An Overview of Political Authority in Medieval Europe: Empire, Papacy, and the Rights of Infidels
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2020
Source Publication
HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT. Vol. XLI. No. 2. Summer 2020
Abstract
From the late eleventh century, an intense struggle over political authority took place in Western Europe. The main contenders were the Pope, the Holy Roman Emperor and secular rulers. This paper examines the political, jurisprudential and theological theories underlying this conflict, especially as they related to the universal claims of the Pope and the Emperor. These are contrasted with the claims of secular rulers to complete independence which eventually prevailed, resulting in the division of Europe into nation-states. The paper then relates papal claims to universal authority to the rights of infidels, particularly in the context of the debate at the Council of Constance over the rights of non-Christian Poles and Lithuanians to hold property and exercise jurisdiction.
Repository Citation
McNeil, Kent, "An Overview of Political Authority in Medieval Europe: Empire, Papacy, and the Rights of Infidels" (2020). Articles & Book Chapters. 3187.
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/scholarly_works/3187
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