6 - Canon Law in a Time of Renewal, 1130–1234

Summary

The century between c. 1130 and 1234 was a time of great renewal and transformation in canon law when much of the foundation was laid that would define the legal structure of not only the church but also secular society well into modern times (see Chapter 30). At this time, papal legislation found its stride, in the form of papal decretals and conciliar decrees (notably from the four Lateran councils, 1123–1215). The inhabitants of Europe sought out the pope’s judicial decisions in unprecedented masses, creating a rich body of papal case law. At the same time, legal study grew exponentially at the law schools, particularly in Bologna, where an expanding and often innovative tradition of analysis and commentary, which were also inspired by the recently rediscovered Roman law of the emperor Justinian, brought canon law to new levels of complexity, sophistication, and precision.