Simony – Declensions of a Lemma. The Florentine Case
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Caterina Ciccopiedi
Abstract
This paper aims to examine how different forms of the accusation of simony evolved within a specific context, namely Florence, during the eleventh century, which witnessed a violent clash between the followers of Giovanni Gualberto, a monk, and Bishop Pietro Mezzabarba, who was accused of simony. The papacy became involved in the conflict, with Pier Damiani acting as a legate, albeit unofficially, of the Petrine See. In Florence, during this period there were at least three key actors who had very different interpretations of simony coexisted during this period: Pier Damiani, the episcopate, and the Gualbertian monks. For each of these actors, the paper attempts not only to reconstruct the use and evolution of the term simony within the contemporary context and after the conflict (particularly through the biographies of Giovanni Gualberto, the so called „Vitae“) but also to explore the relational networks that influenced these uses and evolutions of the term. The monks viewed simony as a form of real heresy, following the point of view of Umberto di Silva Candida, which they believed affected the faithful and required purification through Settimo’s „ordeal“ by fire. In contrast, the episcopate found it difficult to rely solely on the term simony and sought alternative interpretations. Two clerics associated with the Marquis, who were close to Mezzabarba, proposed a unique interpretation of simony, which involved the separation of officium (ecclesiastical office) and beneficium (church benefice), allowing the exchange of money for the purchase of benefices. Pier Damiani’s intervention in Florence attempted to bridge these two perspectives. On the one hand, he sought to align the bishop’s judgement with Roman norms, and on the other, he communicated his interpretation of simony, which, although condemned, did not necessarily imply the inability to administer Grace. The final part of the paper analyses the later developments in this story, in particular by examining the three „Vitae“ of Giovanni Gualberto composed between 1090 and 1113. In these „Vitae“, the use of the term simony by those responsible for preserving Gualbert’s memory becomes problematic. The radical interpretation of the term caused a certain discomfort, and in the „Vitae“ we witness a loss of the disruptive meaning that the word had acquired during the Mezzabarba accusation.
Abstract
This paper aims to examine how different forms of the accusation of simony evolved within a specific context, namely Florence, during the eleventh century, which witnessed a violent clash between the followers of Giovanni Gualberto, a monk, and Bishop Pietro Mezzabarba, who was accused of simony. The papacy became involved in the conflict, with Pier Damiani acting as a legate, albeit unofficially, of the Petrine See. In Florence, during this period there were at least three key actors who had very different interpretations of simony coexisted during this period: Pier Damiani, the episcopate, and the Gualbertian monks. For each of these actors, the paper attempts not only to reconstruct the use and evolution of the term simony within the contemporary context and after the conflict (particularly through the biographies of Giovanni Gualberto, the so called „Vitae“) but also to explore the relational networks that influenced these uses and evolutions of the term. The monks viewed simony as a form of real heresy, following the point of view of Umberto di Silva Candida, which they believed affected the faithful and required purification through Settimo’s „ordeal“ by fire. In contrast, the episcopate found it difficult to rely solely on the term simony and sought alternative interpretations. Two clerics associated with the Marquis, who were close to Mezzabarba, proposed a unique interpretation of simony, which involved the separation of officium (ecclesiastical office) and beneficium (church benefice), allowing the exchange of money for the purchase of benefices. Pier Damiani’s intervention in Florence attempted to bridge these two perspectives. On the one hand, he sought to align the bishop’s judgement with Roman norms, and on the other, he communicated his interpretation of simony, which, although condemned, did not necessarily imply the inability to administer Grace. The final part of the paper analyses the later developments in this story, in particular by examining the three „Vitae“ of Giovanni Gualberto composed between 1090 and 1113. In these „Vitae“, the use of the term simony by those responsible for preserving Gualbert’s memory becomes problematic. The radical interpretation of the term caused a certain discomfort, and in the „Vitae“ we witness a loss of the disruptive meaning that the word had acquired during the Mezzabarba accusation.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Inhalt V
- Vorwort IX
- Jenseits des Investiturstreits 1
-
I Diskurse und Öffentlichkeit
- Diskurse und Öffentlichkeit 23
- Una parola contesa. Populus al tempo della lotta per le investiture 31
- Simony – Declensions of a Lemma. The Florentine Case 67
- Verdichtete Kommunikation und politische Semantik um 1100 97
-
II Wandel von Herrschaftsstrukturen und -praktiken
- Wandel von Herrschaftsstrukturen und -praktiken 125
- Worms und seine Region. Bischof, Herrschaft, Stadt 133
- Ostiglia around 1100. A Window on the Transformation of Local Power in the Countryside 155
- Gaeta zwischen Fragmentierung und Zentralisierung. Wandel der Herrschaftsstrukturen im Küstendukat 181
-
III Netzwerke
- Netzwerke 219
- Altbewährtes in neuem Gewand. Die Erzbistümer Köln, Mainz und Mailand und ihre Beziehung zum Kaiser in spätottonischfrühsalischer Zeit 231
- Der Einfluss Kaiser Heinrichs III. auf die Bistümer anhand der Beispiele Köln, Mainz und Mailand 255
- Conclusio der Beiträge „Altbewährtes in neuem Gewand“ und „Der Einfluss Kaiser Heinrichs III. auf die Bistümer anhand der Beispiele Köln, Mainz und Mailand“ 277
- Cadalo di Parma e Anselmo di Lucca. Reti di solidarietà opposte nel contesto dello scisma del 1061 283
- Uno scisma diocesano della lotta per le investiture in configurazione. Il caso di Bologna (1030–1130) 329
- Erzbischöfliche Netzwerke – eine Annäherung anhand reichspolitischer Zäsuren und Herrschaftswechsel von 1105/1106 bis 1125. Die Erzbischöfe von Mainz, Köln und Salzburg im ersten Viertel des 12. Jahrhunderts 365
- Le reti relazionali degli abati di S. Maria di Farfa, 1045–1125. Analisi diacronica di una costellazione di rapporti in movimento 397
-
IV Medien und Zeichen
- Medien und Zeichen 441
- Schriftlichkeitswandel und Überlieferungsbildung anhand von Rechtshandlungen von und bei den Bischöfen von Brixen und Augsburg sowie den Erzbischöfen von Mainz (ca. 1050–1150) 453
- Im Spannungsfeld von Konsens, Konvention und Kontingenz. Dieurkundliche Tätigkeit der Erzbischöfe von Mailand und der Bischöfe von Parma im Vergleich 481
- Inschriftlichkeit im Spannungsfeld von renovatio Romae und renovatio Senatus. Epigraphische und materiale Dimensionen römischer Erneuerung im 12. Jahrhundert 513
- Register 549
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Inhalt V
- Vorwort IX
- Jenseits des Investiturstreits 1
-
I Diskurse und Öffentlichkeit
- Diskurse und Öffentlichkeit 23
- Una parola contesa. Populus al tempo della lotta per le investiture 31
- Simony – Declensions of a Lemma. The Florentine Case 67
- Verdichtete Kommunikation und politische Semantik um 1100 97
-
II Wandel von Herrschaftsstrukturen und -praktiken
- Wandel von Herrschaftsstrukturen und -praktiken 125
- Worms und seine Region. Bischof, Herrschaft, Stadt 133
- Ostiglia around 1100. A Window on the Transformation of Local Power in the Countryside 155
- Gaeta zwischen Fragmentierung und Zentralisierung. Wandel der Herrschaftsstrukturen im Küstendukat 181
-
III Netzwerke
- Netzwerke 219
- Altbewährtes in neuem Gewand. Die Erzbistümer Köln, Mainz und Mailand und ihre Beziehung zum Kaiser in spätottonischfrühsalischer Zeit 231
- Der Einfluss Kaiser Heinrichs III. auf die Bistümer anhand der Beispiele Köln, Mainz und Mailand 255
- Conclusio der Beiträge „Altbewährtes in neuem Gewand“ und „Der Einfluss Kaiser Heinrichs III. auf die Bistümer anhand der Beispiele Köln, Mainz und Mailand“ 277
- Cadalo di Parma e Anselmo di Lucca. Reti di solidarietà opposte nel contesto dello scisma del 1061 283
- Uno scisma diocesano della lotta per le investiture in configurazione. Il caso di Bologna (1030–1130) 329
- Erzbischöfliche Netzwerke – eine Annäherung anhand reichspolitischer Zäsuren und Herrschaftswechsel von 1105/1106 bis 1125. Die Erzbischöfe von Mainz, Köln und Salzburg im ersten Viertel des 12. Jahrhunderts 365
- Le reti relazionali degli abati di S. Maria di Farfa, 1045–1125. Analisi diacronica di una costellazione di rapporti in movimento 397
-
IV Medien und Zeichen
- Medien und Zeichen 441
- Schriftlichkeitswandel und Überlieferungsbildung anhand von Rechtshandlungen von und bei den Bischöfen von Brixen und Augsburg sowie den Erzbischöfen von Mainz (ca. 1050–1150) 453
- Im Spannungsfeld von Konsens, Konvention und Kontingenz. Dieurkundliche Tätigkeit der Erzbischöfe von Mailand und der Bischöfe von Parma im Vergleich 481
- Inschriftlichkeit im Spannungsfeld von renovatio Romae und renovatio Senatus. Epigraphische und materiale Dimensionen römischer Erneuerung im 12. Jahrhundert 513
- Register 549
