Beating swords into croziers: warrior bishops in the kingdom of Castile,c.1158–1214

This paper examines the prevalence of armsbearing bishops in the kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso VIII (r.1158–1214). It suggests that recent work by scholars whose research focuses on regions such as England, France and the Holy Roman Empire needs to be contextualised within a much broader survey of the phenomenon. To achieve that goal, this paper examines the evidence of armsbearing bishops in the frontier kingdom of Castile, and demonstrates the ways in which the frameworks established by some scholars need to be adjusted to fit the larger medieval reality experienced across Latin Christendom.