Episcopal entries and urban liberties in late medieval and Renaissance France, c. 1200–c. 1600

Abstract

Abstract In comparison to the ceremonial entries of French kings, little work has been done on episcopal entries. Whereas royal entries underwent a period of massive elaboration during the later Middle Ages and Renaissance, there was less change to bishops’ entries during this period, especially in towns where civic administrations used these ceremonies to compel bishops to acknowledge their rights. While less susceptible to modification than royal entries, important changes did occur to the episcopal entry by the later sixteenth century because of the increased Counter-Reformation emphasis on the power of the bishop, as well as the impact of the Wars of Religion. By the seventeenth century, the requirement to confirm urban liberties at entries was far less a part of an episcopal entry than it had been during the heights of this ceremony during the later Middle Ages. Nonetheless, the episcopal entry remained an important way for towns to recruit brokers.