GROWTH OF THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH 293 quered England under papal auspices, paid no attention to the decrees against investitures and refused to William the I take an oath of fealty to Gregory VII, when andTthe 1 ™ the latter requested it. William further affirmed Papacy that his royal permission must be obtained before church ! councils could be held in his kingdom, before papal bulls might be published there, and before any of his officials or vassals might be excommunicated. Yet Gregory did not excommunicate William or threaten to depose him, partly probably because he was a generous patron of churches and monasteries and was bringing the English church service and clergy into conformity with Continental practice ; but partly in all likelihood because it was hopeless to think of deposing William who had just thoroughly conquered England and held it submissive under his strong rule. Henry IV seemed easier to fight with. But the Church was sure to press its claims as it found a good opportunity, even in France and England. The suc- cessor of the Conqueror, William Rufus, whose Growing immorality, profanity, and tyranny gave the between Church a handle against him, had an indeci- S 11 }?^. sive struggle with his archbishop, Anselm, as to England whether the latter should obey the pope or the king on disputed points. In the next reign of Henry I the investi- ture question reached England and was finally compromised as above indicated. But then during the long civil wars between Stephen and Matilda the Church slipped away from the royal control, was granted liberties by Stephen in an effort to secure its support, and through its own ecclesiastical courts tried to supply some of the justice and security that were just then so woefully lacking. We have in earlier chapters noted the judicial privileges and powers granted by the Theodosian Code to the Chris- tian clergy of the declining Roman Empire, and Rise of that with the disappearance of imperial and courtsftheir municipal government in the West the bishop jurisdiction often became a sort of local ruler. Naturally his court ac- quired an increasing amount of judicial business, especially
