Literary Echoes of the Fourth Lateran Council in England and France, 1215-1405

Book excerpt: "The thirteenth-century blossoming of religious literature aimed at the laity has traditionally been attributed to the Fourth Lateran Council and the canons it issued in 1215, but the Council, while a momentous event, took place during a long period of reform. This volume of nine essays aims to nuance the impact of the Council's doctrinal definitions and disciplinary rules on lay people, with a focus on England, where bishops enacted the Council's reforms with particular enthusiasm, and France, where the earliest instructional literature appeared. The first section of the volume treats either individual canons or events at the Council itself; the second section is devoted to literary texts and manuscripts."--