In the hands of God’s servants’ The Power of the Bishop in Western Europe (1000-1300) conference

Cardiff University is pleased to host this major international

conference on the power of the bishop in Western Europe

during the High Middle Ages.

Bishops occupied a prominent place in the hierarchy of the

medieval church, but they were also able to exercise power in

a secular context as judges, warriors, advisors to princes and

as lords who exploited a broad range of rights over land and

people. Although the careers of the most famous of their

number have attracted much interest in modern

historiography, the nature, extent and significance of

episcopal power at a local level, which formed the basis for

the bishop’s pre-eminence in medieval society, has not been

fully considered. The aim of this conference is to gain a

clearer understanding of the construction, enhancement and

expression of episcopal power at a local level in Western

Europe. Since a bishop’s local power was intimately

connected to the episcopal office and the duties it entailed,

the conference will be focused in particular on these

activities, such as a bishop’s pastoral responsibilities and his

role in the liturgy, and their role in the formation and

development of episcopal power. However, the effect on

episcopal power of other aspects of a bishop’s role in local

society will also be considered, such as his relationship with

aristocratic families.

We welcome contributions dealing with any aspect of the

bishop’s activities and interactions at a local level. Potential

topics include representations of power in architecture and

literature, episcopal power and local saints’ cults, episcopal

jurisdiction, the episcopal household and the relationship

between a bishop and his cathedral chapter.

Please note at early planning stage we hope this event will be free.

However we can only confirm this in February 2013, although in this case fees will be as low as possible. We will email everyone who registers in February to confirm the situation. We hope this allows enough time to book travel and accomodation.