Henry IV and Gregory VII in Canossa 1077, as depicted by Carlo Emanuelle

The Walk to Canossa (sometimes called the Way to Canossa; German, Gang nach Canossa; Italian, l'umiliazione di Canossa) refers to both the trek itself of Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire from Speyer to the fortress at Canossa and also to the events surrounding his journey. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Henry IV ( November 11, 1050 &ndash August 7, 1106) was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Speyer (English formerly Spires) is a City in Germany ( Rhineland-Palatinate) with approx The Castle of Canossa is a castle in Canossa, Province of Reggio Emilia, northern Italy. These events took place in and around January 1077.

Historical background

See also: Investiture Controversy

When, in his early papacy, Gregory VII attempted to enact reforms to the investiture process, he was met by much resistance from the Holy Roman Emperor. The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was an 11th century dispute between Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor and Pope Gregory VII over History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope Investiture, from the Latin (preposition in and verb vestire, 'dress' from vestis 'robe' is a rather general term for the formal installation of an Henry insisted that he reserved the right to 'invest' bishops and other clergymen, despite the papal decree. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. Henry renounced Gregory as pope; in return, Gregory excommunicated and deposed Henry. Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community He stated furthermore that, one year from that day, the excommunication would become permanent and irrevocable.

Journey

Fearing rebellion among the German aristocracy (violence had already broken out at Langensalza a year earlier), Henry felt he had to have his excommunication lifted. The First Battle of Langensalza was fought on June 9, 1075 between forces of German King Henry IV and several rebellious Saxon noblemen He arranged to meet with the Pope in Augsburg. Augsburg is an independent City in the south-west of Bavaria.

Gregory's route

Gregory, however, feared that Henry would bring his army and attempt to remove the Pope from power. He spent some time on his journey northward from Rome in towns in the south of the Empire, trying to gain support among the people. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2

While still in the northern reaches of present-day Italy, he met Mathilda, Countess of Tuscany. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Matilda of Canossa ( Italian: Matilde, Latin: Mathilde; 1046 &ndash 24 July 1115) called la Gran Contessa Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 She offered to bring him to a location safe from attack by Henry. They traveled together to the fortress at Canossa and shut themselves inside.

Henry's route

Coming southward from Germany, Henry found his position precarious. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. He was still popular among the common people, but his nobles were still threatening to elect a new king. He had to secure his position in the church before the rapidly approaching deadline given by the Pope.

Once he crossed the Jura Mountains, Henry took on the behavior of penitence. The Jura Mountains are a small Mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of Penance is repentance of Sins as well as the proper name of the Catholic and Orthodox Christian Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession He wore a hair-shirt, the traditional clothing of monks at the time, and allegedly walked barefoot. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective Many of his entourage also supposedly removed their shoes. In these conditions he crossed the Alps, a long and harsh journey in late January. On 25 January 1077 he reached the gates of Canossa. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate

At the fortress

Henry IV and his entourage at the pope's gate at Canossa in 1077, by August von Heyden

When Henry reached Canossa, the Pope ordered that he be refused entry. According to the first-hand accounts of the scene (letters written by both Gregory and Henry in the following years), Henry waited by the gate for three full days. During this time, he allegedly wore only his penitent hair-shirt and fasted. Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time Although no contemporary sources report this, it has since been speculated that Henry spent much of his time during these three days in the village at the foot of the hill. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City.

On 28 January (the feast of Saint Paul's conversion) the gates were opened for Henry and he was allowed to enter the fortress. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity or a change from one religious identity to another Contemporary accounts report that he knelt before Pope Gregory and begged his forgiveness. Gregory absolved Henry and invited him back into the Church. That evening, Gregory, Henry, and Mathilda shared communion in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas inside the fortress, signaling the official end of Henry's excommunication. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral Saint Nicholas (Άγιος Νικόλαος, Agios Nikolaos, "victory of the people" is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Christian Saint ^[1]

Henry quickly returned to his empire, but Gregory remained with Mathilda at the fortress and in other locations in Tuscany for several months. Later historians speculated upon a romantic or sexual relationship between the two (an accusation sometimes raised by Protestant historians in the 17th century) although if there was ever any evidence for this it has not survived. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar ^[2].

Historical impact

The immediate effects of the Canossa meeting were limited. Although Henry was restored to the Church, the Pope did not restore his support of Henry's right to the throne. His deposition still in effect, Henry was forced into civil war with Duke Rudolph of Swabia. Rudolf of Rheinfelden (Rudolf von Rheinfelden c 1025 &ndash 15 October 1080) was Duke of Swabia (1057&ndash1079 and German Antiking Gregory levied a second excommunication against Henry, who ultimately won the civil war, invaded Rome, and forced Gregory to flee, replacing him with an antipope, Clement III. An antipope ( Latin: antipapa) is a person who makes a widely accepted claim to be the lawful Pope, in opposition to the pope recognised by the Roman This article is about the Antipope Clement III see here for Pope Clement III. ^[3]

The meaning in the greater history of Germany and Europe, however, was much more significant. During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Henry was heroized as a defender of the rights of both Germans and opponents to the Pope. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Many German Lutherans considered him the "first Protestant" and looked to his example for guidance in their struggle against what they saw as a tyrannical and unjust institution. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther

Later in German history the event took on a more secular meaning: it came to stand for Germany's refusal to be subjected to any outside power (although still especially, but not exclusively, the Roman Catholic Church). Otto von Bismarck, during his so-called "Kulturkampf," assured his countrymen that "We will not go to Canossa – neither in body nor in spirit!" That is, Germany would stand for itself and not abide any outside interference in its politics, religion or culture. Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen Duke of Lauenburg Prince of Bismarck ( April 1, 1815 July 30, 1898) The German term (literally "culture struggle" refers to German policies in relation to Secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted ^[4]

On the other side, Canossa is remembered in Italy by some historians (like Benedetto Croce) as the first concrete victory of the Pope (who represented the Italian people) against the domination of the Germans after the fall of the Roman Empire. Benedetto Croce ( February 25, 1866 – November 20, 1952) was an Italian critic idealist Philosopher, and The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Croce considered Canossa as the initial retreat from Italy of the Holy Roman Empire, starting the Italian Renaissance in which the Germans lost control of northern Italy by the 15th century. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere

Today, "Canossa" refers to an act of penance or submission. To "go to Canossa" is an expression (used often in German: "nach Canossa gehen", in Swedish: "Canossavandring", in Norwegian: "Kanossagang", and in Italian language: "andare a Canossa") to describe doing penance, often with the connotation that it is unwilling or coerced. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.

Notes

References

• Zimmermann, Harald, Der Canossagang von 1077. Wirkungen und Wirklichkeit. Mainz, 1975.
• Kämpf, Hellmut, Canossa als Wende. Ausgewählte Aufsätze zur neueren Forschung. Darmstadt, 1963.
• Struve, Tilman, Mathilde von Tuszien-Canossa und Heinrich IV. "