Why did Emperor Henry IV walk over the Alps to meet the Pope in 1077?

🚩 Ever since it happened people have been debating what took place at Canossa. Some have called it a brilliant masterstroke by Emperor Henry IV, while others have termed it his humiliation. The events leading up to January 28, 1077 are considered one of the most dramatic moments of the Middle Ages, and perhaps the most murky when it comes to understanding what really took place at this Italian castle. 🚩 This video was produced in collaboration with Medievalists.net, the best place to learn about the Middle Ages for FREE. Enjoy expertly written news, articles and videos - Medievalist.net is where the Middle Ages begin! https://www.medievalists.net/ 🚩 Consider supporting my work on Patreon and enjoy early access ad-free videos for as little as $1:   / historymarche   📜 Research and Writing by: Medievalists.NET 📢 Narrated by David McCallion 📜 Sources: Primary Sources: The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII: Selected Letters from the Registrum, trans. Ephraim Emerton (Columbia University Press, 1932) Imperial Lives and Letter of the Eleventh Century, trans. Theodor Mommsen and Karl Morrison (Columbia University Press, 1962) The Papal Reform of the Eleventh Century: Lives of Pope Leo IX and Pope Gregory VII, trans. I.S. Robinson (Manchester University Press, 2004) Eleventh-Century Germany: The Swabian Chronicles, trans. I.S. Robinson (Manchester University Press, 2008) The Chronicles of the Investiture Contest: Frutolf of Michelsberg and His Continuators, trans. T.J.H. McCarthy (Manchester University Press, 2014) The Annals of Lampert of Hersfeld, trans. I.S. Robinson (Manchester University Press, 2015) Secondary Sources: Cowdrey, H.E.J., Pope Gregory VII, 1073-1085 (Clarendon Press, 1998) Morrison, Karl F., “Canossa: A Revision”, Traditio, Vol.18 (1962) pp.121–58 Robinson, I.S., Henry IV of Germany 1056-1106 (Cambridge University Press, 2000) Spike, Michele K., Tuscan Countess: The Life and Extraordinary Times of Matilda of Canossa (Vendome Press, 2004) #Medievalists.net #history #Documentary