Episcopal Power and Local Society in Medieval Europe, 1000-1400 (Medieval Church Studies 38)

The medieval bishop occupied a position of central importance in European society between 900 and 1400. Indeed, medieval bishops across Europe were involved in an assortment of ecclesiastical and secular affairs, a feature of the episcopal office in this period that ensured their place amongst the most influential figures in their respective milieux. Such prominence has inevitably piqued the interest of modern scholars and a number of important studies focusing on individual aspects of the medieval episcopal office have emerged, notably in recent years. Yet scholarly attention has often been drawn towards the careers of extraordinary bishops, men whose renown was often due to their involvement in both ecclesiastical and secular activities that took them beyond the borders of their dioceses. As a result, there has been a tendency to overlook the significance of the function of the episcopal office within local society, and, in particular, the way that this context shaped episcopal power. The purpose of this volume is to examine the foundations of episcopal power in medieval Europe by considering its functioning and development at the level of local society. This collection of essays derives from papers delivered at a conference at Cardiff University in May 2013, and is divided into three sections focusing on the construction of episcopal power in local society, the ways in which it was augmented, and the different forms through which it was expressed. The essays have a broad geographical scope and include studies focused on English, French, Italian, and Icelandic dioceses. Front Matter ("Contents", "List of Illustrations", "Acknowledgements", "Abbreviations"), p. i Free Access Introduction, p. 1 Peter Coss, Chris Dennis, Melissa Julian-Jones, Angelo Silvestri https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114251 Part I: Constructing Episcopal Power Bishops, Chronicles, and Historians: The Case of Twelfth-Century Coventry, p. 21 Peter Coss https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114252 Chieftains, Change, and Collaboration: Bishop Árni Þorláksson as the Reformer of the Icelandic Church, 1269-98, p. 41 Heidi Anett Øvergård Beistad https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114253 Ecclesiastical Revival and the Spoils of War: Reconstructing Episcopal Power in the Diocese of Coutances after 1066, p. 61 Chris Dennis https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114254 The Life, Education, and Deeds of Robert Grosseteste: Perceptions of Episcopal Power at Thirteenth-Century Lincoln, p. 81 Angelo Silvestri https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114255 The Power of the Canons? Episcopal Authority and the Cathedral Chapter of Sion (Valais) around 1300, p. 97 Melanie Brunner https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114256 Part II: Enhancing Episcopal Power Episcopal Power and Local Society in the Countryside: The Case of Brescia in the Twelfth Century, p. 117 Maria Chiara Succurro https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114257 Bishop Zoen of Avignon (1241-61) and the Programmatics of Power, p. 137 Christine Axen https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114258 Edges of Episcopal Power: Local Society and the Evolution of Diocesan Borders in Liège (c. 900-c. 1200), p. 157 Jelle Lisson https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114259 Holy Bishops and the Shaping of Episcopal Discourse in Early Eleventh-Century Cambrai, p. 175 Pieter Byttebier https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114260 Bishops’ Deputies and Episcopal Power in Medieval Law, c. 1150 to c. 1350, p. 195 Aaron Hope https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114261 Part III: Expressing Episcopal Power New Cathedrals and Old Saints: Expressing Episcopal Power in Durham’s New Cathedral in the Late Eleventh Century, p. 221 Charlotte Lewandowski https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114262 Sealing Episcopal Identity: The Bishops of England, 1200-1300, p. 239 Melissa Julian-Jones https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114263 Popular Perceptions of Episcopal Power in Late Thirteenth-Century Hereford: Thomas de Cantilupe and the Case of Christina Cray, p. 259 Andrew Fleming https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114264 ‘Despite the Prohibition of the Lord Bishop’: John Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter (1327-69), and the Illusion of Episcopal Power, p. 271 John Jenkins https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MCS-EB.5.114265 Back Matter, p. 291 Episcopal power permeated European society between 1000 and 1400 through the participation of bishops in a range of ecclesiastical and secular affairs. Indeed, the centrality of the episcopal office in medieval society has piqued the interest of many scholars in the activities of bishops during this period. However, their attention has often been drawn towards extraordinary episcopal personalities whose power dominated their respective political or cultural milieu. The purpose of this volume is to consider the foundation of episcopal power in medieval Europe by examining its functioning and development at the level of local society. Its essays are divided into three sections which examine (i) the construction of episcopal power in local society, (ii) its augmentation, and (iii) some of the ways it was expressed. The essays have a broad geographical scope and include studies focused on English, French, Italian and Icelandic dioceses. The purpose of this volume is to examine the foundations of episcopal power in medieval Europe by considering its functioning and development at the level of local society. This collection of essays derives from papers delivered at a conference at Cardiff University in May 2013, are divided into three sections focusing on the construction of episcopal power in local society, the ways in which it was augmented, and the different forms through which it was expressed. The essays have a broad geographical scope and include studies focused on English, French, Italian, and Icelandic dioceses