Libertas suae Ecclesiae': una declinazione vescovile dell'idea di libertà nei secoli X e XI

[Autom. eng. transl.] The concept of libertas Ecclesiae in the 10th-11th centuries underwent an important evolution, moving from an internal instance of purification of the Church (against phenomena such as simony and concubinage) to a principle of affirmation of ecclesiastical autonomy with respect to secular power, in particular the Empire. In the monastic world, libertas manifested itself above all as an exemption from episcopal control, guaranteed by privileges granted by popes, emperors and bishops. At the same time, an episcopal libertas emerged, characterized by the growing autonomy of bishops, who in the context of the Ottonian and Salic Reichskirche enjoyed broad political and territorial prerogatives. However, with the affirmation of the Gregorian reform, papal authority strengthened, progressively reducing the room for maneuver of local bishops, especially in the Regnum Italiae. Through the cases of the bishops Landolfo and Cuniberto of Turin, the article illustrates how the libertas episcopale initially takes the form of a right of self-government, and then transforms into a resistance against the growing interference of the Roman Church. The concept of libertas suae Ecclesiae, understood as a defense of episcopal autonomy, therefore reflects a historical process of redefinition of the relationships between the episcopate, the papacy, and imperial power.