This Day in History - January 30th

On this day in 1077:

Pope Gregory VII pardoned Henry IV, the German king and Holy Roman Emperor.  Henry had engaged in a long struggle with the Pope over the question of lay investiture, the right of a ruler to install men of his choice as bishops and abbots.  Henry was excommunicated by the Pope, but did penance at Canossa and his excommunication was withdrawn.

On this day in 1349:

Gunther von Schwarzburg was elected King of Germany by opponents of Emperor Charles IV after the throne was refused by Edward III, King of England.  Gunther did not enjoy the position for long:  He was defeated by Charles at Eltville, and renounced his claims after being paid 20,000 silver marks.  He didn't get to enjoy that long, either--he died 3 weeks later in Frankfort.

On this day in 1592:

Ippolito Aldobrandini is elected as Pope, and becomes Pope Clement VIII.  One of the largest milestones of his papacy was the reconciliation of the Church and King Henry IV of France.  Three years after he became Pope, he initiated an alliance between European Christian powers to fight against the Ottoman Empire in what became known as "The Long War" and which outlasted his lifetime.

On this day in 1647:

The Scots agree to sell Charles I to England for 400L.  Charles I inherited a lot of issues along with the throne.  Financially strapped and unpopular with parliament, he incited a rebellion in Scotland when he tried to force a new prayer book on them.  In order to address the rebellion, he attempted to call Parliament twice, but failed.  His attempt to then have 5 members of Parliament arrested upon the advice of his wife ultimately resulted in civil war when he raised his standard against Parliamentary forces at Nottingham in 1642.  His supporters (Cavaliers) and supporters of Parliament (Roundheads) were further divided by religious and economic issues.  Supported by the growing middle class of merchants and tradesmen, along with those of the nobility who were embracing Puritanism, the Roundheads had greater financial resources, and a larger population base from which to draw support.

Oliver Cromwell routed the Cavaliers in 1645.  About a year later, Charles surrendered to the Scots, who then ransomed him back to England.  His homecoming was not pleasant:  Charles was tried for treason and executed in 1649.  For additional information, check out this blog:  Today in British History