In this essay, I will explain how the religious leader Pope Gregory VII and the secular leader Charlemagne legitimized their respective authorities. By overcoming challenges to their rule, Pope Gregory VII and Charlemagne impacted both empires and religious institutions and had lasting effects. In both cases of Pope Gregory VII and Charlemagne, the power of the emperor and that of the pope were linked. To legitimize his power, Pope Gregory VII directly threatened his royal opposition because there was a dispute between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV. Conversely, Charlemagne demonstrated humility and associated himself with papal leaders because he got along well with Pope Leo III. The main sources I will use to make this claim are the letters between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV, Dictatus Papae, and Einhard's Life of Charlemagne. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Religious leader Pope Gregory VII had a tenuous relationship with the secular ruler of the time, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. As a result, Pope Gregory VII directly threatened his royal opposition in order to claim power. A major cause of the conflict between the two was that the Pope did not want emperors to invest in papal power. Emperors or kings gave power to church officials, a practice known as secular investiture. Pope Gregory VII banned this practice, which led to the investiture controversy between Gregory and Henry, as Henry was angered by the fact that he had been stripped of his "God-given right" of secular investiture, arguing that he needed reliable bishops. The secular leader was trying to involve himself in matters that the religious leader believed should be under his control. This created conflict and led to an exchange of letters between the two regarding the nomination controversy. Another thing mentioned in these letters is how Henry IV regularly communicated with men who were supposed to be excommunicated. When Henry IV refused to change his ways after threats from Pope Gregory VII, Pope Gregory VII excommunicated him. Pope Gregory VII clearly felt that his religious power should have been superior to Henry's secular power, rather than in harmony. Gregory declared that Henry “rebelled against your Church with incredible audacity” and Gregory “forbade anyone to serve him as king.” Emperor Henry IV challenged the rule of Pope Gregory VII by ignoring the rules laid down by Gregory. Gregory therefore responded to this challenge to his authority by directly threatening and exiling his competitors. There were two major long-term effects when Pope Gregory VII directly threatened his competitors. to maintain his power. First, civil war broke out in Germany. Second, it led to a tremendous growth in the ideal of papal monarchy. After Henry IV was excommunicated in 1076 by Pope Gregory VII, Henry crossed the Alps to ask Gregory for forgiveness. While Gregory was suspicious, he lifted the excommunication. However, this did not prevent future conflicts. Following the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV, Germany saw the emergence of both an anti-pope and an anti-emperor. German nobles who sided with Pope Gregory VII elected the anti-emperor Rudolf of Swabia, who was the brother-in-law of Henry IV. Clement III is elected anti-pope, alongside Henry IV. To contextualize the political and religious situation which resulted in this civil war which broke out, the Franco-Papal Allianceproduced in the 8th century and played a central role in the growing authority of the Church. It introduced a head of the Church, the pope, and gave him the power to crown kings or emperors. Although this alliance was established, it did not guarantee that the pope, the religious leader, and the king or emperor, the secular leader, always got along. Pope Gregory VII and his direct threats against Henry IV in response to the challenge to authority is proof of this. While Pope Gregory VII would go on to lose the civil war, Henry IV getting rid of the anti-emperor and ultimately driving the pope out of Rome, Pope Gregory VII's threats against Henry IV in an attempt to legitimize his authority left a legacy. In the civil war, the Latin Church “won” in the sense that it and the pope never showed so much strength. The mere fact that Henry IV had to elect an anti-emperor was monumental. All these events led to the growth of the ideal of the papal monarchy. The power Pope Gregory VII displayed, or at least sought, was “analogous to that of a consecrated king.” A religious leader seeking as much power as a secular leader was unprecedented. Beyond its direct threats against Henry IV, the Dictatus Papae was further proof of Pope Gregory VII's ideal of papal monarchy. Although it is not entirely clear whether or not the Dictatus Pope was issued by Gregory, there is speculation that it was, and regardless, it was issued during his quest for power and definitely resembled his beliefs. Furthermore, Pope Gregory VII's favored method of legitimizing his claim was to write down his desires/threats - this can be seen in his letters to Henry, and in the Dictatus Papae if he actually wrote it. The Dictatus Papae explains that no one should judge the Pope and basically that the Pope is the best and most powerful person. This further developed papal power, or at least its ideal, and was seen as a direct challenge to anyone who challenged the pope's rule, including the secular king or emperor. This was the first time the pope attempted to place himself above the secular leader, rather than at or below the secular leader. This left a legacy of papal power and papal monarchy. Unlike the religious leader Pope Gregory VII who threatened and opposed his secular counterpart, the secular monarch, Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, associated himself with religious leaders and demonstrated humility towards those who challenged his power . In fact, it was Charlemagne who played an important role in the aforementioned Franco-Papal Alliance. It was when Pope Leo III named Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor that the Pope first gained the power to appoint the Emperor, and Charlemagne's alliance with the Church was mutually beneficial, as it also gave the divine sanction to the Carolingian monarch. This helped strengthen his rule and his claim to power. Those who questioned the legitimacy of his reign should now also question the word of the pope and the Church. Instead of just questioning the secular leader, they should also question the religious leader. Charlemagne faced challenges from several groups, including the Lombards, Saxons, and Avars. The support of the Church helped him establish his power and authority. Charlemagne demonstrated great humility throughout his reign, as detailed by Einhard. Einhard wrote the Life of Charlemagne, recalling the stories of Charlemagne's life. Einhard served Charlemagne and then his son Louis the Pious. He didn't like Louis' reign, so he resigned and instead wrote about Charlemagne, or Charles as he called him. Einhard's goal wasto make the reign of Louis the Pious appear inferior by simply praising Charlemagne. The information is quite reliable and, although Einhard is biased, he was very close to Charlemagne, having served him, and he knew a lot about Charlemagne's life and reign. Throughout the Life of Charlemagne, it bears witness to how Charlemagne used humility and kindness to maintain his power when his authority was challenged. Charlemagne demonstrated humility both in teaming up with Pope Leo III and in dealing with his enemies. Charlemagne used his personality as a method to legitimize his authority. Charlemagne showed great humility, convincing many people and lords with his friendly attitude. Charlemagne, a man who built his empire in part through war, also used modesty and friendship to convince other foreign rulers. This included the king of Galicia and Asturias, the Irish kings and the king of the Persians. Another example of Charlemagne's humility is that when he was named Holy Roman Emperor, the emperors of Constantinople thought that Charlemagne might want to take back Constantinople. Instead, Charlemagne befriended them and concluded a peace treaty. Einhard praising Charlemagne's friendly manners and humility to compare him to Louis the Pious shows what Einhard valued in a ruler. He valued a big personality and good relationships. To contextualize Charlemagne's rise to power, Charlemagne was one of the Carolingians, preceded by Pepin III. Pepin III was also crowned by a pope, but he was named king of the Franks, unlike Charlemagne, who was named emperor of the Romans. It had more impact. Charlemagne used his personality as a method to legitimize his authority, and he used humility both to convince foreign leaders and to establish a Franco-Papal alliance to get along with his religious leader counterpart. Charlemagne's creation of the Franco-Papal alliance with Pope Leo III left a lasting legacy. First of all, the Latin Church from the 1930s until around 700 did not have as much centralized power. However, when Pope Leo III named Charlemagne emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, this not only established the aforementioned growth of the pope's power, but also established a much stronger bond between the religious ruler and the secular ruler. This would not have been possible without Charlemagne's humility, which was used to team up with any potential challengers to his authority. Some may say that Charlemagne does not deserve the legacy attributed to him and that he gets more credit than he deserves. Examining primary sources, authors Florin Curta and Jace Stuckey argue that Charlemagne was not as involved as some claim. It is said that when he went to war, Charlemagne had others do most of the work for him, while he was credited for their work. They describe the image of him after his death as a myth, claiming that his image was that of a "proto-crusader, ideal king, defender of the Church and legislator: the myth". However, this is not fair. Even if Charlemagne is too considered a "proto-crusader" and a "defender of the Church", he nevertheless played a large role in the Franco-Papal Alliance, which left a considerable impact on the both on the religious institution of the Church and on the Catholic Church. but also the intertwined powers of religious leaders and secular leaders. Although he was not necessarily a "defender of the Church", it was nevertheless Charlemagne and his humility in the face of challenges to his authority that contributed to the establishment.