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The Medieval Papacy
The author seeks to show how its success in building up its authority and its legal and administrative machinery militated against its claim to spiritual leadership, and how an institution which rose through furthering the cause of reform later became an obstacle to reform and itself in need of reformation. In other words, he is concerned with the great dichotomies - to say nothing of the conflicting ideals and contrasting personalities - which make the history of the medieval papacy so dramatic and instructive. Professor Barraclough's writings on papal history cover a period of more than thirty years. They are based on extensive research in the Vatican Archives and other major manuscript libraries. The present volume is refreshingly original in judgment and constantly surprises the reader by its ability to place even the best-known episodes and personalities in anew and revealing light.
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 15, 2013
A review in honour of the new Pontiff Pope Francis.... and to let him know, if he needs any reminder, that no matter how much the Catholic church looks a bit ragged and corrupt now, it ain't nothing compared to what it was way back when.
Yes, you do have cardinals who have spent their lives gay-bashing and who - shock horror - turn out to be gay themselves.
Yes you do have creepy paedos too.
But you DON'T have two separate Popes excommunicating each other like in some kind of computer game VIOLENT POPES - it's Urban VI vs Clement VII - BLAPPP! You're toast, Urban! Yah, Clement, eat your blasphemous eucharist and die......ZZZAZZZZPP!
I remember my friends mocking me for reading this book some years ago, but it was quite an exciting story.
Yes, you do have cardinals who have spent their lives gay-bashing and who - shock horror - turn out to be gay themselves.
Yes you do have creepy paedos too.
But you DON'T have two separate Popes excommunicating each other like in some kind of computer game VIOLENT POPES - it's Urban VI vs Clement VII - BLAPPP! You're toast, Urban! Yah, Clement, eat your blasphemous eucharist and die......ZZZAZZZZPP!
I remember my friends mocking me for reading this book some years ago, but it was quite an exciting story.
August 27, 2012
A not-terrible but not-great overview of the medieval papacy. Honestly, I'm not sure there's a way to cover 1500 years of papal history in less than 200 pages, as Barraclough tries to do here. While he does do a pretty good job given the parameters he's working with, it's just much too short, filled with oversimplifications and a lack of necessary context. There are a frustrating amount of times where Barraclough will pass over important details or refrain from giving detailed reasons for his assertions, and the reader just has to take him at his word.
There are some good points, though - Barraclough is relatively fair to most of the popes he deals with, rarely demonizing or idealizing them. He allows for political and social factors to play into the development of the papacy instead of just seeing it as progressive stages of a continuous ideological battle between the papacy and the empire (though some will probably feel Barraclough goes too far in the opposite direction). The book itself is really lovely, filled with lots of great images from medieval manuscripts. But despite all that, it never manages to become a really helpful overview of the papacy because it's too short to weigh all the necessary considerations.
There are some good points, though - Barraclough is relatively fair to most of the popes he deals with, rarely demonizing or idealizing them. He allows for political and social factors to play into the development of the papacy instead of just seeing it as progressive stages of a continuous ideological battle between the papacy and the empire (though some will probably feel Barraclough goes too far in the opposite direction). The book itself is really lovely, filled with lots of great images from medieval manuscripts. But despite all that, it never manages to become a really helpful overview of the papacy because it's too short to weigh all the necessary considerations.
October 14, 2013
As a lot of other reviewers here point out, the main fault with this book is it's too condensed. It assumes you already know your history well enough for the author to throw in names and events without background. This isn't a subject where you can skimp on background, background is everything. It also comes from that recently abandoned tradition of academic writing that makes sure you jolly well understand the author is a clever rather removed sort of chap. There are some fantastic plates though. Maybe the pictures are meant to say the 1000s of words that are missing in the text.
August 12, 2022
Previše prekratko!
Knjiga Srednjovekovno papstvo predstavlja svojevrstan rezime istorijata papstva - od samog začetka katoličanstva i prvog koncepta o samoj ideji pape i papstvu, pa sve do avinjonskih papa i papa koji su došli nakon njih. Iako "previše prekratko" možda zvuči pomalo pleonazmički (ako je to uopšte reč), opis zaista deluje prikladno na mestu, jer knjiga predstavlja kratak hronološki pregled razvoja uloge poglavara (rimo)katoličke crkve, ali veoma, veoma kratak, te iako je knjiga jako zanimljiva, deluje kao da svaku od teme samo zagrebe po površini, a nijednu ne obradi "kako treba". U redu, možda su i moja očekivanja bila nerealistički visoka, ali knjiga je zbog svoje šturosti naprosto ostavila neki utisak nedorečenosti. Sve u svemu, jaka trojka.
Ocena 3.3
Knjiga Srednjovekovno papstvo predstavlja svojevrstan rezime istorijata papstva - od samog začetka katoličanstva i prvog koncepta o samoj ideji pape i papstvu, pa sve do avinjonskih papa i papa koji su došli nakon njih. Iako "previše prekratko" možda zvuči pomalo pleonazmički (ako je to uopšte reč), opis zaista deluje prikladno na mestu, jer knjiga predstavlja kratak hronološki pregled razvoja uloge poglavara (rimo)katoličke crkve, ali veoma, veoma kratak, te iako je knjiga jako zanimljiva, deluje kao da svaku od teme samo zagrebe po površini, a nijednu ne obradi "kako treba". U redu, možda su i moja očekivanja bila nerealistički visoka, ali knjiga je zbog svoje šturosti naprosto ostavila neki utisak nedorečenosti. Sve u svemu, jaka trojka.
Ocena 3.3
January 20, 2023
An unexciting read of a very interesting (and messy) historical period. Plenty of details about who did what to whom and when. More of a reference. Contains a very nice collection of illustrations.
April 27, 2014
Concise and clear information over a very complex historical narrative.
Barraclough's personal point of view is left to crown the very last pages for the Lutherian point of view. And rather than concluding with the evolution of reforms which are many, to then crow triumphantly about one event and in many ways out of context. Barraclough is unable to remain objectively as the narration nears the 15th & 16th centuries.
Barraclough's personal point of view is left to crown the very last pages for the Lutherian point of view. And rather than concluding with the evolution of reforms which are many, to then crow triumphantly about one event and in many ways out of context. Barraclough is unable to remain objectively as the narration nears the 15th & 16th centuries.
February 13, 2012
A standard work still in print. The serious student will want to read more recent works, as Barraclough has some clear prejudices.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews