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Why did Pope Gregory VII flee Rome after Henry IV’s invasion?
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Henry IV
Henry IV, illumination from the manuscript Ekkehardi historia, c. 1113; in possession of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Pope Gregory VII fled Rome in 1084 after Henry IV successfully captured the city with the support of German and Italian troops. The Romans, including many cardinals and clergy, had deserted the papal cause due to Gregory’s inflexibility and opened the gates to the emperor’s army.12
Following the capture of the city, Henry IV installed Archbishop Wibert of Ravenna as the antipope Clement III, who then crowned Henry as emperor. Gregory VII initially sought refuge in the Castel Sant’Angelo before fleeing to Salerno under the protection of his Norman allies, where he remained until his death in 1085.12