1st Edition
Power and Faith Politics and Religion in Western Europe from the Tenth to the Thirteenth Century
Examining the developments in the political and religious landscape of Western Europe between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, Power and Faith explores the origins of dominant nation Sates and religious institutions in the West emerged out of the fractured and fragmented post-Carolingian world.
As a foundational text for those new to the period, the book offers a clear chronological framework for understanding and analysing the emerging polities of Western Europe and an examination of the influence of the Papacy and the Crusades across Christian life and culture. Mixed with careful consideration of major social and economic themes including urbanisation, rural revolution, and the role of women in politics, religion, and society, the book gives a uniquely comprehensive overview of political and religious developments in Western Europe during a neglected yet fundamentally significant period.
The book is divided into six parts, part one sets out the scope and aims of the book and discusses the sources used. Parts two and six provide overviews of the political and religious states of affairs in Europe at the start and end of the period respectively. Framed by these sections, the book is divided into three chronologically-ordered parts each containing three chapters, the first offers a brief account of the main historiography of the period concerned, the second provides a thorough account and analysis of the main political developments across Europe during it and the third explores the main religious changes.
Power and Faith is an essential introductory guide for students and researchers interested in politics, religion, and society in Western Europe during the middle ages.
Maps
Preface
Introduction
Power and Faith in Western Europe in About 900
How Do We Know? Sources and Interpretations
PART 1: THE TENTH CENTURY, c.890-c.1020
- The Social and Economic Context
- Power: The Political Framework, c.890-c.1020
- Faith: The Church in Western Europe, c.890-c.1020
- The Social and Economic Context
- Power: The Political Framework, c.1020-c.1120
- Faith: The Church in Western Europe, c.1020-c.1120
- The Social and Economic Context
- Power: The Political Framework, c.1120-c.1220
- Faith: The Church in Western Europe, c.1120-c.1220
The East Frankish Kingdom and the Renewal of Empire
The West Frankish Kingdom and the Challenge of Survival
Britain and Ireland: Kingdoms and Peoples
Southern Europe: The Multicultural Experience in Iberia and Italy
Frontier Europe: Christians and Pagans in the North and East
The Papacy: Too Corrupt to Matter?
Bishops and Monks: Local Power in Cathedrals and Cloisters
Priests and People: Popular Practice and Everyday Belief
PART 2: THE ELEVENTH CENTURY, c.1020-c.1120
Germany: Royal Authority and Mighty Rebellion
France: Petty Kings and Potent Princes
Britain and Ireland: Conquest and Survival
Southern Europe: Spanish Kings and Norman Knights in Iberia and Italy
Frontier Europe: Life on the Edge in the North and East
The Papacy: Revival and Reform
The New Monasticism
Popular Piety and Shades of Belief
The First Crusade and its Aftermath: Beginner’s Luck?
PART 3: THE TWELFTH CENTURY, c.1120-c.1220
Germany: Staufen, Welf and the Struggle for Imperium
France: A Real Kingdom at Last
Britain and Ireland: Civil Wars and Fights for Supremacy
Southern Europe: Reconquista and State Building in Iberia and Italy
Frontier Europe: Westernisation in the North and East
The Papacy: Schisms and Supremacy
Preachers and Friars: The Reinvention of Orthodoxy
Religion, Renewal and the Laity
Muslim Revival and the Crisis of Crusading
Closer to Home: Crusading in Europe and the Battle with Heresy
Conclusion
Further Reading
Index
Biography
Richard Huscroft is Head of History at Westminster School, London. His interests are rooted in different aspects of European Medieval history, as is reflected in his publications including England’s Jewish Solution (2006), Ruling England, 1042-1217 (2016) and Tales From the Long Twelfth Century (2017).
