against England (S68), ascended the papal throne, under the title of
Gregory VII. He was the ablest, the most ambitious, and, in some
respects, he most farsighted man who had been elected supreme head of
the Catholic Church.

117. State of Europe; Gregory's Scheme of Reform.

Europe was at that time in a condition little better than anarchy. A
perpetual quarrel was going on between the feudal barons. The Church,
too, as we have seen (SS53, 60), had temporarily lost much of its
power for good. Pope Gregory conceived a scheme of reform which he
intended should be both wide and deep.

Like Dunstan (S60), he determined to correct the abuses which had
crept into the monasteries. He resolved to have a priesthood who
should devote themselves body and soul to the interests of the Church;
he resolved to bring all society into submission to that priesthood;
finally, he resolved to make the priesthood itself acknowledge him as
its sole master. His purpose in this gigantic scheme was a noble one;
it was to establish the unity and peace of Europe.

118. The Pope and the Conqueror, 1076.

Pope Gregory looked to William for help in this matter. The
Conqueror, who was a zealous Catholic, was ready to give that help,
but with limitations. He pledged himself to aid in reforming the
English Church, which had enjoyed "an insular and barbaric
independence." He undertook to remove inefficient men from its high
places. The King also agreed to do something that had never been done
before in England, namely, to establish separate courts (S151) for the