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Why did the conflict between Gregory VII and Henry IV continue after Canossa?

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Gregory VII excommunicating Henry IV — St. Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII, after his expulsion from Rome, laying a ban of excommunication on the clergy “together with the raging king” (Henry IV of Germany), drawing from the 12th-century chronicle of Otto of Freising; in the library of the University of Jena, Germany.

The conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV continued after the events at Canossa because the reconciliation was primarily a tactical political maneuver rather than a resolution of their fundamental ideological differences.12

While Henry’s penance at Canossa in 1077 successfully deprived his German opposition of canonical arguments for his removal, it did not settle the underlying disputes regarding the nature of authority and the Investiture Controversy. Key factors that sustained the conflict included:12

Political Resurgence: Once absolved and restored to the church, Henry was able to reestablish his power in Germany and defeat the rebellion led by his rivals.12
Ideological Divergence: The two leaders remained at odds over the nature of authority; Henry viewed himself as the divinely appointed vice-regent of Christ with power over the church, while Gregory asserted that the papacy held supreme commission over all souls.1
Continued Disobedience: Henry continued to intervene in church affairs and ignore papal commands, leading Gregory to excommunicate him a second time in 1080.13
Escalation: Following the second excommunication, Henry felt secure enough to invade Italy, drive Gregory from Rome, and install an antipope, Clement III.12

Ultimately, the encounter at Canossa served only to interrupt the immediate political crisis, but it failed to reconcile the competing visions of church and state that defined their struggle.12