Episcopal Power and Local Society in Medieval Europe, 900–1400 ed. by Peter Coss etal. (review)

This engaging volume contributes to a burgeoning literature about medieval bishops. It stems from the first Power of the Bishop Conference, '"In the Hands of God's Servants": The Power of the Bishop in Western Europe', held at the University of Cardiff in 2013. Following the recent trend away from examining bishops on a broader stage, the volume focuses on bishops in their own dioceses. As the excellent introduction asserts, we need to understand how bishops created, cultivated, and articulated their power at the local level to fully comprehend the function, position, and nature of episcopal office.

Part 1, 'Constructing Episcopal Power', begins with Peter Coss's analysis of how monastic narratives affect modern accounts of Coventry's twelfth-century bishops and should be counterbalanced by probing episcopal activity throughout the entire diocese. Next comes Heidi Anett Øvergård Beistad's engaging account of Bishop Árni Þorláksson of Skálholt's success at reconstructing episcopal authority in thirteenth-century Iceland through ties to family, friends, local aristocracy, and the Norwegian king. A successful relationship with King William the Conqueror, as Chris Dennis reveals, helped the bishop of Coutances acquire the resources to restore and enrich his church in Normandy. Changing focus, Angelo Silvestri's contribution analyses how Bishop Robert Grosseteste of Lincoln's education and early years influenced his ideas about, and exercise of, episcopal power. Part 1 concludes with Melanie Brunner's noteworthy examination of how c. 1300 the bishop of Sion (in modern Switzerland) negotiated local networks and physical space to exercise his authority over the cathedral chapter.

Building on Part 1, Part 2, 'Enhancing Episcopal Power', demonstrates the methods bishops used to boost their existing authority. It begins with Maria Chiara Succurro's study of how the abbey of Leno's twelfth-century charters 'highlight the scope' of the bishop of Brescia's power and how 'it conditioned local society' (p. 118) as he established his authority over the monastery. Christine Axen's study of Bishop Zoen of Avignon's mid-thirteenth-century episcopate shows how he rebuilt and increased episcopal power, using various tools to successfully navigate perceived local threats to his position. Similarly, Jelle Lisson uncovers how the bishops of Liège used different methods to expand their diocese's borders, thus enhancing their authority by bringing new regions under their control. Pieter Byttebier's chapter on Bishop Gerard of Cambrai highlights how prelates engaged with the cults of local bishop-saints to amplify respect for the episcopal office and themselves. Switching to the legal sphere, Aaron Hope concludes Part 2 by illustrating how the development of the episcopal vicar-general's office signals the increased 'power of the bishop at the local diocesan level [following] the twelfth-century legal renaissance' (p. 196).

Part 3 functions as a chronological case study, focusing on the visual and written expression of episcopal power in England after the Norman Conquest and Barons' Wars. First, Charlotte Lewandowski discusses how disputes with the cathedral chapter over post-conquest episcopal building activity at Durham impacted on the boundaries of the bishop's power. Melissa Julian-Jones's excellent investigation of thirteenth-century episcopal seals and their iconography reveals that in response to national events, bishops altered visual representations of themselves to stress links with their kin, emphasizing their status and ability to manage their dioceses. Taking a literary focus, Andrew Fleming shows how stories of miracles performed by bishop-saints can be used to interpret non-elite attitudes towards episcopal power. Lastly, John Jenkins's thought-provoking study of Bishop John Grandisson of Exeter demonstrates how Grandisson constructed an image of a prelate who successfully asserted his authority in the fourteenth century, concealing the truth of his failure.

As shown above, this volume has a large geographical and temporal range, unlike some...