This week in Christian history: George Beverly Shea born, ‘Walk to Canossa,’ James Caughey dies
The walk to Canossa – Jan. 25, 1077
This week marks the anniversary of when Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV arrived at the city of Canossa, Italy, having walked there from Germany as an act of penance.
Pope Gregory VII had required the emperor to perform the act in response to the monarch’s efforts to appoint bishops to various regions, a practice the Church sought to control.
In response to political pressures in Germany and the threat of excommunication, Henry IV walked to the city and then reportedly stood for three days barefoot in snow before the pope would see him.
Eventually, Gregory VII gave him absolution, removed the excommunication, and had the emperor give a vow of allegiance. However, a few years later, the two would again be at odds over political issues.
“The Walk to Canossa has been remembered by historians and artists, and continues to be seen as one of those fascinating episodes that make the Middle Ages so interesting,” noted Medievalists.net.
“The broader implications, however, are less clear, but reflect on how the conflict between church and state would remain one of the main themes in the history of medieval Europe.”
