The Social Origins of the Episcopacy in the Reign of Francis I

The classic assumption that royal absolutism was built up by the king's advancement of the bourgeoisie to positions of power at the expense of the nobility has been proven vulnerable.' This study provides a further test of its validity by analyzing the social origins of the bishops appointed by Francis I under the Concordat of Bologna from its inception in 1516 to the end of the reign in 1547. By examining the social origins of the episcopacy we can gain a better understanding of which social groups the king actively and deliberately advanced to positions of power. We will be able to determine more precisely the social groups upon which the New Monarchy in France based its power. Was the episcopacy recruited from among the commoners, that is, the bourgeoisie, or from the nobility? On the other hand was the competition for episcopal seats between the older feudal nobility and the newer administrative nobility? In short was the competition for episcopal offices an interorder struggle, that is, between orders, or an intraorder struggle, that is, between different segments of the same order? The answer to these questions will enable us better to understand the social composition of the power elite created by the Renaissance monarchy and thereby the nature of the New Monarchy itself

Ancient history · Political science · Politics · Reign · European Political History Analysis · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law

• Inertia and Reform in the Pre-Tridentine French Church

  Open Access•David Nicholls•The Journal of Ecclesiastical…•1981

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