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Harrowing The Church: Gregory Vii, Manasses Of Reims, And The Eleventh-Century Ecclesiastical Revolution In France, John Schechtman-Marko

Honors Papers

This thesis examines the deposition of French bishops from office during the pontificate of Gregory VII (1073-1085). By comparing the various cases of deposition, I analyze how the ideologies of papal supremacy which were then being developed in Rome were actually put into practice by the Gregorian reformers. Based on this analysis, I conclude that the establishment of Roman supremacy in France, although revolutionary in character, was achieved through the manipulation of existing ecclesiastical institutions and through an alliance between the papacy and a variety of low-level church officials.