EVENTS
1077: Henry IV submits to Pope Gregory VII
Gregory VII had
charged Henry, ruler of the Holy
Roman Empire, with a list of offenses, and in response Henry
assembled his bishops and ordered them to renounce their obedience to
the pope. In turn, Gregory excommunicated him and absolved his
subjects from any allegiance toward the emperor.
Amidst the turmoil of Saxon uprising, Henry was given a chance to repent before he was deposed; a national diet, to be presided over by Gregory, was summoned. Henry knew he was unpopular with the nobility and didn't want to face the diet. He rushed to meet Gregory before the pope could get to Germany, and found him at Canossa, a stronghold belonging to the countess of Tuscany.
Every day for three days, Henry appeared before the fortress in the freezing cold, clad only in a penitential dress. Countess Matilda and Saint Hugh of Cluny appealed to the pope for mercy, and although Gregory knew he should wait for the diet, he could not be seen to be so unforgiving in the face of such a display. On the third day, January 28, the pope granted Henry an audience and absolved him.
Within the year Henry began to disobey the harsh conditions Gregory had imposed, and strife continued.
WHO WAS BORN
1457: King Henry VII of England
1572: Saint Jane Frances Chantal
Born to an influential French family, Saint
Jane was twenty-eight when she was widowed and left with four
children. She devoted her life to religious work, and was called by
Saint Francis de
Sales "the perfect woman."
1600: Pope Clement IX
Giulio
Rospigliosi had been a dramatist before he became pope, and he'd
held doctorates in theology and philosophy. He proved a kind and
gentle leader of the Church who managed to end the war between Spain
and France.
WHO DIED
814: Charlemagne
1547: King Henry VIII
of England
