The Change Of The Political Structure In South Germany In The 11th-12th Centuries

In the 11^th-12^th Centuries,the royal power orientating political structure in the South Germany was substituted by the one,in which the local ecclesiastical and secular princes possessed the dominating position.From the Ottonian to the earlier section of the Salian period,the German Kings had established the powerful reign by controlling the Episcopates and Duchies.Since the year of 1002,the centre of the reign was relocated from Saxon in the North Germany to Bavaria in the South,as the Bavarian Duke Heinrich II became the King.With his reign it began the direct dominion of the Kingship over Bavaria.In the second half of the 11th Century,the German King confronted the Roman Curia,both as claimants for the right to invest the bishops’office authority,and this confrontation resulted in the Investiture Controversy.The Investiture Controversy resulted a significant impairment of the Salian power,meanwhile intensified the inner conflicts in the South German region.The ecclesiastical and secular magnates of South German upheld their demands and enhanced their interests by means of king election,warfare,and the campaign of peace.At the beginning of the 12th Century,after the decline of the Salian power in the South German region,the Princes started to dominate the political structure in this place.The House of Welfen and the House Staufer accomplished the expansion of their territories by means of marriage and violence.The Episcopates,namely Augsburg,Eichst?tt,Freising,and Passau,witnessed the Localization of their Episcopal personnel.Among these Episcopates,Freising persisted to maintaining its policy of territory,as the Passau found more dependence by the nearby powerful nobles.To summarize,an essential part of this change of political structure in South Germany was generated by the local elements,for example,the struggle between the royal and local powers.Meanwhile the change can also be ascribed to the external influence,such as the wars and turbulence caused by the church reform.The political structure orientated by royal power collapsed because of local conflicts,as the Investiture Controversy led these conflicts to escalation and accelerated the change of the local politics.The local secular and ecclesiastical powers dominated the local politics by controlling territories and property interests,and the royal power was consequently expelled,only formal influence remained.Furthermore,the diversity among the many local powers indicates the complexity inside the political structure orientated by the many ecclesiastical and secular Princes.