings of the time, was insisting that it was his right to pick his country's bishops. This is conflict still happening in some parts of the world; suffice it to say for now that I don't think many modern readers would oppose a church having the right to select it's own leaders.

Moreover, Gregory was pushing for control over investiture as part of a general push to purge abuses out of the church hierarchy, including simony and concubinage practiced by many of the clergy. He wanted, and needed, strong lieutenants to help him in this goal. (It is not a coincidence that every major reformer of clerical abuses and corruption in the church also vehemently insisted on claims of papal authority. Without it they wouldn't have the power to push for needed changes.)

The other major problem is that Gregory "lost". Henry temporarily submitted only because his nobles were already causing him trouble and were using the pretext of his excommunication to rebel. Once he had his own house in order, he moved on Rome again--and this time he responded to the excommunication by driving Gregory out of the city and installing his own anti-pope, Clement III. Gregory died in an exile and two of his immediate successors shared similar trials before Clement lost his patronage and was forced to flee himself.

I take this as illustrative of two lessons. The first is a general rule of medieval kingship: You can tick off your nobles; you can tick off the pope; just don't tick off both at once. (See: King John of England) The second is that one of the central problems of the Church in the Middle Ages was not that she had too much power but that, far too often, she had too little. The history of the Papacy during those years is a continual struggle of the Church to remain independent and not become either the sole possession of a single power or a divided grouping of national churches each beholden to a monarch for patronage. At times the Church failed horribly (See: Avignon) but she always tried.