Imperial Church Policy (English: Reichskirchenpolitik) German

This policy, which began with Otto I and was inherited by the kings of the House of Saxony and the early House of Salier, aimed to strengthen German monarchy and ensure national unity by using the power of the church within the country as its pillar.

The medieval German Kingdom, which began with the accession of Conrad I in 911, was an amalgamation of tribes such as Saxony, Franconia, Bavaria, and Swabia, and each tribe had a strong tendency to become independent under its own tribal grand duke, so the king had to struggle to maintain national unity. Otto I, the second king of the House of Saxony, initially appointed his relatives as tribal grand dukes and attempted to ensure unity through personal ties, but when a rebellion broke out among domestic leaders led by his son, Grand Duke Lyudolf of Swabia, and his son-in-law, Grand Duke Conrad of Lorraine, he felt the need for a more stable systemic basis of rule rather than an unstable one based on personal relationships, and so he switched to a policy of governing the country through ties with the church. In other words, he placed close clergymen in key church positions, such as bishops, archbishops, and imperial abbots within the country, donated vast estates which he protected by granting them the privilege of inmunitate (no imports into the country), and granted them the right to mint coins, open markets, and collect customs duties.He also gave them the right to manage royal lands and, at times, even the Grafschaft (county) itself, completely incorporating the church organization into the state governing structure.

This policy was a great success, but on the other hand, as a result of the clergy colluding with political power, the monastic reform movement became the target of attack, and the king's right to appoint clergy, which was the premise of imperial church policy, was fundamentally shaken by the Investiture Controversy.

[Shosuke Hirajo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

オットー1世に始まり、ザクセン朝、初期ザリエル朝の諸国王によって継承された政策で、国内の教会勢力を支柱として、ドイツ王権の強化、国家的統一の確保を目的とする。

　911年のコンラート1世の即位に始まる中世ドイツ王国は、ザクセン、フランケン、バイエルン、シュワーベン等の諸部族の集合体であり、それぞれの部族大公のもとに自立的傾向が強く、国王はいかにして国家的統一を維持してゆくかに苦労せねばならなかった。ザクセン朝第2代の国王オットー1世は、最初、近親者を部族大公に任命し、人的つながりによって統一を確保しようと試みたが、息子のシュワーベン大公リウドルフ、女婿のロートリンゲン大公コンラートを中心に国内有力者の反乱が起こるに及び、人的関係というような不安定なものでなく、制度的により安定した支配基盤の必要に迫られ、教会勢力と結んで国内統治を行うという政策に転換した。すなわち、国内の司教、大司教、帝国修道院長など教会の主要役職に側近の聖職者を配置し、広大な所領を寄進して、それにインムニテート（不輸不入）の特権を与えて保護し、貨幣鋳造権、市場開設権、関税徴収権等を賦与し、さらに王領地の管理権から、ときによるとグラーフシャフト（伯領）そのものの管理までゆだねて、教会組織を国家統治機構のなかに完全に組み込むというものであった。

　この政策は大きな成功を収めたが、他方聖職者が政治権力と癒着した結果、修道院改革運動が起こるとこれが攻撃の対象とされ、帝国教会政策の前提である国王の聖職者叙任権そのものが叙任権闘争によって根底から動揺させられることになった。

［平城照介］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例