The Synod of Worms was an ecclesiastical

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

and imperial diet (''

Hoftag A ''Hoftag'' (pl. ''Hoftage'') was the name given to an informal and irregular assembly convened by the King of the Romans, the Holy Roman Emperor or one of the Princes of the Empire, with selected chief princes within the empire. Early scholarsh ...

'') convened by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

king and emperor-elect Henry IV on 24 January 1076, at

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...

. It was intended to agree a condemnation of

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...

, and Henry's success in achieving this outcome marked the beginning of the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monast ...

. In 1067 Archbishop Guido of Milan, facing the rising forces of the '' pataria'' reformers in the city, gave up his see. He recommended the subdeacon

Gotofredo da Castiglione Gotofredo da Castiglione (sometimes given as Gotofredo II to distinguish him from Gotofredo I, Archbishop of Milan) was an Italian anti-bishop from 1070 to 1075, appointed by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor to the office of Bishop of Milan. This be ...

his successor, who, however, was excommunicated by Pope Alexander II. While Henry IV appointed Gotofredo in 1070, the patarines elected Atto archbishop. Three years later Pope Alexander II died and was succeeded by Hildebrand of Soana, who named himself Pope Gregory VII. An ardent proponent of the papal supremacy over Henry's emperorship, he promoted the

Gregorian Reform The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...

as expressed in the ''

Dictatus papae ''Dictatus papae'' is a compilation of 27 statements of authority claimed by the pope that was included in Pope Gregory VII's register under the year 1075. Principles The principles expressed in ''Dictatus Papae'' are mostly those expressed b ...

'' of March 1075, including the principle that the papal title is unique in the world and that it may even be permitted to him to depose emperors. Nevertheless, when the ''pataria'' leader

Erlembald Saint Erlembald (or Erlembaldo Cotta) (''Sanctus Herlembaldus'' in Latin) (died 15 April 1075) was the political and military leader of the movement known as the ''pataria'' in Milan, a movement to reform the clergy and the church in the Ambrosian ...

died in April 1075, all signals pointed to reconciliation. Not until Henry IV again interfered in the Milan struggles and appointed Tebald da Castiglione archbishop, as well as bishops of

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

and

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hum ...

, both on papal territory, the conflict escalated. In December 1075, Pope Gregory sent a harsh letter to Henry, threatening him with

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

. Under pressure, the

Salian The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the l ...

king allied with the German episcopacy, benefitting from their hostile stance on the Gregorian Reform and a centralisation of church authority. Of the 38 German bishops, 24 attended. Led by the ''

primas Germaniae Primas Germaniae is a historical title of honor for the most important Roman Catholic bishop (the Primate) in the German lands. Throughout the history of the Holy Roman Empire, it was claimed by the Archbishops of Mainz, Trier, Magdeburg and Salz ...

'', Archbishop Siegfried of Mainz, Henry's supporters included Bishop Adalbero of Würzburg and Bishop William of Utrecht, as well as the

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

bishop Henri de Verdun. Cardinal Hugh of Remiremont, who had already cut ties with the Pope, spoke damningly against Gregory.Robinson, p. 37. On the other hand, Archbishop

Gebhard of Salzburg Blessed Gebhard von Salzburg ( 101015 June 1088), also occasionally known as Gebhard of Sussex, was Archbishop of Salzburg from 1060 until his death. He was one of the fiercest opponents of King Henry IV of Germany during the Investiture Controver ...

, a supporter of Gregory like Bishop

Altmann of Passau Altmann von Passau Bistumswappen of Passau Altmann (c.1015 – 8 August 1091) was the Bishop of Passau from 1065 until his death. He was an important representative of the Gregorian reforms, monastic founder and reformer. He is venerated as a ...

, stayed away. The assembly declared the Pope deposed and the bishops abandoned all obedience to him. Henry had a letter drawn up to Gregory, calling him 'Hildebrand the false monk' and demanding his resignation (''descende, descende!''). The demand was conveyed to Rome by the cleric Roland of Parma. Three weeks later, the Pope declared Henry deposed and excommunicated him. He released all his subjects from their oath of allegiance, which soon became a serious threat for Henry's authority. In October, the German

princes A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

gathered at

Trebur Trebur is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim. Geography Location Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The cities of Mainz, Wiesbade ...

and ultimately asked the king to reconcile with the Pope. In January 1077 Henry had to take the

Road to Canossa The Humiliation of Canossa ( it, L'umiliazione di Canossa), sometimes called the Walk to Canossa (german: Gang nach Canossa/''Kanossa'') or the Road to Canossa, was the ritual submission of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII a ...

, to salvage his kingship.

Notes

1070s in the Holy Roman Empire 1076 in Europe Worms 1076 Investiture Controversy Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

See also

Notes