The Papacy, Scotland and Northern England, 1342–1378 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series, Series Number 30)

This is the first analysis of the full breadth of papal involvement in late medieval Britain, using local sources in conjunction with material from the Vatican Archives. It deals with the Avignon Papacy's relations with Scotland and northern England during a period in which papal involvement at the local level was unusually wide-ranging, but still was generally accepted. It examines how papal practices affected both clerics and lay people in northern Britain, the nature and importance of any opposition aroused, and how far the popes and their agents had to adapt to local circumstances. The Lengthy Period In The Fourteenth Century When The Papacy Was Based In Avignon Created Circumstances In Which The Burgeoning Bureaucracy Of The Papal Curia Could Flourish. Papal Involvement In The Everyday Business Of The Church At The Local Level Reached Its Fullest Extent In The Years Just Before The Great Schism.--book Jacket. This Book Examines The Impact Of That Involvement In Scotland And Northern England, And Analyses The Practical Effect Of Theories Of Papal Sovereignty At A Time When There Was Still Widespread Acceptance Of The Role Of The Holy See. The Nature And Importance Of Political Opposition, From Both Crown And Parliament, Is Investigated From The Standpoint Of The Validity Of The Complaints As Indicated By Local Evidence, And A New Interpretation Is Offered Of The Various Statutory Measures Taken In England In Edward Iii's Reign To Control Alleged Abuses Of Papal Power. Points Of Similarity And Difference Between Scotland And England Are Also Given Due Emphasis.--book Jacket. This Is The First Work To Attempt To Analyse The Full Breadth Of Papal Involvement In Late Medieval Britain By Utilising The Rich Local Sources In Association With Material From The Vatican Archives. Thus It Has Wider Implications As A Pioneering Study Of The Local Impact Of Papal Policies In The Middle Ages.--book Jacket. A.d.m. Barrell. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 258-269) And Index. The lengthy period of the Avignon papacy in the fourteenth century created circumstances in which the burgeoning bureaucracy of the papal curia could flourish. Papal involvement in the everyday business of the church at local level reached its fullest extent in the years before the Great Schism. This book examines the impact of that involvement in Scotland and northern England, and analyses the practical effect of theories of papal sovereignty at a time when there was still widespread acceptance of the role of the Holy See. The nature and importance of political opposition, from both crown and parliament, is investigated from the standpoint of the validity of the complaints as indicated by local evidence, and a new interpretation is offered of the various statutory measures taken in England in Edward III's reign to control alleged abuses of papal power. Points of similarity and difference between Scotland and England are also given due emphasis. This is the first work to attempt to analyse the full breadth of papal involvement in late medieval Britain by utilising the rich local sources in association with material from the Vatican archives In the centralisation of the papal administration of Avignon, the question of finance naturally loomed large.