When the Saxon line died out in 1024, for the
following 100 years kings were chosen from the Salian line,
a Frankish tribe related to the Saxons. It was the kings from
this line that ruled during the height of the Empire. Four
kings ruled during the Salian Dynasty. The first, Conrad II,
was an astute and ruthless ruler, who began the development
of a permanent administrative system based on a class of public
officials made up of lesser nobles and lower class men that
answered directly to the crown. This allowed him to assert
royal authority over the rebellious princes once more.
As the first truly undisputed king of Germany, Henry III,
the Black introduced the Truce of God to civil war-striken
Germany. This truce granted respite from war between Wednesday
nights through to Monday mornings and in this way the king
had hopes of accomplishing permanent peace in the land. 1056
was the year in which Henry IV, still a child, inherited the
throne. Once grown up this opportunistic king set out to regain
lost imperial power and land, stirring the enmity of the Saxons
who strongly disliked the Salians. Continuing to confiscate
land, he subdued and important Saxon rebellion in 1075.
Until this point in time, the Salian line had been so successful
due to the alliance they had held with the church, which provided
the support required to face the rebellious princes. However
these bonds with the church began to break down when in 1075,
what was known as the Investiture Contest took place. The
militant reformist pope, Gregory VII wished to free the church
from its ties with the monarchy and demanded that Henry IV
renounce his rights over the German church. He also forbade
lay investiture of popes and prohibited church officials to
support Henry. Henry had Gregory VII deposed by the Synod
of Worms in 1076 and the pope in turn excommunicated the king.
As a measure to save his crown, the king travelled to Canossa
in northern Italy in 1077 and was absolved after three days
of doing penance. Meanwhile, a rival king, Rudolf of Swabia,
was elected by the princes.
What followed was an arduous struggle with the papacy and
the rebellious princes, resulting in strife that devastated
German lands until the Concordat of Worms in 1122, an agreement
stipulating that high church officials were to be appointed
by the pope but the German king would enjoy his right to veto
papal choices. Conflict continued however, both on the papal
front and with regard to the dukes and princes. Henry V, struggling
to reassert his supremacy, was defeated in many campaigns
and lost considerable stretches of territory and simply could
not subdue the princes. Feudalism was instilled with full
force and lords became powerful local rulers. The monarchy
once again began to wane as relations with the church continued
weak and as the lordly princes expanded their fiefdoms and
took over administration of large territories with increasing
military power.
Thus the two main effects of the Investiture Contest involved
the decentralization of royal power in Germany , which was
completely the opposite of what was taking place in England
and France at the time, where strong monarchies were being
established. And on a cultural level, German intellectuality
also suffered, taking second place to the emperor-pope struggle,
as it was not until later in the fourteenth century that German
universities were founded.
