Introduction: Marginalisation and the Medieval Church

ABSTRACT This article introduces the rationale for the special issue ‘The Medieval Church: From Margins to Centre’. It begins with a brief overview of the prior scholarship on medieval marginality which has informed the scope of this issue and its individual contributions. It then engages in a critical appraisal of the key concepts governing this issue, namely ‘the medieval church’ and ‘medieval marginalities’. Lastly, it outlines the contributions of each of the issue's articles, as well as the issue as a complete work, to the broader conversations around medieval marginalities.