Abstract
Patrick Zutshi’s impact on the study of the medieval papacy has been profound. In the anglophone world, he has both brought the insights of Continental scholarship to our attention, while also being a major contributor to that same tradition of European scholarship. However, much of his work is diffused throughout the many articles and chapters he has written (not to mention the books and papers of others which would not have been possible without his informal advice). This collection—which brings together twenty essays, two previously unpublished—is welcome then, as both a gathering of articles, and as a testament to Zutshi’s years of study. As Zutshi explains in his preface, there is no monograph on the Avignon papal chancery. Nevertheless, the range of articles here satisfactorily fills the gap, as well as moving beyond the chancery to the papal penitentiary. The methodological theme running through the essays—as through Zutshi’s entire career—is the importance of Diplomatic (Diplomatics, in the US), one of those skills, like palaeography, of which medievalists tend to be particularly proud. ‘[L]iterary criticism that is based on a detailed examination of documentary records’ (in Leonard Boyle’s formulation, although even this might be too narrow to contain the vibrancy and breadth of what Diplomatic offers) is a vital tool in the historian’s toolbox. It is therefore—as Zutshi notes—something to be regretted that there is now so little Diplomatic teaching in UK universities.
Published Version
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