Pope Gregory VII
Duchy of Apulia | |
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Previous post(s) | Archdeacon of the Roman church |
Sainthood | |
Feast day | 25 May |
Venerated in | Catholic Church |
Beatified | 25 May 1584 Rome, Papal States by Pope Gregory XIII |
Canonized | 24 May 1728 Rome, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII |
Attributes | |
Patronage | Diocese of Sovana |
Other popes named Gregory |
Pope Gregory VII (
One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the
During the power struggles between the papacy and the
In later times, Gregory VII became an exemplar of papal supremacy, and his memory was invoked both positively and negatively, reflecting later writers' attitude to the Catholic Church and the papacy. Beno of Santi Martino e Silvestro, who opposed Gregory VII in the Investiture Controversy, accused him of necromancy, cruelty, tyranny, and blasphemy. This was eagerly repeated by later opponents of the Catholic Church, such as the English Protestant John Foxe.[7] In contrast, the modern historian and Anglican priest H. E. J. Cowdrey writes, "[Gregory VII] was surprisingly flexible, feeling his way and therefore perplexing both rigorous collaborators ... and cautious and steady-minded ones ... His zeal, moral force, and religious conviction, however, ensured that he should retain to a remarkable degree the loyalty and service of a wide variety of men and women."[8]
Early life
Gregory was born as Ildebrando di Sovana in
He then accompanied Cluny's
He was again the most powerful figure behind the election of Anselm of Lucca the Elder as Pope Alexander II in the papal election of October 1061.[11] The new pope put forward the reform program devised by Hildebrand and his followers.[18] In his years as papal advisor, Hildebrand had an important role in the reconciliation with the Norman kingdom of southern Italy, in the anti-German alliance with the Pataria movement in northern Italy and, above all, in the introduction of an ecclesiastic law which gave the cardinals exclusive rights concerning the election of a new pope.[19]
Election to the papacy
Pope Gregory VII was one of the few popes
It was debated, at the time and since, whether this extraordinary outburst in favour of Hildebrand by clergy and people was wholly spontaneous, or could have been pre-arranged.[22] According to Benizo, Bishop of Sutri, a supporter of Hildebrand, the outcry was begun by Cardinal Ugo Candidus, Cardinal Priest of S. Clemente, who rushed into a pulpit and began to declaim to the people.[23] Certainly, the mode of his election was highly criticized by his opponents. Many of the accusations against him may have been expressions of personal dislike, liable to suspicion from the very fact that they were not raised to attack his promotion until several years later. But it is clear from Gregory's own account of the circumstances of his election,[24] in his Epistle 1 and Epistle 2, that it was conducted in a very irregular fashion, contrary to the Constitution of the Pope of 607. This ecclesiastical statute forbade a papal election to begin until the third day after a pope's burial.[25] Cardinal Ugo's intervention was contrary to the Constitution of Nicholas II, which affirmed the exclusive right to name candidates to Cardinal Bishops; finally, it ignored the Constitution's requirement that the Holy Roman Emperor be consulted.[26] However, Gregory was then confirmed by a second election at S. Pietro in Vincoli.
Gregory VII's earliest pontifical letters clearly acknowledged these events, and thus helped defuse doubts about his election and popularity. On 22 May 1073, the
In the decree of election, his electors proclaimed Gregory VII:
"a devout man, a man mighty in human and divine knowledge, a distinguished lover of equity and justice, a man firm in adversity and temperate in prosperity, a man, according to the saying of the Apostle, of good behavior, blameless, modest, sober, chaste, given to hospitality, and one that ruleth well his own house; a man from his childhood generously brought up in the bosom of this Mother Church, and for the merit of his life already raised to the archidiaconal dignity. [...] We choose then our Archdeacon Hildebrand to be pope and successor to the Apostle, and to bear henceforward and forever the name of Gregory" (22 April 1073).[22]
Gregory VII's first attempts in foreign policy were towards a reconciliation with the Normans of Robert Guiscard; in the end the two parties did not meet. After a failed call for a crusade to the princes of northern Europe,[28] and after obtaining the support of other Norman princes such as Landulf VI of Benevento and Richard I of Capua, Gregory VII was able to excommunicate Robert in 1074.
In the same year Gregory VII summoned a council in the Lateran palace, which condemned simony and confirmed celibacy for the Church's clergy. These decrees were further stressed, under menace of excommunication, the next year (24–28 February).[28] In particular, Gregory decreed that only the Pope could appoint or depose bishops or move them from see to see, an act which was later to cause the Investiture Controversy.[citation needed]
Start of conflict with the Emperor
Gregory VII main political project was his relationship with the Holy Roman Empire. Since the death of Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, the strength of the German monarchy had been seriously weakened, and his untried son Henry IV had to contend with great internal difficulties, presenting an opportunity for Gregory to strengthen the Church.[27]
In the two years following Gregory's election, the
Gregory VII replied with a harsh letter dated 8 December 1075, in which he accused Henry of breaching his word and of continuing to support excommunicated councillors. At the same time, the pope sent a verbal message threatening not only the ban of the Church against the emperor, but the deprivation of his crown. At the same time, Gregory was menaced by Cencio I Frangipane, who on Christmas night surprised him in church and kidnapped him, though he was released the following day.[27]
Pope and emperor depose each other
The high-handed demands and threats of the pope infuriated Henry and his court, and their answer was the hastily convened national synod of Worms on 24 January 1076. In the higher ranks of the German clergy, Gregory had many enemies, and the Roman cardinal Hugo Candidus, once on intimate terms with Gregory but now his opponent, hurried to Germany for the occasion. Candidus declaimed a list of accusations against the pope before the assembly, which resolved that Gregory had forfeited the papacy. In one document full of accusations, the bishops renounced their allegiance to Gregory. In another, Henry pronounced him deposed, and required the Romans to choose a new pope.[27][30]
The council sent two bishops to Italy, who then procured a similar act of deposition from the Lombard bishops at the synod of
On the following day, 22 February 1076, Gregory solemnly pronounced a sentence of excommunication against Henry IV, divested him of his royal dignity, and absolved his subjects of their sworn allegiance. The effectiveness of this sentence depended entirely on Henry's subjects, above all on the German princes. Contemporary evidence suggests that the excommunication of Henry made a profound impression both in Germany and Italy.[27]
Thirty years before, Henry III had deposed three unworthy claimants to the papacy, a service acknowledged by the Church and public opinion. When Henry IV again attempted this procedure he lacked support. In Germany there was a rapid and general feeling in favor of Gregory, strengthening the princes against their feudal lord Henry. When at Whitsun the emperor summoned a council of nobles to oppose the pope, only a few responded. Meanwhile, the Saxons snatched the opportunity to renew their rebellion, and the anti-royalist party grew in strength from month to month.[27]
Walk to Canossa
Henry now faced ruin. As a result of the agitation, which was zealously fostered by the papal legate Bishop
Unable to oppose his princes and the pope together, Henry saw that he must secure absolution from Gregory before the period named. At first he attempted this through an embassy, but when Gregory rejected his overtures he went to Italy in person.
The reconciliation was only effected after prolonged negotiations and definite pledges on the part of Henry, and it was with reluctance that Gregory VII at length gave way, considering the political implications.[31] If Gregory VII granted absolution, the diet of princes in Augsburg, which had called on him as arbitrator, would be rendered impotent. It was impossible, however, to deny the penitent re-entrance into the Church, and Gregory VII's Christian duty overrode his political interests.[27]
The removal of the ban did not imply a genuine settlement, as there was no mention of the main question between pope and emperor: that of investiture. A new conflict was inevitable.[27]
Later excommunications of Henry IV
Obedience to the excommunication of Henry IV was only a pretext to legitimize the rebellion of the German nobles, which did not end with his absolution. To the contrary, at Forchheim in March 1077 they elected a rival ruler in the person of Duke Rudolf of Swabia, with the papal legates declaring their neutrality. Pope Gregory sought to maintain this attitude during the following years, balancing the two parties of fairly equal strength, each trying to gain the upper hand by getting the pope on their side. In the end, his non-commitment largely lost the confidence of both parties. Finally he decided for Rudolf of Swabia after his victory at the Battle of Flarchheim on 27 January 1080. Under pressure from the Saxons, and misinformed as to the significance of this battle, Gregory abandoned his waiting policy and again pronounced the excommunication and deposition of Henry on 7 March 1080.[27][32]
The papal censure now got a very different reception from the one four years before. It was widely felt to be unjustly pronounced on frivolous grounds, and its authority came in question. The emperor, now more experienced, vigorously denounced the ban as illegal.
The pope's chief military supporter,
Henry, upon receipt of this news, again entered Rome on 21 March to see that his supporter, Archbishop Guibert of Ravenna, was enthroned as Pope Clement III on 24 March 1084, who in turn crowned Henry as emperor. In the meantime Gregory had formed an alliance with Robert Guiscard, who marched on the city[22] and compelled Henry to flee towards Civita Castellana.
Exile from Rome
The pope was liberated, but after the Roman people became incensed by the excesses of his Norman allies, again withdrew to Monte Cassino,[38] and later to the castle of Salerno by the sea, where he died on 25 May 1085.[39] Three days before his death, he withdrew all the censures of excommunication that he had pronounced, except those against the two chief offenders—Henry and Guibert.[22]
Papal policy to the rest of Europe
England
In 1076, Gregory appointed Dol Euen, a monk of Saint-Melaine of Rennes, as bishop of Dol, rejecting both the incumbent, Iuthael, who had the support of William the Conqueror, who had recently been conducting military operations in north-eastern Brittany, and Gilduin, the candidate of the nobles in Dol opposing William. Gregory rejected Iuthael because he was notorious for simony and Guilden as too young.[40] Gregory also bestowed on Dol Euen the pallium of a metropolitan archbishop, on the condition that he would submit to the judgment of the Holy See when the long-standing case of the right of Dol to be a metropolitan and use the pallium was finally decided.[41]
King William felt himself so safe that he interfered autocratically with the management of the church, forbade the bishops to visit Rome, made appointments to
Normans in the Kingdom of Sicily
The relationship of Gregory VII to other European states was strongly influenced by his German policy, since the Holy Roman Empire, by taking up most of his energies, often forced him to show to other rulers the very moderation which he withheld from the German king. The attitude of the Normans brought him a rude awakening. The great concessions made to them under Nicholas II were not only powerless to stem their advance into central Italy, but failed to secure even the expected protection for the papacy. When Gregory VII was hard pressed by Henry IV, Robert Guiscard left him to his fate, and only intervened when he himself was threatened with German arms. Then, on the capture of Rome, he abandoned the city to his troops, and the popular indignation evoked by his act brought about Gregory's exile.[27]
Claims of Papal sovereignty
In the case of several countries, Gregory VII tried to establish a claim of sovereignty on the part of the Papacy, and to secure the recognition of its self-asserted rights of possession. On the ground of "immemorial usage",
In his treatment of ecclesiastical policy and ecclesiastical reform, Gregory did not stand alone, but found powerful support: in England Archbishop
France
Philip I of France, by his practice of simony and the violence of his proceedings against the Church, provoked a threat of summary measures. Excommunication, deposition and the interdict appeared to be imminent in 1074. Gregory, however, refrained from translating his threats into actions, although the attitude of the king showed no change, for he wished to avoid a dispersion of his strength in the conflict soon to break out in Germany.[27]
Pope Gregory attempted to organize a crusade into Al-Andalus, led by Count Ebles II of Roucy.[47]
Distant Christian countries
Gregory, in fact, established some sort of relations with every country in Christendom; though these relations did not invariably realize the ecclesiastico-political hopes connected with them. His correspondence extended to
Byzantine Empire
Gregory was particularly concerned with the East. The schism between Rome and the
Internal policy and reforms
Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Gregory XIII | |
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Canonized | 24 May 1728, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII |
Attributes | Papal vestments Papal tiara Benedictine habit |
Patronage | Diocese of Savona Salerno |
His lifework was based on his conviction that the Church was founded by God and entrusted with the task of embracing all mankind in a single society in which divine will is the only law; that, in its capacity as a divine institution, it is supreme over all human structures, especially the secular state; and that the pope, in his role as head of the Church, is the vice-regent of God on earth, so that disobedience to him implies disobedience to God: or, in other words, a defection from Christianity. But any attempt to interpret this in terms of action would have bound the Church to annihilate not merely a single state, but all states.[27]
Thus Gregory VII, as a politician wanting to achieve some result, was driven in practice to adopt a different standpoint. He acknowledged the existence of the state as a dispensation of
He wished to see all important matters of dispute referred to Rome; appeals were to be addressed to himself; the centralization of ecclesiastical government in Rome naturally involved a curtailment of the powers of bishops. Since these refused to submit voluntarily and tried to assert their traditional independence, his papacy is full of struggles against the higher ranks of the clergy.[27] Pope Gregory VII was critical in promoting and regulating the concept of modern university as his 1079 Papal Decree ordered the regulated establishment of cathedral schools that transformed themselves into the first European universities.[citation needed]
This battle for the foundation of papal supremacy is connected with his championship of compulsory celibacy among the clergy and his attack on simony. Gregory VII did not introduce the celibacy of the priesthood into the Church, but he took up the struggle with greater energy than his predecessors. In 1074, he published an encyclical, absolving the people from their obedience to bishops who allowed married priests. The next year he enjoined them to take action against married priests, and deprived these clerics of their revenues. Both the campaign against priestly marriage and that against simony provoked widespread resistance.[27]
His writings treat mainly of the principles and practice of Church government.[22] They may be found in Mansi's collection under the title "Gregorii VII registri sive epistolarum libri".[50] Most of his surviving letters are preserved in his Register, which is now stored in the Vatican Archives.
Doctrine of the Eucharist
Gregory VII was seen by Pope
I believe in my heart and openly profess that the bread and wine that are placed on the altar are, through the mystery of the sacred prayer and the words of the Redeemer, substantially changed into the true and proper and lifegiving flesh and blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, and that after the consecration they are the true body of Christ.[53]
This profession of faith began a "Eucharistic Renaissance" in the churches of Europe as of the 12th century.[52]
Death
Pope Gregory VII died in exile in Salerno; the epitaph on his sarcophagus in the city's Cathedral says: "I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore, I die in exile."[10][54]
Legacy
Gregory VII was beatified by Pope Gregory XIII in 1584 and canonized on 24 May 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII.[22]
See also
- Concordat of Worms
- Dictatus papae (1075–87)
- First Council of the Lateran
- Libertas ecclesiae
- List of popes
References
- ^ Cowdrey 1998, p. 28.
- ISBN 978-0140231991]
- ^ New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 3, Catholic University of America: Washington, D.C. 1967, p. 323
- ^ New Catholic Encyclopedia 1967, p. 366
- ISBN 9781317165163.
- ^ Beno, Cardinal Priest of Santi Martino e Silvestro. Gesta Romanae ecclesiae contra Hildebrandum. c. 1084. In K. Francke, MGH Libelli de Lite II (Hannover, 1892), pp. 369–373.
- ^ "The acts and monuments of John Foxe", Volume 2
- ^ Cowdrey 1998, pp. 495–496.
- ^ Johann Georg Estor, Probe einer verbesserten Heraldic (Giessen 1728), "vorrede": Das Pabst Hildebrand ein Zimmermanns Sohn gewesen, we noch der Pater Daniel in der netten Historie von Franckreich geglaubet, rechnete der Pater Maimburg und Pater Pagi nicht unbillig zu eben dieser Ordnung. Francesco Pagi, Breviarium historico-chronologico criticum Tomus II (Antwerp 1717), p. 417, attributed to Cardinal Baronius the notion that the father was a faber, but that Papebroch considered him to be of noble stock.
- ^ ISBN 978-971-91595-4-4.
- ^ a b c Butler, Alban (25 May 1866). "Saint Gregory VII., Pope and Confessor. Volume V: The Lives of the Saints". www.bartleby.com. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Cowdrey 1998, p. 29.
- ISBN 9780231501675
- ^ According to the sources, feeling he was nearing his end, Stephen had his cardinals swear that they would wait for Hildebrand's return to Rome before electing his successor.Paravicini Bagliani, Agostino (December 2008). "Una carriera dietro le quinte". Medioevo (143): 70.
- ^ Weber, Nicholas. "Pope Nicholas II." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton 1911 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Galeria Antica". Lazio Nascosto (in Italian). Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ G. B. Borino, "L' arcidiaconato di Ildebrando," Studi Gregoriani 3 (1948), 463–516.
- ^ public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Alexander (popes)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Arnold Harris Mathew D.D. (1910). "Early life of Hildebrand". the Life and Times of Hildebrand. London: Francis Griffiths. p. 20.
- ^ The Annales of Berthold, the follower of Hermannus Augiensis, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptorum Volume 5 (Hannover 1844), p. 276: Quo audito sese imparem tanto honori immo oneri reputans, inducias respondendi vix imploravit; et sic fuga elapsus aliquot dies ad Vincula sancti Petri occultatus latuit. Tandem vix inventus et ad apostolicam sedem vi perductus....
- ^ Philippus Jaffé (editor), Regesta pontificum Romanorum editio secunda Tomus I (Leipzig 1885), p. 198. Sede Vacante 1073 (Dr. J. P. Adams).
- ^ a b c d e f g h One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Oestreich, Thomas (1913). "Pope St. Gregory VII". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Bonizo of Sutri, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, 6, Libelli 1, Libelli de Lite I (Hannover, 1891), p. 601 (ed. E. Dummler). Carl Mirbt, Die Publizistik im Zeitalter Gregors VII (Leipzig 1894), pp. 42–43.
- ^ J. P. Migne (editor), Patrologia Latina Volume 148, columns 235–237.
- ^ Liber Pontificalis, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptores, Volume 5 (Hannover 1844), p. 164 (ed. Mommsen), p. 164: Hic fecit constitutum in ecclesia beati Petri, in quo sederunt episcopi LXXII, presbiteri Romani XXXIII, diaconi et clerus omnis, sub anathemate, ut nullus pontificem viventem aut episcopum civitatis suae praesumat loqui aut partes sibi facere nisi tertio die depositionis eius adunato clero et filiis ecclesiae, tunc electio fiat, et quis quem voluerit habebit licentiam eligendi sibi sacerdotem.
- ^ The Annales of Lambertus of Hersfeld, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptorum 5 (1844), p. 194, states that Gregory did wait for a reply from the Emperor: cogi tamen nullo modo potuisse, ut ordinari se permitteret, donec in electionem suam tam regem quam principes Teutonici regni consensisse certa legatione cognosceret. Whether he got it, or whether the response was positive, is another matter.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gregory (Popes)/Gregory VII". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ a b Paravicini Bagliani, Agostino (December 2008). "Sia fatta la mia volontà". Medioevo (143): 76.
- ^ Barber, Malcolm. The Two Cities: Medieval Europe 1050–1320. (2004) University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 7-88
- ^ Letter to Gregory VII (24 January 1076)
- ^ A. Creber, ‘Women at Canossa. The Role of Elite Women in the Reconciliation between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV of Germany (January 1077),’ Storicamente 13 (2017), article no. 13, pp. 1–44.
- ^ Emerton, pp. 149–154.
- ^ Philippus Jaffe, Regesta pontificum Romanorum I, editio altera (Leipzig 1885), p. 649. Guibert continued to maintain his pretensions as pope until his death in September 1100. Otto Köhncke, Wibert von Ravenna (Papst Clemens III) (Leipzig 1888).
- ^ Philippus Jaffé (editor) Bibliotheca rerum Germanicarum Tomus II: Monumenta Gregoriana (Berolini 1865), pp. 443–444 (Regestum, Book VIII, 13).
- ^ He complained in a letter to King Alfonso of Leon and Castile in 1081 that he had a large number of detractors, whose complaints were widely spread, and whom he names as "liars": Jaffe Bibliotheca, pp. 470–473.
- ^ Robinson (1978), p. 100.
- ISBN 978-0812210170.
- ^ Ferdinand Gregorovius, History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages (tr. A. Hamilton) Volume IV (London 1896), pp. 245–255. Horace K. Mann, The Lives of the Popes in the Middle Ages Volume VII (London 1910), pp. 162–165.
- ^ a b Peters 1971, p. 33.
- ISBN 0-85115-745-9.
- ^ Philippus Jaffe (editor) Bibliotheca rerum Germanicarum Tomus II: Monumenta Gregoriana (Berolini 1865), pp. 247–249 (Registrum IV.4 and 5, 27 September 1076). B. Hauréau (editor), Gallia christiana XIV (Paris 1856), 1046–1047.
- ISBN 0-85115-502-2.
- ^ Philippus Jaffe (editor) Bibliotheca rerum Germanicarum Tomus II: Monumenta Gregoriana (Berolini 1865), pp. 318–320; and Gregory's complaint to William, Archbishop of Rouen in 1080, who paid no attention to demands that he come to Rome: pp. 469–470. Likewise, in Regestum IV. 9, Gregory informed the Archbishop of Sens that he would excommunicate the Bishop of Orleans unless he turned up in Rome: pp. 253–254 (2 November 1076)
- ISBN 0-520-00350-0.
- ^ Emerton, pp. 154–156 (24 April 1080). Migne, Patrologia Latina Vol. 148, pp. 565–567.
- ^ Benedictines of S. Maur (editors), Gallia christiana IV (Paris 1728), pp. 97–109.
- ISBN 0-631-19964-0.
- ISBN 0-7007-1418-9.
- ^ "Pope Gregory VII on the Plight of Eastern Christians Prior to the First Crusade". 14 November 2016.
- ^ Mansi, "Gregorii VII registri sive epistolarum libri." Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio. Florence, 1759
- )
- ^ ISBN 0-9648448-9-3.
- ^ "Mysterium fidei". Vatican website.
- ISBN 978-3-322-98884-3.
Further reading
- Watterich, Johann M., ed. (1862). Pontificum Romanorum Vitae ab aequalibus conscriptae Tomus I. Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann.
- Bonizo of Sutri, "Liber ad amicum", in Philippus Jaffé (editor) Bibliotheca rerum Germanicarum Tomus II: Monumenta Gregoriana (Berolini 1865), pp. 577–689.
- Paul von Bernried, Canon of Regensburg, "S. Gregorii VII Vita," J. P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus Series Latina Tomus CXLVIII: Sancti Gregorii VII Epistolae et Diplomata Pontificia (Paris 1878), 39–104.
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. XI (9th ed.). 1880. pp. 176–177. .
- Macdonald, Allan John (1932). Hildebrand: A Life of Gregory VII. London: Methuen.
- OCLC 1471578.
- Kuttner, S. (1947). 'Liber Canonicus: a note on the Dictatus Papae', Studi Gregoriani 2 (1947), 387–401.
- Capitani, O. "Esiste un' «età gregoriana» ? Considerazioni sulle tendenze di una storiografia medievistica," Rivista di storia e letteratura religiosa 1 (1965), pp. 454–481.
- Capitani, O. (1966). Immunità vescovili ed ecclesiologia in età "pregregoriana" e "gregoriana". L'avvio alla "Restaurazione, Spoleto.
- Gatto, L. (1968). Bonizo di Sutri ed il suo Liber ad Amicum Pescara.
- Knox, Ronald (1972). "Finding the Law: Developments in Canon Law during the Gregorian Reform," Studi Gregoriani 9 (1972) 419–466.
- Gilchrist, J. T. (1972). "The Reception of Pope Gregory VII into the Canon Law (1073–1141)." Zeitschrift für Rechtsgeschichte: Kanonistische Abteilung, 59 (1973), 35–82.
- Robinson, Ian Stuart. (1978). Authority and Resistance in the Investiture Contest: the Polemical Literature of the Late Eleventh Century. Manchester University Press.
- Capitani, O. (1984). L'Italia medievale nei secoli di trapasso: la riforma della Chiesa (1012–1122). Bologna.
- Fuhrmann, H. (1989). "Papst Gregor VII. und das Kirchenrecht. Zum Problem des Dictatus papae," Studi Gregoriani XIII, pp. 123–149, 281–320.
- Golinelli, Paolo (1991). Matilde e i Canossa nel cuore del Medioevo. Milano: Mursia.
- Leyser, Karl (1994). Communications and Power in Medieval Europe: The Gregorian Revolution and Beyond. London: The Hambledon Press. ISBN 978-0826430281.
- ISBN 9780191584596.
- Capitani, Ovidio (2000), "Gregorio VII, santo," in Enciclopedia dei Papi. Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana.
- Robinson, I. S. (2003). Henry IV of Germany 1056–1106 (revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521545907.
- Förster, Thomas (2011). Bonizo von Sutri als gregorianischer Geschichtsschreiber. Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung.. Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Studien und Texte, 53.
- Mathew, Arnold Harris (2013) [1910]. The Life and Times of Hildebrand, Pope Gregory VII. St. Gabriel Theological Press.
- Capitani, Ovidio; (ed. Pio Berardo) (2015). Gregorio VII : il papa epitome della chiesa di Roma. Spoleto : Centro Italiano di Studi sull'Alto Medioevo.
- ISBN 9780199684960.
- Villegas-Aristizábal, Lucas, "Pope Gregory VII and Count Eblous II of Roucy's Proto-Crusade in Iberia c. 1073", Medieval History Journal 21.1 (2018), 1–24.
External links
- Women's Biography: Matilda of Tuscany, countess of Tuscany, duchess of Lorraine, contains several of his letters to his supporter, Matilda of Tuscany.
- Database of the Letters of Pope Gregory VII: Which letter is in which collection?
- Literature by and about Pope Gregory VII in the German National Library catalogue
- Works by and about Pope Gregory VII in the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (German Digital Library)
- "Gregorius VII papa". Repertorium "Historical Sources of the German Middle Ages" (Geschichtsquellen des deutschen Mittelalters).