Analyzing the renowned Saint Birgitta of Sweden from the perspectives of power, authority, and gender, this probing study investigates how Birgitta went about establishing her influence during the first ten years of her career as a living saint, in 1340-1349.

Päivi Salmesvuori, ThD, is Adjunct Professor in the General Church History and Gender Studies at Church History at the Faculty of Theology in the University of Helsinki, Finland. She has specialized in issues pertaining on gender, power, and religion. Her next book Power and Sainthood: Birgitta of Sweden and her Revelations will be published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Introduction: How to Study Power and Saints? 1. Fama Sanctitatis in the 1340's 2. Lost Virginity and the Power of Role Models 3. The Beginning - Birgitta as a Channel of God 4. Master Mathias' Role Reassessed 5. Birgitta Encounters her Critics 6. Holiness in Action 7. Birgitta and Power