The Latin Church in Norman Italy

Description

First published in 2007, this was the first significant study of the incorporation of the Church in southern Italy into the mainstream of Latin Christianity during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Professor G. A. Loud examines the relationship between Norman rulers, south Italian churchmen and the external influence of the new 'papal monarchy'. He discusses the impact of the creation of the new kingdom of Sicily in 1130; the tensions that arose from the papal schism of that era; and the religious policy and patronage of the new monarchs. He also explores the internal structures of the Church, both secular and monastic, and the extent and process of Latinisation within the Graecophone areas of the mainland and on the island of Sicily, where at the time of the Norman conquest the majority of the population was Muslim. This is a major contribution to the political, religious and cultural history of the Central Middle Ages.

Graham A. Loud is Professor of Medieval Italian History at the University of Leeds. His previous books include Church and Society in the Norman Principality of Capua, 1058-1197 (1985), The History of the Tyrants of Sicily by 'Hugo Falcandus', 1154-69 (with Thomas Wiedemann; 1998), and The Age of Robert Guiscard: Southern Italy and the Norman Conquest (2000).

Review of the hardback: 'Being a fruit of many years of research, The Latin Church in Norman Italy is a true gem of scholarship by a distinguished scholar who has already published extensively on medieval southern Italy. It is a volume that packs in an enormous amount of original research and knowledge and is a great resource for both historians of medieval Italy and of the medieval Church and religion. ... Overall, The Latin Church in Norman Italy is a marvellous read, written in consistently clear prose, full of interesting detail and anecdotes. The volume comes with an impressive bibliography featuring primary sources of the greatest variety, particularly rich in chronicles, six appendices, and a subject index. ... this is a book that will deservedly be mined by scholars of diverse interests for many generations.' Church History Review of the hardback: 'G. A. Loud has produced an extremely valuable contribution to the history of Norman Italy and Christianity in the high Middle Ages. It is an especially important book because it discusses a topic that has never before been given such a thorough and in-depth treatment. ... It contains a wealth of information on the people and institutions that made up the Norman Church, reflecting Loud's intimate knowledge of the archives and sources. It also provides useful points of comparison between the Church in Norman Italy and other parts of Latin Christendom. It is a book that will be useful for scholars of Norman Italy as well as anyone interested in the history of the Church in the Middle Ages.' The Catholic Historical Review Review of the hardback: 'This book's magisterial display of learning will make indispensable reading for all those interested in both the Norman kingdom and wider issues of continuity and change in the midst of the great transformative changes of eleventh- and twelfth-century Europe.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History