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Henry IV ruled as King of the Germans beginning on July 17, 1054. On March 21,1084, he became Holy Roman Emperor, a title he retained until December 31, 1105, a year before his death.
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Pope Gregory VII declares that the papacy is the sole universal power, and the only authority which can appoint new bishops and other church officials. The "Dictatus Papae", a collection of laws thought to be written by Pope Gregory VII, also claimed that the church had the power to remove an emperor from power.
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In the late 11th century and early 12th centuries, the papacy and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire entered into a conflict over the appointment of church officials. Up until this point, church officials had always been appointed by ruling authorities. During this time span, Pope Gregory VII attempted to end this policy and give spiritual authorities such as himself the right to appoint church officials.
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Despite the "Dictatus Papae," Emperor Henry VI continued to appoint his own church officials. In 1076 Pope Gregory VII excommunicated the Emperor, stripping him of his authority over his subjects. Other German Princes took advantage of this situation and continued what they had started in the rebellion of 1075, The outlawed practice of building forts was taken up once again, and lords claimed power over peasents and royal lands.
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The Walk to Canossa refers to Henry IV's journey to a fortress at Canossa to beg the pope for forgiveness and release from his excommunication, which had sparked rebellions amongst the german aristocracy. He was refused entrance to the fortress for three days after his arrival on the 25th of January. On January 28th, the Pope released Henry IV from his excommunication, and he returned to power in his empire.
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On the day of Barbarossa's coronation as Holy Roman Emperor, a riot broke out amongst the Romans. In putting down the revolt, Barbarossa killed over a thousand Romans and injured many more.
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Sometime during his reign, Frederick Barbarossa attempted to absorb Lombardy in northern Italy into his empire. This integration if the profitable state would have granted Frederick the resources necessary to build a very powerful state that could have potentially spaned much of Europe. Unfortunately, throughout the middle ages, the papacy maintained the balance of power amongst the empires of Western Europe. In doing so, they prevented one from gaining enough power to overthrow the church.
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Frederick Barbarossa joins Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus in the Third Crusade to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims.
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Frederick never makes it to Jerusalem. On June 10th, 1190, he drowns in the Seleph River whilst bathing.
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A decree which regulated the election process of electing the King of the Romans. The bull decreed that all elections would take place in Frankfurt, and that they were to last thirty days. The bull also forbade the formation of city alliances.
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The Council of Constance was held from 1414-1418 in order to end the Western-Schism. When two men were elected as pope, Pope Urban VI first, and Pope Clement VII afterwards, they both claimed the title. In order to resolve the matter, the Council of Constance was called. In the end, both were forced to resign, and a new pope, Martin V, was elected.
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By the fifteen century, drastic changes to the way the Holy Roman Empire was governed had been made, such as the Golden Bull and the Council of Constance. The Imperial Reform consisted of acts intended to give the empire some form of structure. It formed the Imperial Chamber Court, where all legal proceedings were managed,Imperial Circle Estates, which grouped territories in order to manage defenses and collect taxes, and the Imperial Diet, which was essentially a court of estates.
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Beginning of the Ottoman Dynasty; after nearly forty years without a ruler, Otto I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on February 2, 962. Although Charlemagne was the first to recieve the title in 800, Otto I is considered the first Holy Roman Emperor.
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Otto I r. Feb 2 962 - 7 May 973
Otto II r. Dec 25 967 - Dec 7 983
Otto III r. May 21 996 - Jan 23 1002
Henry II r. Feb 14 1014 - Jul 13 1024
