Church and People in the Medieval West, 900-1200

A really excellent book, of major importance, that will be essential reading for anyone who is interested in medieval lay piety Professor John Arnold, Birkbeck, University of London

Between the collapse of Carolingian rule in the late ninth century and the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, the Medieval West underwent profound social, economic, political and religious change.  Great monasteries were founded, local churches built and a vigourous reform movement established the Church as an entity independent of lay control.  Sarah Hamilton explores here the relationship between the laity, churches and churchmen during this period.  Drawing together current research into the history of particular ecclesiastical institutions as well as that into popular religious movements, she offers a new interpretation of the way in which ordinary men and women experienced Christianity , redefining the nature of the relationship between members of the clergy and the laity across these three centuries.

This book:

- Covers the whole of the medieval West, with particular focus on England, France, Germany and northern Italy

- Rejects recent scholarly focus on the eleventh-century reformers in favour of a more nuanced narrative of continual evolution

- Contains previously neglected historical evidence, especially liturgical material

It will be a vital source for undergraduates studying medieval history and the history of Christianity, as well as anyone interested in the separation of Church and State, or the role and agency of the laity within ecclesiastical organisations.

Sarah Hamilton is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Exeter.  She researches religion and society in the central Middle Ages and her works include The Practice of Penance 900-1050 (2001).