Sarah Maria Schnödewind

The Vita Anselmi episcopi Lucensis, written by Ranger of Lucca between 1096 and 1099, can be seen as an account of different conflicts which took place in the 1080s. One episode is particularly striking: Rangerius depicts a “public” debate in Lucca, which leads to a dialogue between Petrus – who had been recently invested as bishop of Lucca by Henry IV – and Bardo, a supporter of Anselm and Gregory VII. By means of a detailed analysis of this episode, this paper will argue that the use of dialogue serves several purposes...