This innovative, provocative, and richly rewarding work invites us to review, quite literally, the works of six major fourteenth-century authors as they addressed the problematic relocation of the papacy from Rome to Avignon. By juxtaposing their reactions to this move, Falkeid reveals not only the intellectual breadth of the time but also the very real anguish people felt over the displacement of the papacy from its traditional seat in Rome—and their frustration as successive popes failed to show any inclination to leave Avignon. Each of her six protagonists receives his or her own chapter; Falkeid makes elegant and clear connections among them as the work progresses. Her probing and careful examinations of key texts present models of close reading, and her clear prose gracefully leads the reader on an exciting voyage of discovery. The result is a sparklingly original view of the works of well-known personages contextualized in terms of the “Babylonian Captivity” as well as that of one another.

A brief and dramatic introduction opens with the conflict between the Spiritual Franciscans and the Avignon papacy, which itself unfolded against the backdrop of yet another conflict, that of Ludwig of Bavaria and John XXII. The pope refused to recognize Ludwig as Holy Roman Emperor; as the fight escalated, Ludwig's court became a haven for two of the main authors Falkeid examines, William of Ockham and Marsilius of Padua, and a lightning rod for all six, who shared an “intensely critical view of the growing secular power of the Avignon papacy” (2). Falkeid presents a short recap of the heightened tensions between secular rulers and the papacy from the Investiture Controversy to Boniface VIII's overarching claims in 1302 of papal supremacy as expressed in Unam Sanctam. “A literary war broke out,” and all six of her authors “fiercely contested” papal claims and “questioned the legitimacy of the pope's secular power . . . while appealing for a profound reformation of the church, the Ecclesia Romana” (5).

Though all six authors framed their criticisms in unique fashion, they probably knew one another's writings and may even have met in person. Together Dante, Marsilius of Padua, William of Ockham, Petrarch, Birgitta of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena strongly influenced events of their day: “Their literary works dominated the agenda of the contemporary political and intellectual debates, with far-reaching effects for the political discourses of early modern Europe” (5). With admirable brevity, Falkeid presents a brief survey of major works on both the Avignon papacy and of studies of late medieval political thought, emphasizing the consistent omission of literary and inspirational figures such as Petrarch, Birgitta, and Catherine. By casting a wider net than her predecessors, Falkeid aims to present a more accurate picture of those people and those texts that “were of immense significance in the political and ecclesiastical debates of fourteenth-century Europe” (9). All six authors “offered inventive solutions to the contemporary crisis” that “came to chart early modern notions of legitimacy”; she argues that their works did not simply mirror political reality but “aimed at transforming the political-religious agenda of the papacy” (23). By the end of the introduction, with its brief sections on “Presentation of the Chapters,” “A Brief Outline of the Avignon Papacy,” “The Return to Rome,” and “Success and Resistance,” the author has whetted the reader's appetite by posing intriguing questions and hinting at new approaches to old texts.

The six individual chapters that follow, one per author, more than fulfill the reader's expectations. Any attempt to summarize Falkeid's subtle arguments will necessarily fall short; every textual analysis, every sentence, drives a complex argument forward, often intertwining references in ways that make each shine more brilliantly, much as a well-cut diamond refracts light within itself from its many facets. In every instance, the author reveals both the internal tensions within various texts and explains, clearly and logically, the immediate contexts that inform each—as, for example, with Marsilius of Padua's opening and conclusion of Defensor Pacis. The appeal to Ludwig and “the clarion call to act”—issued to both prince and subject—draw the work “away from the general, nonhistorical field of political theories that make it seem alluringly modern” and position it squarely “within the conflicts of its own time” (61). After firmly repositioning the work, Falkeid proceeds with rigor and care to reveal new perspectives and connections within the text, between text and historical context, and between Marsilius and Dante regarding secular power.

While the readings of particular texts are solid and insightful, the most exciting sections of the book are those in which the author compares the assumptions and positions of various authors. As the book proceeds, it becomes ever richer as more voices join in; by the end, we see Catherine of Siena side-by-side with Dante, Thomas Aquinas, and Birgitta of Sweden. A brief conclusion relates the general character of the Avignon papacy and its disastrous aftermath, the Great Schism of the West. Most strongly presented, however, are two main points: first, that the works of the six authors “were composed in order to intervene in concrete situations” and that they did so with a sense of real urgency; and second, that two major female voices, those of Brigitta and Catherine, “are brought back to the realm of the political debates of the fourteenth century” (177). Only by including a wider range of perspectives can we hope to recover the true depths of fourteenth-century discourse.

The Avignon Papacy Contested deserves a place in the library of every historian of the Italian Renaissance and of the late medieval papacy as well as that of literary critics and even theologians. It is deep and challenging, a work that will reward multiple readings, and one that should provoke all readers to reexamine texts and circumstances with fresh eyes. If the author reveals any flaw, it is inserting the names of other scholars to support various points; like Catherine and Brigitta, Falkeid possesses the intellectual strength to grant her work authority in its own right.