The formation of a medieval church: ecclesiastical change in Verona, 950-1150 (review)

Reviews 209 Seven of the ten contributors are from Cambridge and many of the pieces have the feeling of the solid grounding in manuscripts which characterizes a good deal of work in tbefieldcoming out of that Univeristy. While Gregory the Great is mistakenly credited with having been concerned about lips singing the praises of love instead of Jove (p. 3), slips in the editing of what must have been a difficulttextare very few. The layout of the pages is as pleasing as that of a good Carolingian manuscript, and the illustrations are reproduced with exemplary clarity. The editor and the press are to be congratulated on the production of a book which is a delight to handle and use. John Moorhead Department of History University of Queensland Miller, Maureen C, The formation of a medieval church: ecclesiastical change in Verona, 950-1150, Ithaca and London, Cornell University Press, 1993; cloth; pp. xvui, 216; 6 illustrations; R.R.P. US$38.50. The period between the mid tenth century and the mid twelfth century was the most important era of change in the medieval European Church. It was during this time, and especially from the mid-eleventh century, that the Church developed into what w e think of as its typically 'medieval' form, with a hierarchical organization reaching its apex in the Pope, a well trained and organized clergy dedicated to poverty, chastity, and the care of souls, and a growing number of spiritually dynamic religious orders. Above all, the Church was characterized by an aggressive assertion of its independence from the control of secular society and its rulers. The process by which this 'medieval' Church developed is largely attributed to the 'Gregorian Reform' of the eleventh century, epitomized by Pope Gregory VII. From Miller's study of Verona, however, a rather different picture emerges. By looking in detaU at the fortunes of the diocese of Verona during this critical period in the history of the Church, she is able to show that the reality is more complex and capable of a different interpretation. Verona was chosen for her study, originally for a doctorate at Harvard university, because there remains a quite rich collection of ecclesiastical documents in the Archivio di Stato and Archivio Capitolare at Verona, and in the Archivio Segreto Vaticano. Verona is also broadly typical of medieval European cities in its size and history. 210 Reviews Tbe sources have been thoroughly analysed for tbe light they shed on thereligioushistory of medieval Verona. MUler describes three computer databases she constructed, containing details of charters, information on ecclesiastical institutions, and place names. But the study is far from being a dry statistical analysis. With a deft and sure touch, she pieces together a most interesting account of the Veronese church, looking in turn at the secular clergy, religious life, diocesan organizational structures, and the bishops. Tbe writing is clear and graceful throughout, and the use of sources is careful and judicious. This is more than a study of Verona, however. In the course of the book, Miller tackles fundamental questions about tbe nature of the Church in this period, and persuades us torethinksome of our assumptions about it. She treats spiritual, political and institutional matters as a unified whole, most notably in an excellent discussion of the role and work of the bishops of Verona. Her underlying thesis is that it is not fruitful to speak of a 'Gregorian reform' imposed on the dioceses by the Pope. Rather, this was a time of great innovation and creativity, a 'quickening' brought about by rapid demographic growth, economic development, and social change. The creative ferment which resulted in a new, different Church began before the time of Gregory VII and was just as evident in dioceses under imperial rather than papal control. Verona was one of these, and it offers, in Miller's careful but wide-ranging analysis, a persuasive example of the mixture of spiritual, institutional, and political change which characterized the Church in this period. As well as the skill and sophistication of its argument, this book is well-produced, with a large typeface, plenty of space in the layout, and nice decorative embellishments. All in all, it is an...