Urban religious culture and the good bishop in sixteenth-century Italy

In the mid-sixteenth century, after a long period of episcopal absenteeism common during the later Middle Ages, reform-minded "good" bishops began to reside permanently in their bishoprics. It has been observed that the members of the Italian laity were usually their strongest supporters. Since Italy was one of the few European countries to remain Catholic with little struggle, it is odd that no study has yet looked closely into the reasons the laity might have given such strong support.;The role and function of a bishop in an urban context, particularly in connection to the members of the laity, and their response to him, is studied through a variety of sources, including a detailed contemporary chronicle, the deliberations of the town council, correspondence between the bishop and the city magistrates, and inquisition records. This new focus on the urban religious culture of an Italian town, particularly with regard to the expectations, beliefs and attitudes about bishops in relation to their cities, illuminates the role of the laity as a significant factor in the positive reception of reform-minded bishops, and, consequently, the Catholic Reformation in Italy.;This dissertation examines the northern Italian city, Modena, during a period without bishops. It then follows the activities of reform-minded Egidio Foscarari, Modena's first bishop in over fifty years, and his interaction with the ruling elite, the members of the town council. Typical of the laity in other Italian towns, the Modenese elite welcomed Foscarari, quickly identified him as their "good" bishop, and praised his work in their city, which included participation in the local Inquisition.