In this essay I will explain how the religious leader Pope Gregory VII and the secular leader Charlemagne legitimized their respective authorities. In overcoming challenges to their rule, Pope Gregory VII and Charlemagne influenced both empires and religious institutions and had long-term effects. In both the cases of Pope Gregory VII and Charlemagne, the power of the emperor and that of the pope were linked together. 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. In contrast, Charlemagne used humility and cooperated with papal rulers because he got along well with Pope Leo III. The main sources I will use to support this are the letters between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV, the Dictatus Papae, and Einhard's Life of Charlemagne. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The religious leader Pope Gregory VII had a tenuous relationship with the secular leader of the time, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. As a result, Pope Gregory VII directly threatened his royal opposition to reclaim power. One of the main causes of the conflict between the two was that the pope did not want the emperors to invest in papal power. Emperors or kings had empowered church officials, a practice known as lay investiture. Pope Gregory VII outlawed the practice, leading to the investiture controversy between Gregory and Henry, as Henry was angry that his "God-given right" of lay investiture had been taken away, arguing that he needed reliable bishops. The secular leader was trying to get involved in matters that the religious leader thought should be under his control. This created a conflict and led to an exchange of letters between the two regarding the investiture controversy. Another thing mentioned in these letters is how Henry IV regularly communicated with men who should have been 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 be superior to, rather than in harmony with, Henry's secular power. Gregory claimed that Henry "revolted against your Church with unprecedented audacity" and Gregory "forbade anyone to serve him as king". Emperor Henry IV was challenging the rule of Pope Gregory VII by ignoring the rules established by Gregory, so Gregory responded to this challenge to his authority by directly threatening and exiling his competition. There were two important long-term effects of Pope Gregory VII's direct threat to his competition to maintain his power. First, civil war broke out in Germany. Secondly, it led to an enormous growth in the ideal of papal monarchy. After Henry IV's excommunication by Pope Gregory VII in 1076, Henry crossed the Alps to ask Gregory for forgiveness. While Gregory was suspicious, he lifted the excommunication. However, this did not prevent future conflicts. As a result of the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV, Germany saw the introduction of both an antipope and an anti-emperor. The German nobles who sided with Pope Gregory VII elected the anti-emperor Rudolf of Swabia, brother-in-law of Henry IV. Clement III was elected antipope, on the side of Henry IV. To contextualize the political and religious situation that led to the outbreak of the civil war, the Franco-Papal Alliance was created in the 8th century, which was fundamental to the growing authority of the Church. He brought in a leader of the Church, the Pope, and hegiven the ability 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, would always get along. Pope Gregory VII and his threats directed towards Henry IV in response to the challenge of authority is proof of this. While Pope Gregory VII would lose the civil war, with Henry IV getting rid of the anti-emperor and eventually driving the Pope out of Rome, Pope Gregory VII's threats against Henry IV to attempt to legitimize his authority left a legacy . in the civil war the Latin Church “won”, in the sense that neither it nor the Pope ever showed such strength. The very fact that Henry IV had to elect an anti-emperor was monumental. All these events led to the growth of the ideal of papal monarchy. The power that Pope Gregory VII demonstrated, or at least sought, was “analogous to that of an anointed king.” A religious leader aspiring to the amount of power that a secular leader had was unprecedented. Beyond its direct threats to Henry IV, the Dictatus Papae was further evidence of Pope Gregory VII's ideal of papal monarchy. While it is not entirely clear whether or not the Dictatus Pape 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 preferred method of legitimizing his claim was to write down his wishes/threats - this can be seen in his letters to Henry, and with the Dictatus Papae if he actually wrote it down. The Dictatus Papae explained how no one should judge the pope, and essentially how the pope is the best and most powerful person. This further developed papal power, or at least the ideal of it, 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 that the pope attempted to place himself above the secular leader, rather than at an equal or lower level than the secular ruler. This left a legacy of papal power and papal monarchy. In contrast to the religious leader Pope Gregory VII who threatened and opposed his secular counterpart, the secular monarch Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne allied himself with religious rulers and showed humility with those who challenged his power. In fact, it was Charlemagne who represented an important part of the aforementioned Franco-Papal Alliance. It was when Pope Leo III appointed Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor that the pope first gained the power to appoint emperor, and Charlemagne's alliance with the Church was mutually beneficial, as it also gave the Carolingian monarch divine sanction . 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 questioning only the secular leader, they should also question the religious ruler. Charlemagne faced challenges from several groups, including the Lombards, Saxons, and Avars. Having the support of the Church helped him establish his power and authority. Charlemagne showed much humility during his reign, as described in detail 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' rule, so he left and wrote about Charlemagne instead, or Charles as he called him. Einhard's goal was to make Louis the Pious's rule seem inferior simply by praising Charlemagne. The information is quite reliable and, although Einhard is biased, he was very close to CharlesMagnus, having served him, and knew much about Charlemagne's life and reign. Throughout Charlemagne's life, he provides evidence of how Charlemagne used humility and friendliness to maintain his power when his authority was challenged. Charlemagne used humility both to ally himself with Pope Leo III and when facing his enemies. Charlemagne used his personality as a method to legitimize his authority. Charlemagne used great humility, winning over many people and lords thanks to his friendly ways. Even Charlemagne, a man who built his empire partly through war, used modesty and friendship to win over 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 conquer Constantinople. Instead, Charlemagne befriended them and made a peace treaty. Einhard praising Charlemagne's friendly ways and humility to contrast him with Louis the Pious shows what Einhard valued in a ruler. He valued a great personality and good relationships. To put Charlemagne's rise to power in context, Charlemagne was one of the Carolingians, preceded by Pepin III. Pepin III was also crowned by a pope, but was named king of the Franks, unlike Charlemagne, who was named emperor of the Romans. This had a bigger impact. Charlemagne used his personality as a method to legitimize his authority, and used humility to both win over foreign rulers and establish a Franco-Papal alliance to get along with his religious leader counterpart. Charlemagne's establishment of the Franco-Papal Alliance with Pope Leo III left a lasting legacy. First, the Latin Church from the 1930s until around 700 did not have such centralized power. However, when Pope Leo III appointed Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor, this established not only the aforementioned growth in 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 collaborate with any challengers to his authority. Some may argue that Charlemagne does not deserve the legacy attributed to him and that he gets more credit than he deserves. Analyzing primary sources, authors Florin Curta and Jace Stuckey argue that Charlemagne was not as involved as some claim. They say that Charlemagne, when he went to war, had others do most of the work, while he was given credit for their work. They describe his post-death image as a myth, saying that his image was a "proto-crusader, ideal king, defender of the Church and lawgiver: the myth". However, this is not right. Regardless of whether Charlemagne is considered a “proto-crusader” and a “defender of the Church,” he still played an important role in the Franco-Papal Alliance, which left an enormous impact on both the religious institution of the Church and the Church . also the intertwining of powers between religious leaders and secular leaders. While he may not have necessarily been a “defender of the Church,” it is nevertheless Charlemagne and his humility in response to challenges to his authority that helped establish the Franco-Papal Alliance. In addition to this alliance, Charlemagne played an important role in the Carolingian Renaissance, where Charlemagne helped unify and standardize a Christian empire. Charlemagne left a lasting legacy, creating a relationship between religious leaders and secular leaders that lasted for centuries and did not see many notable conflicts until Pope Gregory VII's tension with Emperor Henry IV. The empire.