THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE IN THE MEDIEVAL DOCUMENT DICTATUS PAPAE

Abstract

The Dictatus Papae is a key primary source for research into the history of Church reforms in the eleventh century, the leading figure of which was Pope Gregory VII Hildebrand. The document consists of twenty-seven statements defining the prerogatives of papal authority in other ecclesiastical and spiritual areas as well as in relationship to secular rulers under the pope’s spiritual authority. This paper will examine some of these statements giving the pope religious and secular prerogatives regarding his authority over secular rulers. A detailed analysis of some of these statements and of historical literature related to the document will provide clear insight into how current historical scholarship views the document and will also showcase the document’s concepts from a completely new perspective. Thus additional space will be opened up for a detailed analysis of the influence of this document on the development of the relationship between Church and state from the time it was written until the present day.

Keywords

• Dictatus Papae, Church, state, authority, papal register