John's reign also marked the end of the long struggle between Church and
state in England. This had begun in 1066 when the pope claimed that William had
promised to accept him as his feudal lord. William refused to accept this
claim. He had created Norman bishops and given them land on condition that they
paid homage to him. As a result it was not clear whether the bishops should
obey the Church or the king. Those kings and popes who wished to avoid conflict
left the matter alone. But some kings and popes wanted to increase their
authority. In such circumstances trouble could not be avoided.
The struggle was for both power and money. During the eleventh and
twelfth centuries the Church wanted the kings of Europe to accept its authority
over both spiritual and earthly affairs, and argued that even kings were
answerable to God. Kings, on the other hand, chose as bishops men who would be
loyal to them.
The first serious quarrel was between William Rufus and Anselm, the man
he had made Archbishop of Canterbury. Anselm, with several other bishops,
fearing the king, had escaped from England. After William's death Anselm
refused to do homage to William's successor, Henry I. Henry, meanwhile, had
created several new bishops but they had no spiritual authority without the
blessing of the archbishop. This left the king in a difficult position. It took
seven years to settle the disagreement. Finally the king agreed that only the
Church could create bishops. But in return the Church agreed that bishops would
pay homage to the king for the lands owned by their bishoprics. In practice the
wishes of the king in the appointment of bishops remained important. But after
Anselm's death Henry managed to delay the appointment of a new archbishop for
five years while he benefited from the wealth of Canterbury. The struggle
between Church and state continued.
