Digital Continent Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2016 | Page 44

37

carried out by the king and articulated the power which he believed he held over those he
invested. Reformers urgently desired to make changes.76
German kings since Otto I emphasized this ceremony but Henry III bestowed the
episcopal ring, formerly given by the presiding metropolitan. A new bishop promised fealty to
the king by oath while the ceremony expressed royal protection and the temporal duties owed to
the king, which incorporated the bishop into the imperial administration.
Everyone recognized that power over ecclesiastical appointments meant power
over the Church. Thus, the “canonical,” or “free,” election of church leaders
was believed to be essential to the “freedom of the church.” It was believed that
the church must be free so it could effectively pursue its mission of bring all
souls to salvation. How bishops were made, therefore, was a central reform
issue and one reason why contention over reform turned to violent conflict over
investiture.77
The investing of the bishop built up the state church which depended upon the king.78 Able to
nominate and secure the loyalty of new bishops, one after another, the king bolstered royal
power and wealth.
The first prohibition against lay investiture was promulgated in April of 1059 by the
decrees of the Roman synod under the pontificate of Nicholas II. No cleric or priest was to
receive his church from any layman, whether it was freely given or was purchased. In addition,
no monk was to receive his habit having been promised elevation to abbot. No