Western Europe in the age of Abbot‐Bishop Oliba: persistence and transformation after the Carolingians
Patrick J. Geary
This essay situates Count‐Bishop Oliba of Vic in post‐Carolingian western Europe by comparing his spiritual and political roles to those contemporary bishops beyond the Pyrenees: Fulbert Chartres, Gerard Cambrai, Burchard Worms, Aribert Milan. Although not direct communication with each other, these men faced similar challenges. Each bishop concentrated on securing regional levers power, either assuming traditionally held counts or else contesting actual counts. A major factor differentiating their careers was presence absence strong royal authority, which determined only selection as but also extent which, after consecration, they were obliged respond external authority.
Early Medieval Europe