Why did St. Anselm of Canterbury refuse King William II Rufus’s payment demand?

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Luca della Robbia: St. Anselm of Canterbury — St. Anselm of Canterbury St. Anselm of Canterbury (center), terra-cotta altarpiece by Luca della Robbia; in the Museo Diocesano, Empoli, Italy.

St. Anselm of Canterbury refused King William II Rufus’s demand for a sum of money because he feared the payment would be perceived as simony, which is the sinful act of buying or selling an ecclesiastical position.1

By rejecting this demand, Anselm sought to maintain the integrity of his office and ensure that his appointment was not viewed as a transaction with a secular ruler. This refusal was a significant moment in the Investiture Controversy, a broader conflict concerning whether the pope or a secular monarch held the primary authority to invest bishops with the symbols of their spiritual office.1