Pope Gregory Investiture Controversy

Pope Gregory was born as Hildebrand in 1025, to an upper class family in southern Tuscany. He adopted the name Gregory in memory of Gregory I after his election as pope in 1073. He became convinced that the pope was the living successor of St. Peter. Because of this connection, the pope, and he alone, would always remain a true Christian, never deviating from the faith and always aware of the will of God. Therefore, all Christians owed him absolute and unquestioned obedience. Disobedience was regarded as heresy, and obedience to God became obedience to the papacy. Gregory VII had a good understanding of political realities and was always willing to take them into account, provided they fit in with his own reform efforts. The most successful example of the use of feudal arrangements by the papacy was the alliance with
The fighting between Henry and Gregory intensified after the pope formally proposed the investiture at the council of November 1078. Investiture was the customary ceremony in which the emperor or king bestowed upon the bishops the ring and staff, the symbols of their office as well as of royal authority in and protection of the church. This event would lead to what is known as the investiture controversy. Pope Gregory would go on to excommunicate Henry IV again but with little effect this time. It was widely felt to be an injustice, and people began to ask whether an excommunication pronounced on frivolous grounds was entitled to respect. These actions led to a civil war between Henry and Pope Gregory in which the pope would call for his Norman allies. After successfully repelling the invasion at first, the Normans would stay in Rome and go on to pillage the city. The city would go on to be taken back by Henry’s army in 1084 and many blamed the pope for the situation. Which ultimately resulted in Pope Gregory VII’s exile in 1085, he would die that same