The fact that medieval popes travelled from one place to another rather than ruling from a single location is not novel information for any medievalist. However, the practices around itinerant popes have been investigated surprisingly little. As Kast presents in the introduction of the volume (“Forschungsstand,” pp. 13–18), studies on the travels of popes are rare, and those concerning medieval pontiffs are even more scarce. Furthermore, while the itineraries of most medieval popes are generally known, as well as the reasons for their travelling (fleeing from Rome due to political tumults, participating in ecclesiastical councils held elsewhere, or leaving Rome during the hot summer months or periods of plague or other epidemics), the other aspects of their travels, such as the practicalities of preparations or the hardships during the journey, have not been thoroughly investigated until now.

With his book Der Papsthof auf Reisen, Kast aims to fill the gap in the study of the travelling practices of post-Schism popes, from Martin V (r. 1417–1431) to Pius II (r. 1458–1464). The period is well chosen, as the study covers c. 50 years, featuring many popes known for the itinerant nature of their papacies. For example, the long return of Martin V from the Council of Constance is well known, but its details have never been sufficiently studied. The same applies to the various tours of the Piccolomini-Pope around Italy and his native Tuscany in the late 1450s and early 1460s.

Kast’s book is structured so that the introduction (“Einleitung,” pp. 11–40) presents the earlier research, research questions, methods, and sources upon which the analysis is based. Following this, the research is contextualized within the central political and ecclesiastical events of the period under scrutiny. After the introduction, the book is divided into five thematic chapters, each concluding with a summary of the main results. The first chapter examines the political context of the papal travels, discussing, for example, the role of itinerant popes in maintaining control over the Papal States and the consequences of their absence from Rome for the administration and the situation in the Eternal City.

The second chapter focuses on the organizational challenges and issues related to the popes’ travels: how the popes had to announce their absence from Rome and their arrival in various cities well in advance so that all practicalities could be arranged; how various cities were eager to invite the pontiff; the uncertainties regarding the itinerary of the popes; the composition of the papal travel company. In the third chapter, Kast concentrates on the practical aspects of travelling: how the transport of the huge papal entourage and all necessary items was planned and executed; how the papal entourage ensured the provision of food and other commodities along the route. An especially interesting viewpoint here is how the papal administration had to transport a large number of papal registers from one place to another to enable the administration to carry out its daily business.

The fourth chapter analyzes how the cities accommodating the papal curia prepared to receive the pontiff and his large entourage: how the official invitation to stay in a city was planned and sent to the pope; how the cities were decorated and embellished for the pope’s arrival; how the welcoming ceremonies were conducted. These details have never been meticulously studied, and Kast presents a wealth of surprising examples, illustrating how every small detail along the papal route was planned. The fifth thematic chapter examines the accommodation of the papal entourage along the route and in the cities, where the pope and the curia stayed for a longer time: who could stay and in which buildings (including fascinating descriptions of lodging hierarchy between the cardinals and other central members of the curia); the costs of accommodation; the hospitality of the local nobility. Kast concludes that the pope was a very expensive and demanding guest for the cities he visited, but that the citizens could also economically profit from the papal stay, as prices for food, accommodation, and other necessary commodities for those outside the papal entourage rocketed up for a period.

The analysis ends with a summary of the main results (“Zusammenfassung,” pp. 380–385), followed by several useful appendices: itineraries of Martin V and Nicholas V, maps, editions of eleven relevant documents that previous research has largely ignored and fifteen very useful tables detailing who rented their houses and to whom during the papal travels. The appendices are followed by a list of used abbreviations, sources, and research literature as well as indices for persons, places, and subjects.

Overall, Kast presents a detailed and vivid picture of papal travelling customs, from the early phases of planning the papal itinerary to the arrival of the entourage at their destinations. The study is based on meticulous reading of a broad variety of different sources. The papal cameral registers recording income and expenses are Kast’s main source for investigating the question from the curia’s point of view, but he has also utilised many other types of source material that provide evidence from the viewpoint of the receiving cities: town books, communal decisions as well as chronicles, letters, and other narrative sources that illustrate the efforts of the cities hosting the pope and the curia. The well-written book is a pleasant read, and I can only warmly recommend it to anyone interested in travelling popes, papal history, town history, or the history of papal administration.