This important book presents a detailed analysis of episcopal elections in the province of Rouen and the sees of Tours, Le Mans and Angers during a period identified by the author as pivotal in the development of canon law on this issue, and which also saw the establishment of Capetian rule in Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Touraine. It uses an impressively wide range of sources to integrate legal theory and practice with local custom and politics. Jörg Peltzer stresses that every process of election was unique, and therefore discusses each in turn, although an analytical framework is preserved through regular summaries, and attention is drawn to parallels between bishoprics.

Peltzer sets out the contemporary canonists' theories on the election of bishops, covering such controversial points as whether absent canons should be recalled and what constituted the sanior et maior pars of the electoral body. The style here is somewhat ponderous, but this section provides the essential context for discussion of the many disputed elections, when the parties drew heavily on the latest legal opinion and expertise. While it is impossible to ascertain how many members of cathedral chapters were experienced in the law, the author demonstrates the vibrancy of canonical thought at this period, the range of interpretations produced by different writers, and how the emphasis shifted over time. He shows also how canon law was not merely an intellectual preserve, for the practice of holding elections materially contributed to its development.

The great strength of this book is its stress on the range of forces which influenced the choice of a bishop, and how the balance between royal, aristocratic, papal, capitular and local urban interests could and did vary over time and as a result of particular circumstances. There are no facile generalisations. Some trends do, however, emerge. In Normandy, the tradition of ducal influence in episcopal elections enabled the Angevin kings, especially Henry ii, to intervene decisively, while the centrality of the duchy within their empire meant that royal clerks frequently received preferment there. Even the murder of Becket, after which Henry had to promise free elections in England, had little effect on the position in Normandy. Royal influence was, however, much less prevalent in Angers, Le Mans and Tours, a reflection of the different history of these parts of the Angevin dominions and the greater impact of the Gregorian reforms there. It is, moreover, noteworthy that even in Normandy the civil war between Stephen and Matilda served to give a greater role to local forces. This is seen at Lisieux in 1141 and Avranches in 1142, although the relative poverty and strategic unimportance of the latter see meant that even Henry ii did not necessarily take a direct interest in elections there. John, realising the increasing recourse to canon law as opposed to immemorial custom, sought to enshrine in writing his perceived right to participate in episcopal elections, specifically in Lisieux and Sées. The loss of his lands in northern France rendered the exercise academic as far as Normandy was concerned, although it still had potential implications for English sees. Philip Augustus took a much less interventionist line, preferring co-operation to confrontation, and deferring to the judgements of Innocent iii. He appears to have accepted developments in canon law redefining the ruler's role in the electoral process, although he may also have been influenced by the evidence of local juries, which seem to have understated the level of involvement of previous Norman dukes, perhaps with the intention of reducing Philip's desire or capacity to intervene in Norman affairs. The freedom granted to cathedral chapters under the Capetians had the effect, however, of encouraging rivalries within the electoral body which in turn led to the papacy playing a greater role in episcopal appointments. Papal provision to all sees on the late medieval model was not yet practised, but popes occasionally intervened directly in case of dispute, as with the translation of Maurice from Le Mans to Rouen in 1231. Appeals to the pope had been rare in the twelfth century, a reflection of the influence exerted by the Angevin kings, which doubtless served to stifle the local conflicts which engendered disputes.

Peltzer is aware that the nature of the sources makes it hazardous to attempt to generalise about the group of fifty-eight individuals elected to sees during the period. It is impossible to trace the social origins of every bishop, although many were clearly from aristocratic families. Most had existing links with the diocese over which they were chosen to preside, and many had held cathedral dignities. Most were seculars rather than regulars. The Angevin kings tended to favour clerks in their own service, promoting those with strong baronial connections only when they needed magnate support, and chapters may have welcomed royal clerks as bishops because of their potential influence with the king. In accordance with contemporary expectations, bishops used their patronage to favour their kinsmen and connections, although by no means exclusively. None of these findings is inherently surprising, but the analysis is none the less important because it emphasises the diverse ways in which a clerk could rise to a bishopric.

This was undoubtedly a period of change, particularly in canon law, and in the thirteenth century the practice of capitular election arguably achieved its fullest flowering. The conflicting forces at work in the selection of a bishop were present, however, even in the later era of continual papal provision, and it is to be hoped that this admirable book will stimulate scholars of other periods and localities to examine how and why some ambitious clerks achieved episcopal status while others did not.