Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/301

 Popes, Emperors, and Princes in the Middle Ages 217 but it was obviously even less like that of the ancient Romans than Charlemagne's had been. As kings of Germany and Italy these rulers had practically all the powers that they enjoyed as emperors. The title of emperor was of course a proud one, although it gave the German kings no additional power except the fatal right that they claimed of taking part in the election of the Pope. We shall find that, instead of making themselves feared at home and building up a great state, the German emperors wasted their strength in a long struggle with the popes, who proved themselves, in the end, far stronger and finally reduced the Empire to a mere shadow. 347. Lands of the Church drawn into the Feudal System. In order to understand the long struggle between the German rulers and the popes, we must recollect that great tracts of land had been given by princes and dukes, counts, and other great landed proprietors to the Church for the support of the bishop- rics and monasteries. These lands of the churchmen were drawn into the feudal system described in the previous chapter. Bishops might become vassals of the king or other feudal lords by doing homage for a fief and swearing fidelity, like any other vassal. The abbots might hold the lands of a monastery as a fief. But the bishops and abbots were forbidden by the rules of the Church to marry, so they could not hand down their possessions to their children. Consequently, when a bishop or abbot who held a fief died, someone had to be chosen in his place to succeed to the fief and perform the duties attached to the position. 348. Investiture. The bishops were, according to the rules of the Church, to be chosen by the clergy of their bishopric, and the abbot of a monastery by the monks. Their feudal superiors insisted, however, in having their say in elections, and from the time of Otto the Great on both bishops and abbots were com- monly selected to all intents and purposes by the emperor or other feudal lords. When a bishop or abbot had been duly chosen, the feudal lord proceeded to the investiture. The new bishop or abbot first be- came the "man" of the lord by doing him homage ( 338), and