13-4

Key Terms: Clergy: Authority figures in the Church Sacraments: Important religious cerimonies that helped Christians reach salvation. Canon Law: The Church Law Holy Roman Empire: The first Roman empire of the German nation lay investiture: A ceremony in which kings and nobles appoint members of the Clergy.

Summary:

The Far-Reaching Authority of The Church
 * When Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of Rome, the Church wanted to influence both political and spiritual things, but Pope Gelasius I realized that this would be a challenge.
 * Gelasius suggested that God had created two symbolic swords, a religious one, yeilded by the pope, and a political one, yeilded by the emperor. The emperor should let the Pope deal with religious matters, and the Pope should let the emperor deal with political matters.

The Structure of the Church
 * In the Church, the power was based on status, where the Pope held control over the clergy (including bishops and priests), and Bishops held power of the priests, the lowest ranking members of the clergy.

Religion as a Unifying Force
 * The members of the church all shared beliefs that unifyed the people, and it was a stable force during times of difficulty.
 * All christians followed a path to eternal salvation with the sacraments, which helped them obtian salvation.
 * The church brought people together and served as a religious and social center.

The Law of the Church
 * The Church's authority was both religious and political, and it created a system of justice to guide people's behavior. This was called the canon law, and anyone who violated it was tried at court.
 * A disobedient king would face excommunication, or banishment from the church, and all vassals were no longer under his rule.
 * If a king continued to disobey, the land he ruled would face interdict, where sacraments couldn't be performed in the land, dooming many people to hell.

The Church and the Holy Roman Empire
 * After Charlemagne was crowned in 800, there were many clashes between political and religious forces that went on for centuries.

Otto I Allies with the Church
 * Otto I, crowned in 936, sought help from clegy members to limit the power of the nobles, and formed a close alliance with the church. He also invaded Italy on the Pope's behalf and was crowned emperor.

Signs of Future Conflicts
 * Otto's attempt to restore the empire of Charlemagne created trouble for future German rulers, because the Pope and Italian nobles didn't like Germany having power over Italy.

The Emperor Clashes With the Pope Then Henry tried to save his throne by asked for forgiveness.
 * The Church felt the lay investiture, where kings and nobles got to chose who became bishops and other clergy members, was not a power that the kings should have. In 1075 Pope Gregory Vll banned the lay investiture.
 * The emperor of Germany, Henry VI, was furious, and with the bishops'(that he picked) consent, he ordered the Gregory step down from papacy, and Gregory excommunicated him.

Showdown at Canossa
 * In January 1077, Henry VI crossed the Alps and went to the castle where Pope Gregory Vll was a guest.
 * The Pope was obligated to forgive Henry VII, but he made Henry wait for three days before ending his excommunication.

Concordat Of Worms
 * In 1122, the representatives of the Church and the Emperor met in the Worms, where the came to an agreement (called the Concordat of Worms), where the Church alone appointed bishops, but the king could veto it.

Disorder in the Empire
 * In 1152, the seven german prices who chose the king of Germany elected Frederick l because they needed a strong ruler to keep the peace.

The Reign Of Frederick I
 * Frederick's military skills and personality let him rule Germany successfully, but whenever he left, disorder returned, and when he invaded Italy repeatedly, he angered the merchants and the Pope.
 * In 1176, Lombard League defeated Frederick's army in the Battle of Legnano and forced frederick to make peace, but at the same time lost the respect of the seven princes.

German States Remained Separate
 * German kings after Frederick continued to invade Italy, and the constant clashes between the pope and the emperor, and the fact the royal authority was limited, kept the German states separate.