This book is a study of the politics of episcopal elections in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Normandy and Greater Anjou. This was a crucial period in the development of canon law and Jörg Peltzer offers the first analysis to bring together legal theory and practice, local custom, and politics. He explores the development of electoral theories and examines each election in context, offering insights into the varying balance of royal, papal and regional baronial power and the various career paths leading to an episcopal see. He shows how different systems of patronage worked, to what extent they were vehicles of social mobility, and how aristocratic families were structured. By comparing electoral practices in Normandy and Greater Anjou before and after the Capetian conquest the book significantly enhances our understanding of the theory and practice of canon law, local politics in Normandy and Anjou, and the high politics at the Capetian and Angevin courts.

Review of the hardback: 'This important book presents a detailed analysis of episcopal elections in the province of Rouen and the sees of Tours, Le Mans and Angers during a period identified by the author as pivotal in the development of canon law on this issue, and which also saw the establishment of Capetian rule in Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Touraine. It uses an impressively wide range of sources to integrate legal theory and practice with local custom and politics.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History