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Why did the word beneficium cause conflict between Frederick I and the papacy?

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Medieval manuscript miniature showing Frederick I as a crowned crusader holding an orb and scepter, with Henry of Schaftlarn kneeling and presenting a book to him. — Frederick I Frederick I as a Crusader with (right) Henry of Schäftlarn dedicating to him a copy of the *History of the First Crusade* by Robert of St. Remy; miniature from a manuscript in the Vatican Library.

The conflict regarding the word beneficium arose during the 1157 Diet of Besançon, where a letter from Pope Adrian IV was presented to Frederick I and the German princes.12

The tension was triggered when the papal letter suggested that Frederick had received the empire as a beneficium, or fief, from the pope. This terminology deeply offended the emperor and his advisers, as it implied that the Holy Roman Empire was a dependent holding granted by the papacy, rather than an independent authority. Frederick and his court viewed this as a challenge to the sovereignty of the empire, asserting that imperial power was derived from election by the princes and Frankish conquest rather than papal conferment.213

In response to the resulting diplomatic crisis, Adrian IV later clarified that he intended the word to mean "favor" or "benefit" rather than a feudal fief. However, the incident served as a significant catalyst for the ongoing power struggle between the papacy and the Hohenstaufen line.12