Editing Pope Gregory VII (section)

===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 (1076)|synod of Worms]] on 24 January 1076. In the higher ranks of the German clergy, Gregory had many enemies, and the Roman cardinal [[Hugh of Remiremont|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.<ref name="EB"/><ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/henry4-to-g7a.html Letter to Gregory VII (24 January 1076)]</ref>

The council sent two bishops to Italy, who then procured a similar act of deposition from the Lombard bishops at the synod of [[Piacenza]]. [[Roland (bishop of Treviso)|Roland of Parma]] faced the pope with these decisions before the synod which had just assembled in the [[Lateran Basilica]]. For the moment the members were frightened, but there soon arose such a storm of indignation that only the calming words of Gregory saved the envoy's life.<ref name="EB"/>

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.<ref name="EB"/>

Thirty years before, [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|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.<ref name="EB"/>