his stead.
[Sidenote: Interference of Emperors of the West.] From this time the
emperors frequently interfered to check the continual disputes between
Popes and anti-Popes, which often ended in the murder of one of the
rivals. Silvester II. (Gerbert) (A.D. 999-A.D. 1003), {105} who was
made Pope through the influence of Otho III., was prevented by death
from carrying out the reforms he meditated, and at length, in A.D.
1046, the Emperor Henry III. was called upon to decide between three
claimants to the papal throne. He settled the question by appointing a
German, Clement II. (A.D. 1046-A.D. 1047), after the synod of Sutri had
put aside the claims of the original disputants. Henry thus took the
election of the Popes entirely out of the hands of the Clergy of Rome,
with whom it had hitherto nominally rested, and appropriated it to
himself. [Sidenote: This interference unjustifiable.] This was an
undoubted usurpation on the part of the secular power, though Henry
seems to have been in earnest in his endeavours to check the simony
which had been so disgracefully prevalent in the papal elections, and
to appoint Bishops who might be worthy of their position. [Sidenote:
Hildebrand's influence.] [Sidenote: Overthrow of secular interference.]
Leo IX. (A.D. 1048-A.D. 1054) and his successor, Victor II. (A.D.
1055-A.D. 1057), aided and influenced by the famous Hildebrand
(afterwards Gregory VII.), succeeded in effecting considerable reforms
in religion and morals, and were very zealous in discouraging
simoniacal appointments to offices in the Church, but a gradual and
increasing resistance was growing up against the imperial
encroachments, and after the death of Henry, Pope Nicholas II. (A.D.
1059-A.D. 1061) was enabled to obtain a decree that the election of the
Popes should, for the future, rest with the Roman Cardinals, subject to
the consent of the Roman Clergy and people, and with some vague
reference to the emperor's wishes.

[Sidenote: Hildebrand Pope.]

At length Hildebrand, the counsellor and support of {106} several
preceding Popes, was himself called to the see of Rome under the title
of Gregory VII. (A.D. 1073-A.D. 1083), and at once devoted the energies
of his powerful mind to the work of reforming the Church. [Sidenote:
His reforms] The two means on which he chiefly relied for accomplishing
his object were the enforcing of celibacy on the Clergy, and the
abolition of simony, under which head he included ever