The Church and the Empire | Page 9

Basle in the

presence of the Empress-Regent and the young Henry IV. The latter
was invested with the title of Patrician, and the election of Alexander
having been pronounced invalid, a new Pope was chosen in the person
of another Lombard, Cadalus Bishop of Parma, who had led the
opposition to the Patarins in the province of Milan. The Normans were
recalled to their dominions, and the imperialist Pope, Honorius II, was
installed in Rome. The struggle between the rival Popes lasted for three
years (1061-4), and fluctuated with the fluctuations of power at the
German court. Here the young King had fallen under the influence of
Archbishop Hanno of Köln, who, surrounded by enemies in Germany,
hoped to gain a party by the betrayal of imperial interests in the
recognition of the decree of Nicholas II and of the claims of Alexander.
Again by the help of a Norman force Alexander was installed in Rome,
where he remained even when Hanno's influence at the German court
gave way to that of Archbishop Adalbert of Bremen. Honorius,
however, despite the desertion by the imperialist party, found
supporters until his death in 1072, and it was only by the arms of Duke
Godfrey of Tuscany acting for the imperialists and those of his own
Norman allies that Alexander held Rome until his death.
[Sidenote: Steps towards reformation.]
Meanwhile the ecclesiastical reformation went steadily on under the
direction of Hildebrand. The young King Henry endeavoured to free
himself from the great German ecclesiastics who held him in thrall, by
repudiating the wife whom they had forced upon him. He was checked
by the austere and resolute papal legate, Peter Damiani, and was
obliged to accept Bertha of Savoy, to whom subsequently he became
much attached. Peter Darniani's visit, however, brought him relief in
another way, for the legate took back such a report of the prevalence of
simony that the archbishops of Mainz and Köln were summoned to
Rome, whence they returned so humiliated that their political influence
was gone. It is almost equally remarkable that the two English
Archbishops also appeared at Rome during this Pontificate, Lanfranc of
Canterbury in order that he might obtain the pall without which he
could not exercise his functions as Archbishop, and Thomas of York,
who referred to the Pope his contention that the primacy of England

should alternate between Canterbury and York. In France, too, we are
told that the envoys of Alexander interfered in the smallest details of
the ecclesiastical administration and punished without mercy all clergy
guilty of simony or of matrimony. Almost the last public act of Pope
Alexander was to excommunicate five counsellors of the young King
of Germany, to whom were attributed responsibility for his acts, and to
summon Henry himself to answer charges of simony and other evil
deeds.

CHAPTER II
GREGORY VII AND LAY INVESTITURE
[Sidenote: Gregory VII (1073-85).]
The crowd which attended the funeral of Alexander II acclaimed
Hildebrand as his successor. The Cardinals formally ratified the choice
of the people and contrary to the wish of the German bishops the young
King Henry acquiesced.
[Sidenote: His rise to power.]
The new Pope was born a Tuscan peasant and educated in the
monastery of St. Mary's on the Aventine in Rome. His uncle was the
Abbot, and the monastery was Roman lodging of the Abbot of Cluny.
Hildebrand entered the service of Gregory VI, whom he followed into
exile. On his master's death in 1048 Hildebrand retired to Cluny. Hence
he was drawn once more back to Rome by Pope Leo IX. From this
moment his rise was continuous. Leo made him a Cardinal and gave
him the charge of the papal finances. In 1054 he sent him as legate to
France in order to deal with the heresy of Berengar of Tours.
Hildebrand was no theologian, and he accepted a very vague
explanation of Berengar's views upon the disputed question of the
change of the elements in the Sacrament. On Leo's death Hildebrand
headed the deputation which was sent by the clergy and people of
Rome to ask Henry III to nominate his successor; and again, on the

death of Victor II, although Hildebrand took no part in the choice of
Stephen IX, it was he who went to Germany to obtain a confirmation of
the election from the Empress-Regent. On Stephen's death Hildebrand's
prompt action obtained the election of Nicholas II. It was probably
Hildebrand who worded the decree regulating the mode of papal
elections, and whose policy turned the Normans from troublesome
neighbours into faithful allies and useful instruments of the papal aims.
Nicholas rewarded him with the office of Archdeacon of Rome, which
made him the chief administrative officer of the Roman see and, next to
the Pope, the most important person in the