This important 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.

Reviews & endorsements

'Written in an interesting way, offering to the reader a huge amount of information which is not only emphasized but also analysed by the author, the book of John Ott entitled: Bishops, Authority and Community in Northwestern Europe, c.1050–1150, published in 2015 at Cambridge University Press is surely an important contribution not only for the study and understanding of the history of Medieval Church in the aforementioned space, but also for the medieval history, because it contains references to the interference between religion and politics.' Iuliu-Marius Morariu, Anuario de Historia de la Iglesia

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Product details

• Date Published: December 2015
• format: Hardback
• isbn: 9781107017818
• length: 392 pages

• dimensions: 235 x 157 x 26 mm
• weight: 0.7kg
• contains: 4 maps 2 tables
• availability: Available