This book investigates the instrumental role of canon law in the ecclesiastical reform movement of the eleventh century, specifically examining how legal frameworks were utilized to consolidate papal authority. Kathleen G. Cushing, a scholar of medieval canon law, analyzes the Collectio canonum of Anselm of Lucca to demonstrate how reformers navigated social upheaval. By situating Anselm's work within the broader context of the Gregorian Reform, the author argues that law became a primary mechanism for institutional change and ideological assertion during a period of significant political instability. The study utilizes primary source analysis to reconstruct the intellectual environment of the late eleventh-century church.

Scholars recognize this monograph as a specialized contribution to the study of medieval legal history and the development of canon law. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational resource for those researching the intellectual history of the Gregorian Reform.