Kirsi Salonen is Tenure Track Professor in Medieval and Early Modern History in the School of History, Culture and Art Studies at the University of Turku, Finland and external lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Tampere, Finland. Jussi Hanska is external lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Tampere and of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

• Contents: Introduction; Part I Shortcuts to an Ecclesiastical Career: The Roman curia and defining the quality of medieval clergy; Illegitimate children striving for an ecclesiastical career; The Apostolic penitentiary and ordinations; The granting of graces in the penitentiary; The penitentiary and the quality of candidates for an ecclesiastical career. Part II A Disorderly Process Lacking Dignity? Ordinations in the Papal Curia During the Pontificate of Paul II (1464-71): The process; The significance of the ordinations at the Roman curia; Why Rome?; Conclusions; Sources and bibliography; Indexes.

'Salonen and Hanska have written a very meticulous, well argued case for the state of the Catholic Church in the fifteenth century, pre-Reformation era. The most engaging sections are the particular case studies and the presentation of possible arguments for how and why the postulant requested certain absolutions. Fascinating and expertly argued.' Catholic Books Review '[Salonen and Hanska] meticulously explain the statutory prescription, the competence and the function of the respective offices as well as the procedure that had to be observed by the petitioners, and provide relevant source quotations in Latin with an English translation... May both authors provide us with more such high-quality studies. An index of persons and places concludes this sound book.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History '... an important study of the impact of papal institutions on clerical careers in the mid-fifteenth century.' Speculum 'This is an important book that takes an intriguing approach to discerning the quality of clergymen in fifteenth-century Europe, a question that has been debated since the fifteenth century itself.' European History Quarterly

Kirsi Salonen is Tenure Track Professor in Medieval and Early Modern History in the School of History, Culture and Art Studies at the University of Turku, Finland and external lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Tampere, Finland. Jussi Hanska is external lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Tampere and of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

• Contents: Introduction; Part I Shortcuts to an Ecclesiastical Career: The Roman curia and defining the quality of medieval clergy; Illegitimate children striving for an ecclesiastical career; The Apostolic penitentiary and ordinations; The granting of graces in the penitentiary; The penitentiary and the quality of candidates for an ecclesiastical career. Part II A Disorderly Process Lacking Dignity? Ordinations in the Papal Curia During the Pontificate of Paul II (1464-71): The process; The significance of the ordinations at the Roman curia; Why Rome?; Conclusions; Sources and bibliography; Indexes.

'Salonen and Hanska have written a very meticulous, well argued case for the state of the Catholic Church in the fifteenth century, pre-Reformation era. The most engaging sections are the particular case studies and the presentation of possible arguments for how and why the postulant requested certain absolutions. Fascinating and expertly argued.' Catholic Books Review '[Salonen and Hanska] meticulously explain the statutory prescription, the competence and the function of the respective offices as well as the procedure that had to be observed by the petitioners, and provide relevant source quotations in Latin with an English translation... May both authors provide us with more such high-quality studies. An index of persons and places concludes this sound book.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History '... an important study of the impact of papal institutions on clerical careers in the mid-fifteenth century.' Speculum 'This is an important book that takes an intriguing approach to discerning the quality of clergymen in fifteenth-century Europe, a question that has been debated since the fifteenth century itself.' European History Quarterly

Kirsi Salonen is Tenure Track Professor in Medieval and Early Modern History in the School of History, Culture and Art Studies at the University of Turku, Finland and external lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Tampere, Finland. Jussi Hanska is external lecturer of Medieval History at the University of Tampere and of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

• Contents: Introduction; Part I Shortcuts to an Ecclesiastical Career: The Roman curia and defining the quality of medieval clergy; Illegitimate children striving for an ecclesiastical career; The Apostolic penitentiary and ordinations; The granting of graces in the penitentiary; The penitentiary and the quality of candidates for an ecclesiastical career. Part II A Disorderly Process Lacking Dignity? Ordinations in the Papal Curia During the Pontificate of Paul II (1464-71): The process; The significance of the ordinations at the Roman curia; Why Rome?; Conclusions; Sources and bibliography; Indexes.

'Salonen and Hanska have written a very meticulous, well argued case for the state of the Catholic Church in the fifteenth century, pre-Reformation era. The most engaging sections are the particular case studies and the presentation of possible arguments for how and why the postulant requested certain absolutions. Fascinating and expertly argued.' Catholic Books Review '[Salonen and Hanska] meticulously explain the statutory prescription, the competence and the function of the respective offices as well as the procedure that had to be observed by the petitioners, and provide relevant source quotations in Latin with an English translation... May both authors provide us with more such high-quality studies. An index of persons and places concludes this sound book.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History '... an important study of the impact of papal institutions on clerical careers in the mid-fifteenth century.' Speculum 'This is an important book that takes an intriguing approach to discerning the quality of clergymen in fifteenth-century Europe, a question that has been debated since the fifteenth century itself.' European History Quarterly