Bishops, Authority and Community in Northwestern Europe, c.1050-1150

Published In

Bishops, Authority and Community in Northwestern Europe, c.1050–1150

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

12-2015

Subjects

Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Reims (France) -- History, Catholic Church -- France -- Reims -- History, Catholic Church -- France -- Reims -- Bishops

Abstract

This important new study of episcopal office and clerical identity in a socially and culturally dynamic region of medieval Europe examines the construction and representation of episcopal power and authority in the archdiocese of Reims during the sometimes turbulent century between 1050 and 1150. Drawing on a wide range of diplomatic, hagiographical, epistolary and other narrative sources, John S. Ott considers how bishops conceived of, and projected, their authority collectively and individually. In examining episcopal professional identities and notions of office, he explores how prelates used textual production and their physical landscapes to craft historical narratives and consolidate local and regional memories around ideals that established themselves as not only religious authorities but also cultural arbiters. This study reveals that, far from being reactive and hostile to cultural and religious change, bishops regularly grappled with and sought to affect, positively and to their advantage, new and emerging cultural and religious norms.

Description

Part of Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/23875

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