Rethinking Authority in the Carolingian Empire is an ambitious reassessment of the ecclesiastical reforms undertaken during the reign of Louis the Pious. Using carefully selected documents to serve as case studies, Kramer attempts to understand the mindset of the early ninth-century ecclesiastical elite in the Frankish empire. He argues that the mutual dependency of the imperium (empire) and the ecclesia (Church) created a “discourse community” between the imperial court and the monastic and canonical communities that were being reformed. The court served as a crucible of intellectual activity, where ideas and reforms were negotiated and argued, and the court served as well as the means by which these ideas were dispersed among the communities throughout the empire. The map in the front of the book not only shows the location of places mentioned throughout the text but also helps physically demonstrate how these places might have created a communications network throughout the young empire.

The book is divided into four chapters, with a prologue and epilogue. The first chapter is an overview of the early years of Louis the Pious, providing a historical framework and a historiographical context for the present study, and positioning Kramer's argument within it. The second chapter examines the Councils of 813 and 816. Kramer analyzes the textual output of these councils, and argues that the documents produced by councils and synods should not be seen as the last word on ecclesiastical matters or as decisions meant to be enacted unilaterally throughout the empire; rather, they were products of a robust discourse among numerous stakeholders and reflect a “process in motion” (61). Chapter 3 examines the works of Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel, arguing that Smaragdus’ ideas are as much a product of Frankish court culture as they are his own philosophy. Smaragdus wrote of the “interdependence between individual and society and between worldly and heavenly concerns” (125), which Kramer sees as an articulation of new ideologies of Christian empire and, he suggests, indicates Smaragdus’ support for further reform of imperium and ecclesia. Chapter 4 uses Ardo's Vita Benedicti Anianensis and the writings of Ermold the Black to examine the relationship between Benedict of Aniane and the imperial court. As an abbot-courtier, even taking into account the problematic nature of hagiography as a source (which Kramer explicitly notes), Benedict serves as a model for how an ecclesiast might have functioned within the larger Carolingian system of imperium and ecclesia. In the first pages of each chapter, Kramer clearly states its plan for the reader, describing the sources he is using and why, as well what he intends to argue, and explaining how each case study fits into the larger argument of the book. This is extremely helpful, given the complexity of the sources and the degree of detail with which they are analyzed.

There is much to admire here. Kramer's extensive research is reflected in the copious bibliography. For scholars or graduate students unfamiliar with early ninth-century Frankish society, chapter 1 and the bibliography would provide a terrific introduction to the historical context, the sources, and the historiography. Kramer is clearly aware of the limitations of both his sources and his methodology, but he is also very attuned to the possibilities that this kind of case-study approach might offer. In trying to show how the authors of these texts understood themselves to be part of an ongoing process of negotiation and discussion of ecclesiastical reforms, he reveals the tensions between the local customs and desires of communities and the broader reform initiatives being debated at court—and indeed, he suggests that these tensions were essential to keeping those debates and discussions alive. This idea of unity in diversity, that there were many paths reforms might take based on local needs or desires, is a valuable reminder that the Carolingian reforms did not confine every community to identical practice. Kramer's organizational structure for the examination of texts subtly leads the reader from macrocosm to microcosm: first looking at the conciliar output of bishops, then at writings revealing how an abbot understood the responsibilities and interaction of imperium and ecclesia, and then examining how a single abbot might have participated in the intellectual and social culture of the Frankish court. He convincingly argues that Carolingian ecclesiastical reform was an active and ongoing process of negotiation between many different people with as many different points of view, and that they understood that their participation in these discussions was a way to advocate for their own places in the new society in which they found themselves, a Christian empire.

Kramer is undeniably knowledgeable about, and has a deep familiarity with, his sources, especially those that form the case studies of Chapters 2–4. This might at times pose a disadvantage for the reader who is not as well-versed in them, as he periodically delves into minutiae and details about his texts without explicitly connecting them to his argument. The index is limited to “people, places, and events as well as the main works and literary figures” (275), where this reader would have liked to see it fleshed out a bit more comprehensively. And there are those who may be misled by the title, which gives no indication that the contents deal with ecclesiastical reforms, not the exercise of political power (medievalists may understand these to be intertwined, non-specialists most likely would not). But these are small complaints for a volume that is overall well-researched and well-argued. As evidenced by the number of books that continue to be published about the Carolingians, interest in the dynasty shows no sign of abating. Kramer has provided a valuable contribution to that scholarship with this thought-provoking and nuanced assessment of Carolingian ecclesiastical reforms.