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Excommunication of Henry IV (1076)

Type Event Region Germany Time 1076

In 1076 the conflict between Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII went public: Henry deposed the pope at Worms, and Gregory excommunicate…

Timeline

  1. 1076Worms · Rhineland-PalatinateHenry IV convened a council of bishops at Worms, where the attendees jointly declared Gregory VII deposed, accusing him of usurping the papal office and destroying the peace of the Church — the first such open deposition of a pope by a medieval emperor.
  2. 1076Rome · LazioAt the Lenten synod in Rome, Gregory VII declared Henry IV excommunicated, stripping him of his right to rule and releasing his subjects from their oaths of allegiance — an unprecedentedly severe sanction of royal power by papal authority.
  3. 1076Tribur · GermanyThe German princes resolved at the Synod of Tribur that if Henry IV failed to obtain the pope's pardon within a year and six days, he would be deemed to have automatically lost his throne, forcing the emperor to seek reconciliation with the pope.

Sources