Concordat of London settles English investiture

August 1, 1107

Anselm and Henry I split the difference that had consumed popes and emperors for thirty years: bishops would do homage to the king for their lands but receive staff and ring from the church. The compromise quietly defused a fight that was tearing Germany apart. The English solution anticipated the later Concordat of Worms by fifteen years, proving that pragmatic settlement was possible when both parties found it cheaper than war.