Lords and pastors

This book presents biographies of six bishops from the medieval German empire, translated into English for the first time. The bishop was a ubiquitous figure across medieval Europe, providing leadership to the community of Christians within dioceses and linking day-to-day life to centres of political power and ecclesiastical authority. They were particularly prominent in the kingdom of Germany, where the most powerful churchmen led armies and advised kings. The texts collected here, originating in the tenth to thirteenth centuries, offer readers a lively entrée to medieval social, religious and political conditions, as well as fascinating biographical details and information about law, architecture, warfare and government. They have been chosen to illustrate changes in the role of bishop over time; and the individuality, in character and activity, of each figure.