This project will challenge the prevailing scholarly consensus that monastic recruitment in the Latin West underwent a fundamental transformation after the mid eleventh century. By focusing on ideological and practical developments in monasticism between 900 and 1050, it will argue that this period represented a crucial phase in the development of monastic approaches to conversion. Taking the dynamic regions of West Francia, Lotharingia and Burgundy as case studies, the project will draw upon a rich corpus of primary sources revealing a shift from the dominant view that child oblation was the primary mode of entry to the monastic life. Rather, monasteries of this region were defining a spectrum of options for conversion, extending beyond the formal profession of vows, and developing new conceptual and operational frameworks to accommodate the evolving diversity of adults entering the monastic life. The motivations for doing so, the project will argue, can be traced back to the complexity of ideological and functional networks monasteries were establishing with their broader communities throughout this period, that promoted spiritual, social, and/or economic logics for conversion. The first to systematically study monastic recruitment during 900-1050, this project's innovative findings will not only redefine scholarly understandings of monastic populations during this period, but will overturn long-established narratives about the evolution of monastic recruitment practices.