Bishops, Texts and the Use of Canon Law around 1100: Essays in Honour of Martin Brett

The essays in this volume in honour of Martin Brett address issues relating to the compilation and transmission of canon law collections, the role of bishops in their dissemination, as well as the interpretation and use of law in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The studies are grouped thematically under the headings 'Bishops and Their Texts', and 'Texts and the Use of Canon Law'. These reflect important areas of contention in the historiographical literature and hence will further the debates regarding not simply the compilation and dissemination of canonical collections in the earlier middle ages, but also the development of the practical application of canon law within Europe, especially after c.1080. Individually, the contributors offer new viewpoints on key issues and questions relating to the creation of canonical texts, their transmission and use on both sides of the English Channel in the decades either side of the year 1100. Collectively, the essays explore the methods and motives of compilers, assess the use of law, find readers both in the compilation of texts and within their margins, and - perhaps most importantly - speculate where possible about the living communities in which these texts were compiled, copied and used. Contents: Preface; Introduction, Bruce C. Brasington and Kathleen G. Cushing; Part I Bishops and Their Texts: The Collectio Angelica: a canon law derivative of the South Italian Collection in 5 Books, Roger E. Reynolds; Secular law in the Collectio duodecim Partium and Bruchard's Decretum, Greta Austin; ' Licet novo consuetudo': Gregor VII und die Liturgie, Uta-Renate Blumenthal and Detlev Jasper; Polemic or handbook? Recension Bb of Anselm of Lucca's Collectio Canonum, Kathleen G. Cushing; Lanfranc and the oldest manuscript of the Collectio Lanfranci, Michael Gullick; The manuscripts of the Collectio Tripartita in Poland, Przemyslaw Nowak; Ivo in America, Robert Somerville. Part II Texts and the Use of Canon Law: The use of the Collectio Lanfranci: the evidence of the manuscripts, Nicolás Álvarez de las Asturias; The collection and transmission of canon law along the northern section of the Via Francigena in the 11th and 12th centuries, Linda Fowler-Magerl; History and canon law in the Collectio Britannica: a new date for London, BL Add. 8873, Christof Rolker; Das Summarium Haimonis: ein Manual für Arkidiakone aus der Zeit Gratians, Peter Landau; 'Notes from the edge': marginalia and glosses in pre-Gratian canonical collections, Bruce C. Brasington; Roman law in Gratian and the Panormia, Anders Winroth; De consultationibus: the role of episcopal consultation in the shaping of canon law in the 12th century, Anne Duggan; Principal publications, Martin Brett; Index. About the Author: Bruce C. Brasington is Associate Professor of History, West Texas A & M University, USA, and Kathleen G. Cushing is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, University of Keele, UK