Celebrations in the latest decade have lead to a reassessment of knowledge that has, in turn, resulted in new questions and heretofore uncharted viewpoints; such reconsideration refers not only to Saint Peter Damian but also to developments in society, politics, ecclesiology, and cultural changes. On the one hand, a new field has opened up for research (i.e. balance within the group of Roman reformers); on the other, an established interpretation has been simply rejected. The latter has been, for instance, the case of the alleged relationships between Cluny and Gregory 7th, as for Spain, or between Matild of Canossa and the Apostolic seat. As happened half a century ago, it has been primarily the Italian historiography which has taken the lead in the renewal of the so-called questionnaire: a new questionnaire is nowadays available for the 11th century.

Middle Ages, monasticism, Church reform, XI century, Petrus Damiani, historiography .