Stephany Hinojosa FALL 2011 Deposition of Gregory VII

HIST 4307 E.Makowski

On January 24, 1076, Henry IV read a letter he had written, addressed to Pope Gregory VII, at a national synod at Worms outlining his outrage over a deposition of several of his closest advisors and bishops. This letter accused Pope Gregory VII of being a power hungry man who received the title of Pope through violent, illicit tactics and not by the hand of God. Henry IV then goes on to ask Pope Gregory VII to step down from his office as he teache[s] false doctrines. This letter is part of a set of documents that come to be known as Investiture Controversy. This document was written by Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII. As son of Henry III, he had very big shoes to fill after his fathers sudden death in 1056. It can be assumed that Henry IV did not physically write the letter himself but rather dictated it to a scribe. There is no evidence that Henry ever had any remarkable schooling and it is even hinted at that his education was greatly ignored at the time of his youth. There is no evidence that every word came from Henrys mouth , so to say, but there is also no evidence indicating that a scribe wrote it for him. With such a high profile addressee and a conflict that was heated and seemed to be almost personal, one is left to assume that Henry would have written this himself, especially with his imperial temperament and pride shining throughout the document. Because this letter was also read as a speech at a national synod at Worms, one has to suspect if this version of the document was transposed by someone else present at the event ,or is the true original copy, but because it was part of a larger and greatly important controversy, the original document survives intact. Henry

actually addresses the letter to Hildebrand, Pope Gregory VIIs pre-papal name. Henry does this to emphasize the allegation that he is not a true pope, but one that usurped the title through malicious acts. Hildebrand himself was actually a deeply religious man that was almost hell-bent on having a world ruled by Christian doctrine; in turn he intensely believed that the Church should be absolutely controlled by the Papacy. This aspect of his person could be construed as power hungry, and perhaps he was, in respect to an all-consuming Christian belief that everyone should look to the Pope as a source of power and morale. This document is both a letter and a speech. There doesnt seem to be any third party editing to the source so it is a trustworthy record. The letter starts with a scathing statement that Pope Gregory VII or Hildebrand, as Henry addresses him, is not pope, but false monk (278). While Henry does this to humiliate Pope Gregory, he has actual reason to doubt the veracity of the Popes title. Only seventeen years prior was the Papal Election Decree passed, which effectively declared the independence of the papal office from imperial intervention. The decree states that the papal office would be chosen by special church officials, known as cardinals, who in turn were chosen solely by Popes. This decree went hand in hand with the Decree Against Lay Investiture which was passed at the same time as the Papal Election Decree though greatly ignored. Investiture itself is defined as a formal installation ceremony (277) where a prelate, or church official, is given a symbolic gift by the lord, or layman of the land to show the bond between them and the territory. Therefore, lay investiture was a church official being appointed by a layman or non-clergy member. Both documents created a distinctly new and independent papal authority that moved away from imperial oversight. This notion would enrage any king accustomed to being the utmost source of power and authority in a feudal system. Henry goes on to say that he alone is ordained by God in contrast to Pope Gregory VII, who he argues is not.

This argument arises from the idea that though the Pope anoints the King, as ordained by God, he only holds the ability to do so, and holds no anointment himself as he is the only one with such power and cannot anoint himself. This is also reinforced by Pope Gregory VIIs ascension to the title of Pope through an election by men. Henry also states Pope Gregory VII has not only dared to touch the Lords anointed but has scorned them and abused them (278). Here, Henry is addressing the papacys burgeoning reform over the practice of simony. Simony was, in essence, the act of paying for holy offices. While reform over simony kept the church in control of this, it went hand in hand with lay investiture. Typically one would pay the layman for the church office they were interested in and then they would hold an investiture ceremony. In this way, church officials were not habituated to being contained by papal decrees but by bonds of kinship and loyalty. The church was strongly against this because it undermined good Christian values, it sullied the reputation of church offices, as most bishops or priests were corrupt and greedy officials, and more importantly, the church did not receive any compensation from the practice. Because of this, Pope Gregory VII started suspending certain bishops known to practice simony, which in turn angered Henry IV and prompted him to write this letter that urged Pope Gregory VII to abdicate from the office of Pope. Additionally Henry IV accuses Pope Gregory of being puffed up by the abundance of subjects and using the papacy as it were at his disposal and not in the disposal of God. Basically, Henry describes Pope Gregory VII as being a selfservicing, greedy man full of himself. This seems to be ironic as these are qualities many would have said about Henry IV himself at the time. Another main conflict occurring at the time was the clashing of two giant ego-centric personalities that ultimately wanted control over the entire kingdom. Raised to be a King, Henry was endued with these notions whereas Pope Gregory VII had a great ambition fueled by religious zeal.

Henry goes further to say that Pope Gregory VII won the office of pope through a string of fortuitous circumstances. He says through craft you have obtained wealth; through wealth you have obtained favor; through favor, the power of the sword; and through the power of the sword, the papal seat. Henry explains that through cunning manipulation, Pope Gregory VII was able to obtain riches, which helped him secure the loyalty of knights, who in turn supported his ascension to papacy. While compelling, this is not the way Gregory VII became Pope. He became Pope through the ardent support of like-minded reformers and his continuous and dutiful work under Pope Leo IX and his predecessors. Henry also states that he can be judged by no one save God alone, and can be deposed for no crime (279). This refers to the Dictatus Papae which was a set of rules passed in 1075 that outlined the powers of the Pope. Point number twenty seven states that the Pope has the power to depose Emperors. The Dictatus Papae was strictly a church document that had no real power in the kingdom and Henry understood this clearly. Henry also employs a quote from St.Peter himself, the first Pope, stating Fear God, honor the King. In this quote, Henry uses the ultimate rhetorical device against Pope Gregory VII, the Bible, which supports his argument that a King must be honored and given full rein of a kingdom while using Pope Gregory VIIs own beliefs against him. Finally, Henry asks Pope Gregory VII to come down, then, from that apostolic seat which you have obtained by violencecome down, and be accursed through all the ages This is where Henry asks Pope Gregory VII to step down from the papal office but because he wishes him to be accursed through all time, he is truly only using his imperial clout to depose Pope Gregory VII. Ultimately, Henry IV wants a Pope that will move over and let him do as he sees fit to the kingdom.

We know that historically, King Henry IV wrote this letter in response to Pope Gregory VIIs Decree Against Lay Investiture but one can also see it as a decisive cry of imperial authority over the growing papal power. At the time, Henry IV was still struggling with rebellious lords in the kingdom that did not want him as King or did not see the need to answer to Henry as King. This undermining of authority from the Pope, in the form of lay investiture outlawing, was the last thing Henry IV needed at the time. Henry was simply trying to consolidate the kingdom in his favor and placing church officials that were loyal to him was the way to achieve this. This document concisely proclaims Imperial oversight over lay investiture and stresses Imperial control over the papal throne.