The Cluniac (Clunian) Reform was a composite series of changes within the Roman Catholic and Anglo-Saxon Church^[1], focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art and caring for the poor. It is named after the Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy, where it started within the Benedictine order. The reform was largely carried out by Saint Odo and spread through France (Burgundy, Provence, Auvergne, Poitou), England and much of Italy and Spain.^[2] The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Monasticism (from Greek: monachos—a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... The abbey today The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny) was founded on 2 September 909 by the Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Auvergne, William I, who placed it under the immediate authority of Pope Sergius III. The Abbey and its constellation of dependencies soon came to exemplify... région of Bourgogne, see Bourgogne. ... The longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. ... Odo of Cluny or Saint Odo (c. ... Coat of arms of Provence Provence (Provençal Occitan: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a former Roman province and is now a region of southeastern France, located on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to the Italian border. ... Auvergne coat of arms Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnha) was the name of an historically independent county in the center of France, as well as later a province of France. ... Coat of arms of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, Plantagenet claimant to the county of Poitou, now favored as the coat of arms of Poitou by people in Poitou Poitou is a province of France. ...

The impetus for the reform was corruption within the Benedictine order, seen to be the result of secular interference in monasteries. Since a Benedictine monastery required land, a local feudal lord would be the patron of a newly started monastery. However, he would often demand the right to interfere in its business.^[3] The Cluny reform was an attempt to remedy this practice on the hope that a more independent abbot would have better success at enforcing the Rule of the order. William of Aquitaine formed the first Cluny monastery in 910 with the novel stipulation that the monastery would report directly to the pope rather than to a local lord. This meant essentially that the monastery would be independent, since the pope's authority was largely theoretical at that distance. William I of Aquitaine (d. ...

During its height (c. 950–c.1130) the Cluniac movement was one of the largest religious forces in Europe.^[4] Among the most notable reform supporters were Pope Urban II,^[5] Lambert of Hersfeld and Abbot Richard of Saint Vannes at Verdun. The Cluniacs were supporters of the Peace of God concept, as well as pilgrimages to the Holy Lands.^[6] Urban II, né Otho of Lagery (or Otto or Odo) (1042 - July 29, 1099), pope from 1088 to July 29, 1099, was born into nobility in France at Lagery (near Châtillon-sur-Marne) and was church educated. ... Lambert of Hersfeld (c. ... ...

Sources

Southern, R.W., Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages, London: Penguin Books, 1970.