Enduring Bonds: Social Prestige, Church Reform, and Grants of Lay societas in Central France, ca. 950-1150

Abstract

This article examines grants of ecclesiastical societas to lay persons preserved in the archives of several churches in central France in the eleventh and early twelfth centuries. By studying societas as it worked in practice, it asserts that the grants are a unique lens through which to uncover the relationships between donors and churches in the period. Originating in Cluny, these grants spread widely among all types of churches after ca. 1050 and were used almost exclusively to recognize the donations made by members of local aristocracies. I show how societas allowed lay donors to publicly and continually participate as “shareholders” in local churches, through liturgy, acts of charity, burial, and ritual performances. Furthermore, the significance of such grants in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries allowed them to ease the tensions over property raised by local ecclesiastical reformers. Although rare, grants of societas highlight the social value placed on continued, visible, and enduring close relationships between local aristocracies and the Church.