Local Priests in the Latin West, 900–1050

The local priest was the most ubiquitous embodiment of the Church for many people in medieval Christian Europe. By centring this key figure in post-Carolingian Europe, this book provides a fresh perspective on the transition between two focuses of historiographical attention, the Carolingian reform and the Gregorian reform. This pivot away from Church elites such as popes, bishops and abbots, and the institutional structures of dioceses and parishes, sheds light on new lines of continuity and moments of transformation, examining the resources and kinship ties of local priests and assessing their relationship with the bishop at both the collective and the individual level. It draws on a variety of methodologies and forms of evidence, ranging from the detailed study of specific manuscripts to wide-ranging overviews of liturgical and documentary evidence. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; 1. What is a local priest?; 2. Property; 3. Families; 4. Collective action; 5. Accounting to the Bishop; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Indices.

About the Author :
Alice Hicklin is a postdoctoral research associate at King's College London. Her current research focuses on the social and economic world of northern French poet-composers, viewed through the documentary culture of northern France in c. 1150-1250. Steffen Patzold is Professor of History at the University of Tübingen. His books include Episcopus (2008) and Presbyter (2020). He is a member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences. Bastiaan Waagmeester is a postdoctoral researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin. His current research focuses on medieval written culture. His monograph Pastoral Works: Priests, Books, and Compilatory Practices in the Carolingian Period is forthcoming. Charles West is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh. His books include Reframing the Feudal Revolution (2013) and The Fall of a Carolingian Kingdom (2023). He is Co-ordinating Editor of the journal Early Medieval Europe.

Review :
'This fascinating investigation of an understudied group, local priests, will be essential reading for all those interested in central medieval social and religious transformations. Revealing the complex changes in the lives of these men through the lenses of property, kinship and episcopal authority, this study casts new light on the standard accounts of reform by putting those who served the majority of the population at the centre of the story.' Sarah Hamilton, University of Exeter 'The book offers a needed and refreshing look at local priests in the period between the Carolingian and Gregorian periods of 'reform' and thus revises the condescending approach hitherto found in historical literature.' Rob Meens, Utrecht University 'A refreshingly original angle on some of the big issues in medieval social and ecclesiastical history in post-Carolingian Europe and a model of scholarly collaboration, Local Priests offers new approaches to studying the Middle Ages.' Julia Smith, University of Oxford