Yale University Library Research Guides: Medieval Christianity: Papacy & Clergy

Priests in the Middle Ages

A Companion to Priesthood and Holy Orders in the Middle Ages by Greg Peters (Editor); C. Colt Anderson (Editor) In A Companion to Priesthood and Holy Orders in the Middle Ages, a select group of scholars explain the rise and function of priests and deacons in the Middle Ages.
Men in the Middle: Local Priests in Early Medieval Europe (Online) by Steffen Patzold (Editor); Carine van van Rhijn (Editor) This volume studies local priests as central players in small communities of early medieval Europe.

Avignon and Its Papacy, 1309-1417 by Joëlle Rollo-Koster Traces the history of the papacy in Avignon. Argues that we should think more positively about the Avignon papacy, with its effective governance, intellectual creativity, and dynamism.
A Companion to the Great Western Schism (1378-1417) by Joëlle Rollo-Koster (Volume Editor); Thomas M. Izbicki (Volume Editor)
Poets, Saints, and Visionaries of the Great Schism, 1378-1417 by Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski Looks beyond the political and ecclesiastical storm and finds an outpouring of artistic, literary, and visionary responses to one of the great calamities of the late Middle Ages.

A Companion to the Medieval Papacy (Online) by Atria Larson (Editor); Keith Sisson (Editor) Topics covered include: the Papal States; the Gregorian Reform; papal artistic self-representation; hierocratic theory; canon law; decretals; councils; legates and judges delegate; the apostolic camera, chancery, penitentiary, and Rota; relations with Constantinople; crusades; and missions.
A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages by Walter Ullmann This classic text outlines the development of the Papacy as an institution in the Middle Ages. The focus of this survey is on the institution and the idea of papacy rather than individual figures, recognizing the shaping power of the popes' roles that made them outstanding personalities.
The Medieval Papacy by Brett Whalen A concise history that is aimed at a general audience and attempts to mediate between earlier competing visions of what the medieval papacy was.
Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes (Online) by Eamon Duffy The most comprehensive single-volume history of the popes.

Certain Sainthood: Canonization and the Origins of Papal Infallibility in the Medieval Church (Online) by Donald S. Prudlo Traces the doctrine of papal infallibility back to the Middle Ages, to a time when Rome was struggling to extend the limits of papal authority over Western Christendom.
Popes and Jews, 1095-1291 (Online) by Rebecca Rist Explores the nature and scope of the relationship of the medieval papacy to the Jewish communities of western Europe.
The Papacy, 1073-1198 (Online) by I. S. Robinson A study of the transformation of the role of the pope in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries, from which he emerged as monarch of the universal Church, dedicated to reform and to making the Church independent of secular control.
The Papal Monarchy: The Western Church from 1050 to 1250 (Online) by Colin Morris Examines the building of Christian society between 1050 and 1250.