Medieval monastic networks in northern Portugal: research methodology and perspectives on the Diocese of Porto in the eleventh century

This article reflects on some of the most important methodological problems and research perspectives concerning medieval monastic networks of the diocese of Porto. Porto is a very important case study for eleventh-century northern Portugal, because for several decades it was the only active episcopal see in the area between the Rivers Minho and Mondego. To achieve our objective, we begin by reviewing current scholarship on monasticism in the high medieval diocese of Porto. Second, we tackle the methodological problem of the spatial definition of the diocese within the geographical and ecclesiastical framework of northern Portugal. Third, we list the monasteries within the see of Porto. Finally, we examine some examples of relations among monasteries, bishops, kings, and aristocracies documented in eleventh-century sources.