Non parva ab eo accepta pecunia: Papal Succession, Simony, and Economic Rationality (1044-1046)

Abstract

This article delves into the pontifical succession that took place amid the events occurring between 1044 and 1046 in the city of Rome, with a particular focus on the transfer of power from Benedict IX to Gregory VI. This episode has been regarded as one of the most notorious cases of ecclesiastical corruption in the entire 11th century and is believed to have indirectly caused the Gregorian Reform. The aim is to analyze the historical interpretations mobilized by narratives about the incidence of money in this episode, a matter that has sparked lively historiographical debates. To achieve this objective, the article considers various narrative prisms about the events that took place during the second half of the 11th century. The main argument presented is twofold: firstly, that the theme of monetary abuse was characterized by a narrative divide; and secondly, that this divide was ideologically determined by a certain economic rationality. The latter idea constitutes the primary conclusion sustained in this text.