Alessandro III e la lunga età della riforma

This study reconsiders the pontificate of Alexander III within the framework of the “long age of reform,” extending the Gregorian legacy well beyond the traditional chronological boundaries of the eleventh century. It argues that Alexander III’s political, ideological, and normative choices reveal strong continuities with reformist principles, particularly in the assertion of papal primacy and ecclesiastical autonomy. Through analysis of onomastic strategies, legal production, and conflicts with imperial, royal, and communal powers, the article highlights the tensions between sacerdotium and emerging forms of secular governance. Special attention is given to the interaction between papal centralization and the transformation of European monarchies. The pontificate of Alexander III thus emerges as a decisive phase in redefining the balance between spiritual authority and political power in twelfth-century Latin Christendom.