Papacy and Law on the Eve of the Gregorian Revolution

Abstract This chapter discusses papacy in the eleventh century and law on the eve of Gregorian revolution. It argues that the most striking canon was the explicit affirmation of the dispositive powers of a legitimate papal electus. It was an attempt to distinguish between the jurisdictional and other powers of the papal office. Leo IX's preoccupation with the rigorous observance of the forms of ecclesiastical law was not limited to the issue of free and canonical elections. His actions not only gave reform a seal of legitimacy, but also exalted the position of the papacy. More than any of his predecessors, Gregory VII had a sense of mission: he lived, and he acted with an unshakeable conviction of the divine vocation. He was preoccupied with canon law. The chapter holds that it is the task of others to find the necessary authorities, and to provide the specific vindications for his revolution.