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Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy

Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy

By: History of the Germans
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The century of Salian rule from 1024 to 1125 is the crucial turning point not just for German, but for European history more generally. It is in this period that the Investiture Controversy pits Popes against Emperors. The dispute is nominally about the role secular powers play in the selection of bishops and abbots. But in reality, it is about much more than that. It is about whether the monarch acts as the representative of God, or as mere mortal, subject to Papal authority. It is about whether Europe becomes a coherent political entity ruled by an all-powerful emperor or whether it becomes a fragmented system of interlocking states, cities, and lordships under a parallel church infrastructure. It is about whether Europe becomes a uniform society or the diverse structure that will give birth both to endless warfare and misery as well as the Reformation, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment (to name just a few). move from the unexpected election of Konrad II to his son Henry III becoming the undisputed senior ruler in Western Europe. The backlash against the emerging command monarchy culminates in Emperor Henry IV kneeling in the snow outside the Castle of Canossa begging Pope Gregor VII to receive him back into the mother church. This podcast is part of the broader History of the Germans podcast that aims to track the history of the German people from the Early Middle Ages to Reunification in 1991. If you enjoy this show, check out any of the other seasons or follow the main show. So far I have the following seasons: The Ottonians (919 AD-1024 AD) Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy (1024 AD-1125 AD) Fredrick Barbarossa and Early Hohenstaufen (1125-1190) Frederick II Stupor Mundi (1190-1268) Saxony and Eastward Expansion The Hanseatic League The Teutonic Knights The Holy Roman Empire (1250 AD -1356 AD) The Reformation before the Reformation (1356AD -1439 AD) The Empire in the 15th Century The Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs (1439AD -1519 AD)Copyright 2026 History of the Germans Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Ep. 21 (42) - A World Revolution?

    Ep. 21 (42) - A World Revolution?
    Sep 17 2024

    In this episode we will come to the end of the Investiture controversy, the end of the Salian dynasty and the end of Season 2 – and ask the question, what was all that about? Does the conflict between spiritual and temporal power rank alongside the great revolutions, the French Revolution if 1789 and the Russian Revolution of 1917?

    The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.

    As always:

    Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com

    Facebook: @HOTGPod

    Twitter: @germanshistory

    Instagram: history_of_the_germans

    Reddit: u/historyofthegermans

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans

    To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.

    So far I have:

    The Ottonians:

    The Hanseatic League

    The Teutonic Knights

    The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • Ep. 20 (41) - The Duke's Rebuke - Henry V has to accept the Concordat of Worms

    Ep. 20 (41) - The Duke's Rebuke - Henry V has to accept the Concordat of Worms
    Sep 10 2024

    In this week’s episode the last of the Salians will find that despite all his efforts, the tide of history cannot be stemmed, almost leaving him in exactly the same place his father ended up in 1076.

    The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.

    As always:

    Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com

    Facebook: @HOTGPod

    Twitter: @germanshistory

    Instagram: history_of_the_germans

    Reddit: u/historyofthegermans

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans

    To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.

    So far I have:

    The Ottonians:

    The Hanseatic League

    The Teutonic Knights

    The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Ep. 19 (40) - Henry V's Cunning Plan - Pope Paschal II offers to hand back all imperial fiefs which causes havoc

    Ep. 19 (40) - Henry V's Cunning Plan - Pope Paschal II offers to hand back all imperial fiefs which causes havoc
    Sep 3 2024

    In this episode we will see whether young Henry V will do any better at ending the conflict between Pope and Emperor, featuring one of the most audacious political moves seen in this conflict.

    The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.

    As always:

    Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com

    Facebook: @HOTGPod

    Twitter: @germanshistory

    Instagram: history_of_the_germans

    Reddit: u/historyofthegermans

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans

    To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.

    So far I have:

    The Ottonians:

    The Hanseatic League

    The Teutonic Knights

    The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
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