Gregory VII

The pope who, in the Investiture Controversy, forced Emperor Henry IV to do penance at Canossa.

Life

Church reformer

Gregory VII, born Hildebrand, was a commoner from Tuscany who for many years assisted several popes in advancing church reform, and was elected pope in 1073.

Investiture Controversy

He banned simony and clerical marriage and declared that only the pope could appoint bishops, leading to a fierce conflict with the German king Henry IV. In 1076 he excommunicated Henry IV, and in 1077 Henry IV waited three days in the snow outside the castle of Canossa to obtain his forgiveness.

Canossa

The conflict later flared up again. In 1084 Henry IV stormed Rome; after the Normans relieved the siege, he left the city, and he died in Salerno in 1085.

Legacy

Gregory VII's reforms established the pope's supreme authority within the Church, and the Investiture Controversy was a turning point in medieval relations between Church and state.

Did you know? On his deathbed he said: "I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore I die in exile."

Key dates

• 1073Elected pope
• 1075Issues the Dictatus Papae (approx.)
• 1076Excommunicates Henry IV
• 1077Walk to Canossa
• 1085Dies in Salerno