Sacred Foundations : The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State ...

Name: Sacred Foundations : The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State ...
Brand: Princeton University Press

Princeton University Press

Sacred FoundationsThe Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State\nAuthor(s): Anna M. Grzyma?a-Busse\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Princeton University Press, United States\nImprint: Princeton University Press\nISBN-13: 9780691245072, 978-0691245072\nSynopsis\nHow the medieval church drove state formation in Europe\n\nSacred Foundations argues that the medieval church was a fundamental force in European state formation. Existing accounts focus on early modern warfare or contracts between the rulers and the ruled. In contrast, this major study shows that the Catholic Church both competed with medieval monarchs and provided critical templates for governing institutions, the rule of law, and parliaments.\n\nThe Catholic Church was the most powerful, wealthiest, and best-organized political actor in the Middle Ages. Starting in the eleventh century, the papacy fought for the autonomy of the church, challenging European rulers and then claiming authority over people, territory, and.