Anglo-papal relations, c.1066-c.1135

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between the kingdom of England and the papacy during the reigns of William the Conqueror and his sons. It will act as the first comprehensive reconsideration of Anglo-papal relations between 1066 and 1135 since Z.N. Brooke’s 1931 The English Church and the Papacy. Despite being dismantled in the wider field of papal studies, the grand narrative of conflict between Church and State continues to provide the main interpretative framework for Anglo-papal relations. This thesis aims to tear down this anachronistic scaffolding, to bring our understanding of Anglo-papal relations in-line with developments in the wider field. In considering the relationship between England and the curia, this work is part of a recent scholarly trend in studying the papacy’s dynamic relations with specific places. The study is divided into two parts, designed to give an impression of how the relationship worked and how it changed over time. Part I considers the ideals and practice of the relationship. It addresses the various claims of popes, kings, and prelates and how these were negotiated and balanced in practice. It emphasises the very personal nature of these negotiations and how they were shaped by a set of rules of the game: spielregeln. Part II then turns to the jurisdictional relationship, and how negotiations organised the sharing of authority between popes, kings, and prelates. It demonstrates how England was more firmly located in the papacy’s orbit by the end of Henry I’s reign. Our conclusions then point to the possible directions of future study and calls for a more comparative approach.