Pope Gregory VII
Saint Gregory VII (1020?-1085) was elected pope in 1073. One of his important reforms was a program that prohibited lay investiture, by which laymen granted churchmen the symbols of their offices. The right to perform this ceremony gave laymen control over who received church offices. It was the prohibition of lay investiture that brought Gregory into conflict with Emperor Henry IV. For centuries, the Holy Roman emperors had appointed priests, abbots, and bishops. Gregory claimed that only the church had this right. Henry opposed this position, and their years of power struggles were the result.
Excerpt adapted from the "Gregory VII" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999