How did Henry IV’s absolution at Canossa affect the German princes opposing him?

Henry IV’s act of penance at Canossa in January 1077 was a significant political maneuver that temporarily deprived his opponents of their primary canonical justification for rebellion, as the pope had officially readmitted the king to the church.1

However, the German princes opposing Henry did not abandon their cause. They viewed his submission as a breach of the original agreement to hold an assembly at Augsburg to resolve the conflict. Consequently, the princes proceeded with their plans to replace him, declaring Henry dethroned and electing Rudolf of Rheinfelden, the duke of Swabia, as their anti-king in March 1077.12

While the absolution at Canossa saved Henry’s crown in the short term by neutralizing the pope’s immediate moral authority against him, it did not end the civil war. The conflict between Henry and the princes continued, and the king was eventually forced to reassert his authority through military means and further political maneuvering.21