Rome and the Invention of the Papacy

The James Lydon Lectures in Medieval History and Culture

by Rosamond McKitterick

The remarkable, and permanently influential, papal history known as the Liber pontificalis shaped perceptions and the memory of Rome, the popes, and the many-layered past of both city and papacy within western Europe. Rosamond McKitterick offers a new analysis of this extraordinary combination of historical reconstruction, deliberate selection and political use of fiction, to illuminate the history of the early popes and their relationship with Rome. She examines the content, context, and transmission of the text, and the complex relationships between the reality, representation, and reception of authority that it reflects. The Liber pontificalis presented Rome as a holy city of Christian saints and martyrs, as the bishops of Rome established their visible power in buildings, and it articulated the popes' spiritual and ministerial role, accommodated within their Roman imperial inheritance. Drawing on wide-ranging and interdisciplinary international research, Rome and the Invention of the Papacy offers pioneering insights into the evolution of this extraordinary source, and its significance for the history of early medieval Europe.

Genres: History, Religion

290 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2020

About the author

Rosamond Deborah McKitterick is one of Britain's foremost medieval historians. Since 1999, she has been Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge where she is a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College. Much of her work focuses on the Frankish kingdoms in the 8th and 9th centuries and uses palaeographical and manuscript studies to illuminate aspects of the political, cultural, intellectual, religious and social history of the early Middle Ages.

From 1951 to 1956 McKitterick lived in Cambridge, England, where her father had a position at Magdalene College. In 1956 she moved with her family to Western Australia where she completed primary and secondary school and completed an honours degree at the University of Western Australia. She holds the degrees of M.A., Ph.D., and Litt.D.

In 1971 she returned to Cambridge University to pursue her career. She was a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge and then became a Professorial Fellow of Sidney Sussex. She is also on the Editorial Board of the journal 'Networks and Neighbours'.

She married David John McKitterick, Librarian of Trinity College, Cambridge, and they have one daughter.

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense and fruitful read that requires some intense attention. This work provides a historical recounting of Rome’s invention of the papacy. McKitterick is precise in word choice seeking to emphasize the lack of historical evidence for the tracing of the papacy back to the Apostle Peter like Rome claims. A must read for those look for a substantial argument against the authority of the papacy. Very academic and at times may be inaccessible to lay readers.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. The best book for anyone wanting to know the influence of the Liber Pontificalis on Papal History.

[Tim Wilder]

This is a book about controlling the narrative. The papacy controlled the historical sources and had a near monopoly on historical writing. As a result it could invent itself as the successor to the Roman Empire, and convince everyone that its self-image was real.