Gregorian Reform

Western Society, pp.273-276 (The Gregorian Revolution.) Summarize the ideas of Gregory VII. Pope Gregory VIII (1073-1085) , was an main influence in the papal reform movement of the eleventh century, often called the Gregorian reform movement. He was the first pope to emphasize the political authority of the papacy. His belief that kings had failed to promote reform in church prompted him to claim a role in the politics of Western Christendom. Gregory insisted on the freedom of the church, meaning the end of Lay investiture, the selection and appointment of church officials by secular authority. They believed that churchmen must be free form the control and interference of laypeople.