Peter of Aigueblanche
Peter of Aigueblanche | |
---|---|
Michael | |
Successor | John de Breton |
Other post(s) | Archdeacon of Shropshire |
Orders | |
Consecration | 23 December 1240 by Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York |
Personal details | |
Born | |
Died | 27 November 1268 |
Buried | Hereford Cathedral |
Denomination | Catholic |
Peter of Aigueblanche (or Peter of Aquablanca or Peter d’Aigueblanche or Peter de Aquablanca; died 27 November 1268) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford. A nobleman from Savoy, he came to England as part of the party accompanying King Henry III's bride Eleanor of Provence. He entered the royal service, becoming bishop in 1241. He then served the king for a number of years as a diplomat, helping to arrange the marriage of Prince Edward. Peter became embroiled in King Henry's attempts to acquire the kingdom of Sicily, and Peter's efforts to raise money towards that goal brought condemnation from the clergy and barons of England. When the barons began to revolt against King Henry in the late 1250s and early 1260s, Peter was attacked and his lands and property pillaged. He was arrested briefly in 1263 by the barons, before being mostly restored to his lands after the Battle of Evesham.
Early life and appointment as bishop
Peter was a nobleman from Savoy who arrived in England in 1236 as a clerk of
By 1239 Peter was serving King Henry, as he had received a benefice in Lancashire.[3] He also served as warden of the wardrobe and on 2 August 1240 the king named him archdeacon of Shropshire as well.[1] But on 24 August 1240 he was elected bishop of Hereford, and was consecrated on 23 December 1240[4] at St. Paul's in London.[5] The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of York, Walter de Gray.[3] He was enthroned shortly after Christmas at Hereford.[5] That autumn, Henry had attempted to have him translated, or moved, to the richer bishopric of Durham, but was unable to secure the translation.[3]
Royal service
Peter continued to receive gifts from the king, including market rights, and the ability to take timber from the royal forests. In August, Peter was present at the royal court at
In 1243 Peter began acting as the representative for the absent
Peter attended the general council of the church that was convened by Pope Innocent IV at Lyons in 1245, and then went to Savoy on a diplomatic mission for the king. Then he returned to England, where he acted as Boniface's representative again, until Boniface returned to England in 1249. During this time he was also busy in his diocese, where he issued regulations for his clergy as well as taking possession of lands that had been granted away by his predecessors. He also performed some other diplomatic missions for the king.[3]
Probably in early 1250, Peter vowed to go on
Diocesan affairs
While he was overseas, Peter appointed a non-Englishman as his deputy, Bernard, who was a prior from Gascony. This led to the outbreak of dissension with the cathedral chapter of Hereford, who eventually managed to secure a favourable outcome. In 1252, though, disorders in Herefordshire threatened Peter's life, and Bernard was murdered in Hereford Cathedral. The king then promised Peter that he could take shelter in Hereford Castle at need.[3]
Peter appointed many of his relatives to positions in his diocese. A number of his nephews were given benefices and appointed to
Sicily
Peter was once more overseas in 1253, and after the marriage negotiations, went to the papal court, which was in Naples with the new pope,
Unrest in England
Peter stayed on the continent, but in 1258 his lands in Hereford were once more attacked, and in the autumn he was ordered to return to England to be audited for his attempts to collect the Sicilian tax. He did not immediately return, but by June 1259 had returned and was sent by the king to negotiate with the Welsh. When the king gained the upper hand in 1261 over the barons, Peter once more was sent out to collect the Sicilian tax. But baronial opposition to Henry's policies continued, and Peter's lands continued to be ravaged. He was even besieged in the city of Hereford for a time.[3]
In May 1263,
Death and legacy
Peter died on 27 November 1268.[4] Although his will specified that he should be buried in Savoy, and a tomb at Aiguebelle was claimed as his, he was buried in Hereford Cathedral, and it appears likely that he died in England. His tomb and effigy still survive, and his body was exhumed in 1925.[3]
While bishop, Peter founded a church in Savoy, at Aiguebelle, where he established the liturgy of the mass that was then in use in his bishopric, the Use of Hereford. This was unusual, because most churches in Italy or Savoy used the Roman Rite instead.[8] His will gave most of his property to this church.[3]
The medieval writer Matthew Paris said Peter had "fox-like cunning" and that his "memory exudes a sulphurous stench".[9]
Citations
- ^ a b Barrow Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 8: Hereford: Archdeacons of Shropshire
- ^ Howell "Eleanor" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Vincent "Aigueblanche, Peter d'" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 250
- ^ a b Barrow Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 8: Hereford: Bishops
- ^ Prestwich Plantagenet England p. 111
- ^ Carpenter Struggle for Mastery p. 375
- ^ Swanson Religion and Devotion pp. 95–96
- ^ Quoted in Vincent "Aigueblanche, Peter d'" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
References
- Barrow, J. S. (2002). Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 8: Hereford: Archdeacons of Shropshire. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
- Barrow, J. S. (2002). Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 8: Hereford: Bishops. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
- ISBN 0-14-014824-8.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Howell, Margaret (2004). "Eleanor (c.1223–1291)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (January 2008 revised ed.). Oxford University Press. required)
- ISBN 978-0-19-922687-0.
- Swanson, R. N. (1995). Religion and Devotion in Europe, c. 1215-c. 1515. Cambridge Medieval Textbooks. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37950-4.
- Vincent, Nicholas (2004). "Aigueblanche, Peter d' (d. 1268)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (May 2006 revised ed.). Oxford University Press. required)
Further reading
- Colvin, H. M. (1950). "Holme Lacy: An Episcopal Manor and its Tenants in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries". In Ruffer, V.; Taylor, A. J. (eds.). Medieval Studies Presented to Rose Graham. pp. 15–40. OCLC 2371194.
- Yates, N. (1971). "Bishop Peter de Aquablanca (1240–1268): A Reconsideration". Journal of Ecclesiastical History. 22: 303–317. .