### investiture fights, excommunication
The investiture fights The ceremonial inauguration into office or ecclesiastical benefice was called investiture. It was performed by the secular ruler in the early Middle Ages (for example, in the case of episcopacies). Gregorianism condemned this practice and fought against it, so the fight between papacy and the western emperors, beginning in the last quarter of the 11th century, can also be called an investiture fight, though it did not exclusively focus on the question of investiture. The first period of the investiture fights ended with the Worms concordate in 1122, although the fight between the papacy and the emperors flared up many times. In the course of the investiture fights the Hungarian kings, following their own interests, mostly supported the papacy. ZSA Excommunication Church punishment, which excommunicated the sinful believer from the church community. From the 12th century on it had a lighter version, which prohibited the entering of church offices and the acceptance of sacraments, and a stricter one, which in addition to these, did not allow the sinner to take part in services, and members of the community were prohibited to enter into communication with him/her. This latter type of excommunication was called anathema. The excommunications were performed by holders of certain church offices, and it was also their sphere of authority to absolve the sinners from excommunication. ZSA