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The Pope answered with excommunication and a demand that the German princes rid themselves of their unworthy ruler. The German princes, only too happy to be rid of Henry, asked the Pope to come to Augsburg and help them elect a new Emperor.
格利高里的回答是將亨利四世逐出教會，并號召德意志的王公們驅逐這位德行敗壞、不配為人君主的國王。日爾曼的貴族們正樂得除掉亨利，自己取而代之，紛紛要求教皇親自前來奧格斯堡，為他們挑選一位新國王。
Gregory left Rome and travelled northward. Henry, who was no fool, appreciated the danger of his position. At all costs he must make peace with the Pope, and he must do it at once. In the midst of winter he crossed the Alps and hastened to Canossa where the Pope had stopped for a short rest. Three long days, from the 25th to the 28th of January of the year 1077, Henry, dressed as a penitent pilgrim(but with a warm sweater underneath his monkish garb), waited outside the gates of the castle of Canossa. Then he was allowed to enter and was pardoned for his sins. But the repentance did not last long. As soon as Henry had returned to Germany, he behaved exactly as before. Again he was excommunicated. For the second time a council of German bishops deposed Gregory, but this time, when Henry crossed the Alps he was at the head of a large army, besieged Rome and forced Gregory to retire to Salerno, where he died in exile. This first violent outbreak decided nothing. As soon as Henry was back in Germany, the strugglebetween Pope and Emperor was continued.
格利高里離開羅馬，前往北方去懲治自己的對手。亨利四世當然不是白癡，他清楚自己前景可危的處境。此時此刻，國王唯一的出路是不惜一切代價與教皇講和。時值嚴冬，亨利也顧不得天寒路險，急匆匆地越過阿爾卑斯山，火速趕往教皇駐腳做短暫休息的卡諾薩城堡。公元1077年1月25日至28日，整整三天，亨利裝作一個極度懺悔的虔誠教徒，身穿破爛的僧侶裝（但破衣之下藏著一件暖和的毛衣），恭恭敬敬守候在城堡的大門前，請求教皇陛下的寬恕。三天后格利高里終于允許他進人城堡，親自赦免了他的罪行。可亨利的懺悔并未持續多久。一當被廢黜的危機過去，平安返回德國后，他又故態復萌，依舊我行我素。教皇再次把亨利逐出教會，而亨利再次召開了德意志主教團 會議，廢黜了格利高里。不過這一回，當亨利不辭勞苦地翻越阿爾卑斯山時，他帶上了一支龐大的軍隊，雄赳赳走在前頭。日爾曼軍隊包圍了羅馬城，格利高里被迫退位，最終死于流放地薩勒諾。教皇與國王的第一次流血沖突沒能解決任何問題。一俟亨利返回德意志，他們之間的爭斗又接著開始了。
