Through the Ages - Normans

Henry I - 1100

The Investiture Question

Henry I

When William II had appointed Anselm to the see of Canterbury in 1093, the new archbishop had resisted the process of lay investiture. For William this was only the tip of the iceberg as far as problems with Anselm went. By the time the king died in 1100, Anselm was living in self-imposed exile. When Henry I came to throne, he recalled the archbishop as a way of rebuilding relations between Church and State. Unfortunately for him, this only marked the beginning of further troubles.

The process of investiture involved a ceremony during which the king officially presented new abbots and bishops with their appointments. He gave them a ring and a staff as symbols of their office, after which he received their homage. Since time immemorial, monarchs had been seen as sacred men appointed by God. Therefore it was accepted that they had the right of control over both Church and State. By the end of the eleventh century however, the Church was undergoing many changes. The papacy began to exert more control and higher-ranking members of the clergy began to resist the leadership of their kings. All of a sudden, the Church and State, instead of being at one, were now two opposing factions. The right of lay investiture was one of the major points of contention.

Henry I tried to reconcile the Church and the state - to repair the damage done during the reign of William II by recalling Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. On returning from exile, Anselm reclaimed his position but refused to pay homage to Henry. Furthermore, he would not acknowledge anyone invested by the king. It was only after threats of excommunication from Rome that Henry I sought a compromise on religious matters.

The Church Versus the State

The problems began almost as soon as Anselm was reinstated at Canterbury. Whilst in exile, he had attended a number of seminars in which he familiarised himself with the latest decisions of the Roman Church. From this he learned that it had turned its back on lay investiture. Consequently, when he returned to England, Anselm refused to pay homage to Henry and, as archbishop, refused to consecrate any members of the clergy who had been invested by the king.

Postponing the Problem

It was clearly a point on which the king and the archbishop were never going to agree. Rather than discussing it immediately, Henry preferred to ignore the issue as he thought it wise not to instigate a quarrel with the Church at that time. Anselm had thought his problems were over when the new king had sent tor his return. Despite this, he was forced back into exile as he was unable to deal with Henry's delaying tactics. Henry had reckoned without the evergrowing power of the pope, though. Temporarily free of Anselm, the relieved king turned his attentions to his campaign in Normandy. Then he received a threat from Rome to renounce lay investiture or suffer excommunication.

Gateway to the Canterbury's cathedral precincts.

Resolving the Issue

The see of Canterbury became the focus of dissent between Church and State during Henry I's reign. Henry attempted to reinstate Anselm as Archbishop of Canterbury but was reluctant to lose his powers of investiture. Following Anselm's death, Henry, unable to face further conflict, left the position vacant. This magnificent gateway (left) leads on to Canterbury's cathedral precincts.

It was a critical juncture. Henry had neither the time nor the inclination to put up a fight. Despite his anger at the way in which his royal rights were being withdrawn, he agreed to a compromise. He did renounce the practice of lay investiture and agreed that as king he would no longer present the prelates with the ring and staff. He maintained the right to receive their homage, though. In practice it worked out well for Henry as he retained a ruling hand in Church decisions.

The underlying issue was that Anselm refused to believe the king was more important than the pope in spiritual matters. Unfortunately, papal supremacy was an idea that went against everything in which the archetypal medieval king believed. In accepting this argument, the control of the monarch would be greatly diminished. In fact, neither side was content and Anselm died in 1109 feeling that the battle had not quite been won. Henry, unable to bear the thought of a renewal of the argument, left the see of Canterbury vacant for five years.