Ruthard served as Archbishop of Mainz from 1089 to 1109, a period dominated by the Investiture Controversy — the bitter struggle between Pope Gregory VII's successors and Henry IV over who held the authority to appoint bishops and abbots. Ruthard's political allegiances shifted considerably during this conflict; he eventually sided with the reformist papal faction and was instrumental in supporting the election of the anti-king Henry V against his own father.
The joint naming of emperor and archbishop on this denier reflects the imperial church system at its most strained — a formula that would become increasingly awkward as the two named parties moved toward open rupture.
Ruthard served as Archbishop of Mainz from 1089 to 1109, a period dominated by the Investiture Controversy — the bitter struggle between Pope Gregory VII's successors and Henry IV over who held the authority to appoint bishops and abbots. Ruthard's political allegiances shifted considerably during this conflict; he eventually sided with the reformist papal faction and was instrumental in supporting the election of the anti-king Henry V against his own father.
The joint naming of emperor and archbishop on this denier reflects the imperial church system at its most strained — a formula that would become increasingly awkward as the two named parties moved toward open rupture.