Page "Concordat of Worms" Paragraph 29

According to the terms of the compromise, the election of bishops and abbots was to follow proper procedure, that is, the canons of the cathedral were to elect the bishop.

The monks were to choose the abbot.

This was a minimum that the church had demanded.

In the compromise, the pope agreed that the king or his representative had the right to be present at such elections to resolve any disputes between candidates.

What this meant, in effect, was that the king would have the bishop he wanted, though some prelate would invest the new bishop with the insignia of the office.

As William of Champeaux assured Henry V, he had nothing to lose by surrendering the right of investiture.

In the Concordat of Worms the church accepted a face-saving concession.

The king retained substantially what he already possessed — the power to fill bishoprics with men of his choice.

Nevertheless, Gregory VII ’ s dramatization of the issue produced a significant improvement in the character of men raised to the episcopacy.

Kings no longer interfered so frequently in their election, and when they did, they generally nominated more worthy candidates for the office.