Calixtus II (1119-1124): A Pope Born to Rule

Calixtus II (1119-1124) transformed the orientation of the papacy by signing the Concordat of Worms with the emperor, Henry V, in 1122, resolving the conflict over imperial investiture of bishops. As the tough-minded archbishop of Vienne, he had opposed the emperor and anyone else who stood in his way. As pope, he aggressively promoted the authority of the papacy, but suffered defeat in South Italy. To gain Henry V's support, he jettisoned his life-long opposition, and compromised over investitures. Students of the medieval papacy will find that this new interpretation of a pivotal pope challenges many of the conventional conceptions.

'Given the immense importance of those years between 1119 and 1124, Stroll's weighty survey of the achievements of the reign of Calixtus is to be welcomed... She has provided much food for further thought.' Constant J. Mews, BMR, 2006. The author deserves considerable thanks for the thoroughness of her research and for providing us with the first biography of Calixtus in more than a century. She demonstrates that this pontificate is not just merely interesting but essential to understand the problems confronting the papacy, not just in terms of church and state but also the fundamental divisions within the leadership of the church. Those who continue to study the reform papacy will certainly find this work useful. James M. Powell, Speculum

Mary Stroll, Ph.D. (1975) in History, the University of California, San Diego, is a Visiting Scholar at UCSD. She has published three books with Brill, the last of which was The Medieval Abbey of Farfa (1998).