Did the Pope have more power than the King in medieval Europe?

Question: Did the Pope have more power than the King in medieval Europe!?
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Wit the Pope as God's personal representative on Earth, and the different monatchies,you had a constant power struggle!. One used religion and the others used politics!. Both claimed control over the general population,but if it came down to it,the Pope was above the king!. In the eyes of the people, a monarch needed the support of the Pope to consolidate his/her power!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Though royalty tended to defer to the church on most things, they were by no means under the thumb of the Pope!. In fact, the Holy Roman Emperor was easily as powerful as the Pope and as influential--they just happened to be of the same religion, which limited large-scale conflicts!.

Once Protestantism started to take off in the late Medieval period, all that started to change!. The Pope lost most of his power (if not his influence), while the religious backgrounds of royalty became central concerns to neighbouring kingdoms!. Throughout Europe, wars and smaller conflicts were constantly being fought in attempts to secure a friendly face on the neighbour's throne!. It was around that time that royalty became more important than the Pope!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

" Medieval Europe' is a rather broad term, which centuries are you thinking of, and which region of Europe!?
While the Pope was (and is) the highest moral authority in Roman Catholicism, the actual political power varied dramatically depending on the times and the distance!.
Besides the same was true for the various kings power as well (for instance, king John lackland of England was forced to give in to the barons' demand)!.
A pope could somehow force a king to do public penance (as happened to Hanry the second in England for the murder of bishop Thomas à Becket), but Popes have also been emprisoned, humiliated or simply disregarded utterly by the secular powers in other occasions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm not really sure what you're asking here!. Which king did you have in mind!?

The pope, unlike other secular rulers, held both spiritual authority and political authority!. He held political authority as a prince over the Papal States on the Italian peninsula!. This dual role of the pope has led to some confusion in our time about the power, not to mention the behavior of the popes!.

Keep in mind, however, that from roughly the mid-13th century the papacy was in decline--- particularly under Philip VI of France and the papal captivity in Avignon!. This decline has only recently been reversed, in the past 150 years or so!. It would be a mistake to think that the pope's influence only began to decline with the Protestant Reformation!. The entire Medieval period is dominated by the development of the modern European states!. This included a natural conflict between secular and spiritual authority!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

A lot of kings and the pope were in constant battle over power!.
Because people were so religious they would often listen to the pope rather than the king!.
I don't think you could really tell who had the most power, because almost every institution was under the influence by the church!.Www@QuestionHome@Com