Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Emperor · Monarch · Politician
Holy Roman Emperor. He fought with Pope Gregory VII for investiture rights and is known for his humiliation of Canossa. He is a person who reads the conflict between imperial power and papal power in medieval Europe.
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Birth
Canossa
1077
Work
Investiture Controversy
1075–1122
Political event · Participant
Walk to Canossa
1077
Political event · Subject
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
Born into a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire, he became King of Germany at an early age. As the independence of the feudal lords and the church reform movement grew stronger, the system in which the royal power maintained control through the appointment of bishops was shaken.
He conflicted with Pope Gregory VII over the ordination of a bishop and was excommunicated. Although he sought pardon at Canossa in 1077, his conflicts with the pope and the princes continued.
The scene in which he waited for forgiveness in the snow of Canossa is said to symbolize the supremacy of papal power over imperial power. However, in reality, political maneuvering continued.
When we study Henry IV, we understand that power in medieval Europe was built on a complex relationship between kings, lords, and the church. He is a central figure in understanding the investiture struggle. It can also be used for comparison with surrounding areas from the same era.
