The reign of Pope Gregory VII (1073-85) is critically important in the history of the medieval Church and Papacy. This original and authoritative study, the first for over fifty years, records the remarkable career of the Pope who started life as a humble clerk of the Roman church, gave his name to the Gregorian Reforms, and finally died in exile at Salerno. His reign prepared the way for an age of strong papal monarchy throughout medieval Europe. "This book should be applauded by students and scholars alike and is a welcome addition to the renewed scholarly attention given to Gregory's life and times in recent years."-- Speculum "[ Pope Gregory VII, 1073-1085 ] is the culmination of a life's work, and in my view it is a masterpiece."-- Times Literary Supplement "The importance of this book must not be underestimated. The careful attention to detail and the masterful command of the sources...set a high standard of historical research that has long characterized Cowdrey's work....This is 'great-man history' at its finest. Like the man himself, Pope Gregory VII is a learned, fascinating, frustrating, and overwhelming book that will set both the standard and point of departure for all future debate. Cowdrey, indeed, has put us all in his debt."-- Church History "H. E. J. Cowdrey presents here the fruit of many years of painstaking research on Gregory VII, a work which is definitely the most comprehensive, the most informed, the most nuanced, and thus the most valuable, study of this important medieval pope. It will surely be the definitive work for the foreseeable future....[It is] clear and meticulously organized, and also quite readable....[T]his major work is a great contribution to our understanding of medieval Church history."-- Anglican Theological Review "[The book] offers one of the most comprehensive, detailed, and dynamic portraits of the ecclesiastical politics of this age currently available. The starting point for all future discussion of Gregory VII's pontificate, Cowdrey's work represents the first sustained effort to address fully all of the political, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of this enigmatic pope. While its size, scope, and detailed argumentation demand much of the reader, the rich sense of the man and his age that results from such careful reading makes it well worth the effort."-- Journal of Religion "[A] fair, carefully argued book with [a] wealth of information."-- Speculum H. E. J. Cowdrey is Emeritus Fellow at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. Used Book in Good Condition