Diocesan Dominion

As Western Christendom expanded dramatically along its frontiers in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Church leaders debated how to organize and administer newly captured diocesan lands. These questions were especially pressing in the Iberian Peninsula, where conquests ushered in piecemeal, multidimensional processes of consolidation and integration in which lay and religious authorities sought to establish ecclesiastical institutions to govern territories containing Christian and non-Christian populations.

In Diocesan Dominion, Thomas Barton examines these dynamics through the comparative lens of two neighboring dioceses, Lleida and Tortosa, each formed from conquered Muslim territory in the mid-twelfth century. Using rich archival records, Barton reconstructs how bishops and their clergy strategized to enhance their authority over diocesan lands by engaging with landlords, military orders, and monasteries. He observes that, while these litigants sometimes invoked authorities such as the papacy or lay rulers and appealed to rigid privileges or legal guidelines to help resolve conflicts, they usually formulated compromises, sharing jurisdiction and resources. Observing commonalities and contrasts among these cases, Barton demonstrates the locally contingent nature of episcopal authority and shows how Western Christendom developed variegated and flexible ecclesiastical administrative frameworks long before its early-modern globalization.

The first book in any language to reconstruct the postconquest history of the dioceses of Lleida and Tortosa, Diocesan Dominion challenges default assumptions about episcopal practices during the high and later medieval periods and will be essential reading for all scholars in the field.

“In Diocesan Dominion, Barton continues to transform our understanding of medieval Christendom's Iberian frontier. Drawing on decades of archival sleuthing, he vividly reconstructs the competing trajectories of the dioceses of Lleida and Tortosa, where the dogged quest for episcopal authority was continually beset by contested claims and costly concessions. With his characteristic attention to the subtleties and specificities of local experiences, Barton reveals the fraught dynamics that underlay the consolidation of Christian ecclesiastical institutions in newly conquered lands.”—Rowan Dorin, author of No Return: Jews, Christian Usurers, and the Spread of Mass Expulsion in Medieval Europe

Thomas Barton is Professor of History at the University of San Diego. He is a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and the author of several award-winning books, including Constructing Christendom: Conquest and Diocese Formation in Medieval Iberia, Victory’s Shadow: Conquest and Governance in Medieval Catalonia, and Contested Treasure: Jews and Authority in the Crown of Aragon, the last also published by Penn State University Press.

History

           European

           History of Religion

           Medieval

           History of Religion

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

           Medieval History

           Medieval Religion