The Age of Abbot Desiderius: Montecassino, The Papacy, and the Normans in the Eleventh and Early Twelfth Centuries (Oxford University Press Academic Monograph Reprints)

This book is built around the life and work of Desiderius, abbot of Montecassino from 1058 to 1087. During his lifetime the most ancient of Benedictine monasteries enjoyed the 'golden age' of its long history, and Desiderius himself was elected for a brief reign as Pope Victor III. The life, culture and resources of Montecassino are studied in detail, both in themselves and in relation to two of the key ecclesiastical and political issues of contemporary Italy: the reform of the church and the church's relations with the Normans who were then colonising much of southern Italy. Montecassino, the Papacy, and the Normans in the 11th and early 12th a study of the life and work of Abbot Desiderius at Montecassino from 1058 to 1087.