A methodological comparison of medieval canonization processes and inquisition records

What is it about?

The records of medieval canonization processes (legal evaluations of potential saints) and heresy inquests (legal processes against suspected heretics) are popular sources among medieval historians. This chapter compares the records of these two types of legal proceedings from a methodological perspective. The goal is to understand how the information contained in these records was constructed and to delineate the possibilities and limitations of knowledge about the past that can be gained using these sources.

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Photo by Manuel Torres Garcia on Unsplash

Photo by Manuel Torres Garcia on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While medieval canonization processes and inquisition records have been used by generations of historians, few have ventured to analyze them from a comparative perspective. The chapter provides methodological guidelines for the comparative study of these records, which stem from opposite ends of the medieval spiritual spectrum (i.e. sainthood and heresy).