The Avignon Papacy Contested: An Intellectual History from Dante to Catherine of Siena (I Tatti Studies in Italian Renaissance History)

Unn Falkeid considers the work of six fourteenth-century writers who waged literary war against the Avignon papacy's increasing claims of supremacy over secular rulers—a conflict that engaged contemporary critics from every corner of Europe. She illuminates arguments put forth by Dante, Petrarch, William of Ockham, Catherine of Siena, and others. The Avignon papacy (1309–1377) represented the zenith of papal power in Europe. The Roman curia's move to southern France enlarged its bureaucracy, centralized its authority, and initiated closer contact with secular institutions. The pope's presence also attracted leading minds to Avignon, transforming a modest city into a cosmopolitan center of learning. But a crisis of legitimacy was brewing among leading thinkers of the day. The Avignon Papacy Contested considers the work of six fourteenth-century writers who waged literary war against the Catholic Church's increasing claims of supremacy over secular rulers—a conflict that engaged contemporary critics from every corner of Europe.Unn Falkeid uncovers the dispute's origins in Dante's Paradiso and Monarchia, where she identifies a sophisticated argument for the separation of church and state. In Petrarch's writings she traces growing concern about papal authority, precipitated by the curia's exile from Rome. Marsilius of Padua's theory of citizen agency indicates a resistance to the pope's encroaching power, which finds richer expression in William of Ockham's philosophy of individual liberty. Both men were branded as heretics. The mystical writings of Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena, in Falkeid's reading, contain cloaked confrontations over papal ethics and church governance even though these women were later canonized.While each of the six writers responded creatively to the implications of the Avignon papacy, they shared a concern for the breakdown of secular order implied by the expansion of papal power and a willingness to speak their minds. The Avignon papacy (13091377) represented the zenith of papal power in Europe. The Roman curias move to southern France enlarged its bureaucracy, centralized its authority, and initiated closer contact with secular institutions. The popes presence also attracted leading minds to Avignon, transforming a modest city into a cosmopolitan center of learning. But a crisis of legitimacy was brewing among leading thinkers of the day. The Avignon Papacy Contested considers the work of six fourteenth-century writers who waged literary war against the Catholic Churchs increasing claims of supremacy over secular rulersa conflict that engaged contemporary critics from every corner of Europe. Unn Falkeid uncovers the disputes origins in Dantes Paradiso and Monarchia , where she identifies a sophisticated argument for the separation of church and state. In Petrarchs writings she traces growing concern about papal authority, precipitated by the curias exile from Rome. Marsilius of Paduas theory of citizen agency indicates a resistance to the popes encroaching power, which finds richer expression in William of Ockhams philosophy of individual liberty. Both men were branded as heretics. The mystical writings of Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena, in Falkeids reading, contain cloaked confrontations over papal ethics and church governance even though these women were later canonized. While each of the six writers responded creatively to the implications of the Avignon papacy, they shared a concern for the breakdown of secular order implied by the expansion of papal power and a willingness to speak their minds. The Avignon papacy (1309-1377) represents the zenith of papal power in Europe. Over the approximately seven decades during which the pope and his curia sojourned in Southern France, the Church was subjected to an ambitious process of centralization. The institutional bureaucracy swelled out, and the Avignonese popes exercised their power more straightforwardly than ever before. However, the pope's claimed supremacy over secular rulers roused bitter resistance in various groups of people. What may be labelled as a literary war broke out, which engaged a series of critics and intellectuals from different traditions and cultures, and from every corner of Europe. The Avignon Papacy Contested explores how six of the most authoritative voices in the fourteenth century responded to the Avignon papacy: Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), Marsilius of Padua (1275-1342), William of Ockham (1287-1347), Francis Petrarch (1304-1374), Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373), and Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). Two of these six great thinkers were branded heretics (Marsilius and Ockham), two were later canonized (Birgitta and Catherine), and two became leading models for future generations of humanists (Dante and Petrarch). What they all had in common was an intense critique of the waxing secular power of the Avignon papacy.-- Provided by publisher