University of Leuven Medieval History Doctoral Fellowship 2017, Belgium

Ecclesiastical Assemblies and the Transformation of Post-Carolingian Society. Councils and Synods as a Forum for Negotiation between Kings, Church Leaders and Secular Magnates (Francia, c.875-c. 1050)

This project will investigate the functioning of councils and assemblies during the‘long tenth century’, a period of crucial transformation in society. In traditional scholarship early medieval ecclesiastical gatherings have essentially been considered as a practical tool for the administration of the Church, and as such, they have been disregarded in scholarship on political assemblies. This project proposes a shift from an almost exclusively religious interpretation towards a more holistic approach. This new approach is in line with early medieval society as the integration of religion and politics left little room for highly independent secular and ecclesiastical spheres. The project will focus on the host of regional, provincial and diocesan church andother assemblies which gathered in West Francia/France and Lotharingia during the important transition from Post-Carolingian to ‘feudal’ society. It will test the hypothesis that against the background of fading royal power, these meetings, which dealt with a range of issues (political, religious, social),operated as a forum for negotiation and decision-making between church leaders,kings and secular magnates, and as a means to broadcast visions about the proper ordering of Church and society. In particular, it will be argued that is was precisely through the organization of a wide range of these assemblies that bishops took the lead and played a decisive role at key moments in the history of West Francia and Lotharingia.