The Epistolae Vagantes of Pope Gregory VII: Oxford Medieval Texts

A marvellous achievement. As a meticulous exposition of complex story, done with vast learning, control and lucidity, it is a tour de force. ... brilliant insights.
The whole of Cowdrey's book is written with what the Germans would call Innigkeit; it comes from the heart as well as from the head. That is one of its most admirable characteristics.
Cowdrey makes occasional brilliant use of the dark mention.
This book is a masterpiece of scholarship. It is written with passion for Gregory VII but also with a passion for truth. Anyone with a serious interest in Gregory VII will need to read it. It will be argued with by many, but admired by all.
This is 'great-man history' at its finest. Like the man hiself, Pope Gregory VII is a learned, fascinating, frustrating, and overwhelming book that will set both the standard and point of departure for all future debate. Cowdrey, indeed, has put us all in his debt.
The importance of this book must not be underestimated. The careful attention to detail and the masterful command of the sources, especially Gregory's Register, set a high standard of historical research that has long characterized Cowdrey's work.
resonating discussions that shed light on the social, political, intellectual, and religious 'revolutions' that characterize the transformation of eleventh-century Europe ... excellent discussion.