Medieval Canon Law

It is impossible to understand how the medieval church functioned and,  in turn, influenced the lay world within its care without understanding  "canon law". This book examines its development from its beginnings to  the end of the Middle Ages, updating its findings in light of recent  scholarly trends.

This second edition has been fully revised and  updated by Melodie H. Eichbauer to include additional material on the  early Middle Ages; the significance of the discovery of earlier versions  of Gratian’s Decretum; and the new research into law emanating from  secular authorities, councils, episcopal acta, and juridical commentary  to rethink our understanding of the sources of law and canon law's place  in medieval society. Separate chapters examine canon law in  intellectual spaces; the canonical courts and their procedures; and,  using the case studies of deviation from orthodoxy and marriage, canon  law in the lives of people. The main body of the book concludes with the  influence of canon law in Western society, but has been reworked by  integrating sections cut from the first edition chapters on canon law in  private and public life to highlight the importance of this field of  research. Throughout the work and found in the bibliography are  references to current literature and resources in order to make  researching in the field more accessible. The first appendix provides  examples of how canonical texts are cited while the second offers  biographical notes on canonists featured in the work. The end result is a  second edition that is significantly rewritten and updated but retains  the spirit of Brundage’s original text.

Covering all aspects of  medieval canon law and its influence on medieval politics, society, and  culture, this book provides students of medieval history with an  accessible overview of this foundational aspect of medieval history.