Crisis and Awakening. The Era of the Investiture Controversy Beyond the Investiture Controversy.
Final Report Abstract
The aim of the Scientific Network " Krise und Aufbruch: Das Zeitalter des ― Investiturstreits jenseits des Investiturstreits " was to explore a series of impactful and profound changes in the social and institutional structures, as well as the governing and communicative practices within the Holy Roman Empire during the period known as the Investiture Contest (1070– 1130), using various methodological approaches. Through this network format, the predominantly individual-disciplinary and regional approach was surpassed, establishing a transnational and cross-disciplinary perspective. The goal was to shed light on spatial specifics contrastively and adequately delineate the causal relationship between the examined changes and the Investiture Conflict. To accomplish this, the project was divided into four thematic areas. The members of the first section, "Discourses and Public Sphere" (Ciccopiedi, Faini, Hartmann), envisioned a refinement in rhetoricalargumentative strategies or, at the very least, an intensification of polemical discourses within a general 'war of words'. The second working group (Fiore, Kohl, Wolf) focused on the changes in governance practices and structures in the decades around 1100, emphasizing the triggering nature of the military conflicts of the 1080s and 1090s. The third section (Bollen, Klocke, Manganaro, Riversi, Vezzoni, Wenzel) delved into the networks and career paths of bishops. The sub-projects viewed bishops as part of overarching networks that typically culminated in the king's office while simultaneously serving as the apex or focal point of subordinate networks that revolved around the respective bishop. The examination of the fourth and final working group's sub-projects, "Media and Signs" (Baumbach, Doublier, Zöller), centered on literacy, particularly the documentary activities of selected bishops, and Rome's epigraphic culture. Altogether, five workshops and a closing conference were held within the network. Due to the pandemic, only two workshops and the closing conference could be conducted in person. Generally, during each work meeting, preliminary results of the respective case studies provided beforehand were critically discussed with the assistance of external experts. At the closing conference, a poster exhibition was showcased, and public debates in the form of round tables were conducted concerning the four working groups. The project's outcomes are intended to be captured in an anthology, comprising not only individual case studies but also synthetic sections that highlight the added value of comparison.
