the emperor took the step of deposing the fighting archbishop, and john's successor pope benedict ix excommunicated aribert in march 1038. that year, he held up the carroccio as the symbol of milan and soon it was the symbol of all the tuscan cities as far as rome. aribert ended his episcopacy in relative peace, having agreed to cease hostilities with henry, at ingelheim in 1040, reconciled with him and obtained the revocation of his excommunication.