Thomas of Bayeux
Thomas | |
---|---|
Gerard | |
Orders | |
Consecration | probably 25 December 1070 by Lanfranc |
Personal details | |
Died | 18 November 1100 York |
Buried | York Minster |
Parents | Osbert Muriel |
Thomas of Bayeux (died 18 November 1100) was
After King William I's death Thomas served his successor,
Early life
Thomas is sometimes referred to as Thomas I to distinguish him from his nephew
Archbishop under William I
Thomas succeeded Ealdred as Archbishop of York in 1070; he was nominated on 23 May and was probably consecrated on 25 December.[9] The appointment of Thomas was a departure for the King, who had usually promoted Norman nobles or monks when he was still Duke of Normandy. The appointment was more consistent with English norms, as most of those appointed to the English episcopate before the Conquest had previously been royal clerks.[10]
Shortly after Thomas' election, Lanfranc, pursuing a claim that Canterbury was the primatial see, or bishopric, of England, demanded that Thomas provide a written oath swearing to obey both Lanfranc and any future Archbishops of Canterbury. Thomas declined to make such a written promise, so Lanfranc refused to consecrate him. Thomas argued that Lanfranc's demand was unprecedented, as no other Archbishop of York had been required to swear such an oath before.[11] King William wanted clear lines of authority in the church to match the lines of authority in the secular sphere; thus, the King supported Lanfranc in the dispute. Royal pressure induced Thomas to submit to Lanfranc and Thomas was consecrated, but his profession of obedience was made orally to Lanfranc personally and not in writing or to any future archbishops of Canterbury.[8][12][13] Although this settled the issue between Thomas and Lanfranc, it was the beginning of the long-running Canterbury–York dispute over the claims of Canterbury to have jurisdiction over York.[14]
The next year both archbishops travelled to Rome for their palliums,[a] where Thomas took advantage of the opportunity to ask Pope Alexander II to decree that the sees of Canterbury and York were equal. Thomas also sought to have the pope declare that the midland sees of Worcester, Dorchester on Thames,[b] and Lichfield – all south of the River Humber – were part of the Archdiocese of York rather than Canterbury.[12] The 12th-century chronicler Eadmer, a monk at Canterbury, wrote much later that Thomas had resigned and surrendered his archiepiscopal symbols, but they were promptly returned to him by Lanfranc on the pope's orders. The story's partisan source casts some doubt on its accuracy.[17]
The pope referred the dispute to a council of English prelates, which met at
All of these decisions were ratified in the
Thomas reorganised the
Rebuilding the cathedral
Shortly before Thomas' appointment, York Minster, the cathedral of the archdiocese, was damaged in a fire that swept through York on 19 September 1069,[29] and which also destroyed the refectory and dormitory for the canons. Soon after his consecration, Thomas had a new dormitory and refectory built and a new roof put on the cathedral; these appear to have been temporary measures however, as some time later, probably in about 1075, he ordered the construction of a new cathedral on a different site. The new building, much larger than the one it replaced,[30] has not survived. It was excavated between 1966 and 1973, showing the plan of the cathedral to be different from most others built in England around that time. It was longer, had no aisles in the nave, and had a rectangular ring crypt that had been long out of style in 1075. Because of the way the foundations were laid out, it appears likely that the entire building was planned and built in one design phase, with few modifications.[31] It may have been that Thomas designed his cathedral to be as unlike Canterbury Cathedral as possible, perhaps because of the conflict between York and Canterbury over primacy.[32] William of Malmesbury, a 12th-century writer, states that Thomas finished the cathedral, and this is corroborated by the fact that Thomas was buried in the minster in 1100.[30] Some elements of Thomas' structure are still visible in the crypt of York Minster.[33]
Serving William II
After the death of the Conqueror, Thomas was loyal to the third son, William Rufus, who had inherited England instead of the eldest brother, Robert Curthose.[c] Thomas supported Rufus despite a rebellion led by his old mentor Odo of Bayeux, and the Archbishop accompanied the King on his campaigns to put down the revolt.[35] Thomas attended the subsequent trial for rebellion in 1088 of William de St-Calais, Bishop of Durham, who had sided with Odo. William was Thomas' sole suffragan bishop, but it was Thomas who pronounced the sentence of the court.[36]
In 1092 and again in 1093 the dispute with Canterbury resurfaced, when Thomas complained about what he felt were infringements of York's rights. The first of these occasions was over the dedication of
Herbert de Losinga was appointed a papal legate in 1093 by Pope Urban II to investigate the matter of Thomas' profession of obedience to Lanfranc. Herbert seems to have done nothing about investigating the issue.[3] Also in 1093, King William II gave the Archbishops of York the right to appoint the Abbot of Selby Abbey in compensation for the loss of York's claim to the Diocese of Lincoln.[41] While Anselm was in exile after quarrelling with the King in 1097, Thomas consecrated Herbert de Losinga as Bishop of Norwich, Ralph de Luffa to the See of Chichester, and Hervey le Breton as Bishop of Bangor, an unusual step because these dioceses were in Canterbury's province, and it was Anselm's right to consecrate the new bishops.[3][42] In 1100 after the sudden death of King William II and the seizure of power by the King's younger brother Henry, Thomas arrived in London too late to crown Henry I, as the ceremony had already been performed by Maurice, Bishop of London, in the absence of both archbishops. Anselm at this time was still in exile.[43][44] Thomas was initially angry at the slight, until it was explained to him that the King had worried over the chance of disorder in the kingdom if there was a delay. To mollify him, Thomas was allowed to crown the King publicly at a church council held soon after the coronation.[45]
Death and legacy
Thomas died at York on 18 November 1100.
During his lifetime, Thomas was praised for his learning, his encouragement of education in his diocese, and his generosity. He was an excellent singer and composed hymns. In his youth, he was known for having a sturdy build, and in his old age, he had a ruddy complexion and snow-white hair.[48]
Thomas composed the epitaph placed on William the Conqueror's tomb in the Abbey of Saint-Étienne, Caen, but the chronicler Orderic Vitalis felt that Thomas was chosen more for his rank than for his skill in composition.[49] Thomas did not concern himself with the church–state issues surrounding the Investiture Crisis, but he was tenacious in defending the independence of York against the efforts of Canterbury to assert primacy over the whole of England.[50] Later authors, including William of Malmesbury and Hugh the Chantor, praised Thomas for his generosity, chastity, elegance, and charm.[51]
Notes
- ^ There is some evidence that Thomas had already received his pallium before he travelled to Rome, but the evidence is inconclusive and it appears likely that Thomas received his pallium in Rome along with Lanfranc.[15]
- ^ Later, this see was relocated to Lincoln in 1072.[16]
- Richard, William and Henry. Richard predeceased his father, dying while hunting in the New Forest during the 1070s.[34]
Citations
- ^ Barlow William Rufus pp. 198–199
- ^ a b c Douglas William the Conqueror p. 129
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cowdrey "Thomas" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Barlow English Church p. 250
- ^ Vaughn Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan pp. 32–33
- ^ Welborn "Lotharingia as a Center of Arabic" Isis pp. 197–198
- ^ Chibnall Anglo-Norman England pp. 126–127
- ^ a b c d Greenway "Archbishops" Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 6: York
- ^ a b Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 281
- ^ Hill and Brooke "From 627 until the Early Thirteenth Century" History of York Minster pp. 19–20
- ^ a b Vaughn Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan pp. 161–163
- ^ a b c Douglas William the Conqueror pp. 321–323
- ^ Chibnall Anglo-Norman England pp. 39–40
- ^ Barlow English Church p. 33
- ^ Cowdrey "Archbishop Thomas" Haskins Society Journal Volume 11 pp. 31–41
- ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 255
- ^ a b Ruud "Episcopal Reluctance" Albion pp. 165–167
- ^ a b Duggan "From the Conquest to the Death of John" English Church and the Papacy in the Middle Ages p. 103
- ^ Dawtry "Benedictine Revival" Studies in Church History 18 p. 94
- ^ Higham Kingdom of Northumbria p. 246
- ^ Broun, Scottish Independence, p. 115
- ^ Huscroft Ruling England p. 128
- ^ Barlow English Church pp. 39–42
- ^ Hudson Viking Pirates p. 165
- ^ Kapelle Norman Conquest of the North p. 132
- ^ Norton Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux pp. 4–5
- ^ Barlow English Church pp. 48–49
- ^ Brett English Church Under Henry I pp. 204–205
- ^ Norton Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux p. 1
- ^ a b Norton Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux pp. 9–11
- ^ Norton Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux pp. 14–15
- ^ Plant "Ecclesiastical Architecture" Companion to the Anglo-Norman World p. 236
- ^ Higham Kingdom of Northumbria p. 249
- ^ Douglas William the Conqueror p. 394
- ^ Barlow William Rufus p. 95
- ^ Barlow English Church pp. 283–284
- ^ Cantor Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture pp. 64–65
- ^ Vaughn Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan p. 148
- ^ a b Barlow English Church pp. 42–43
- ^ Southern Saint Anselm pp. 340–341
- ^ Knowles Monastic Order p. 631
- ^ Cantor Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture pp. 50–52
- ^ Barlow Feudal Kingdom of England p. 171
- ^ Cantor Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture pp. 135–135
- ^ Crouch Normans p. 166
- ^ Chibnall Anglo-Norman England p. 152
- ^ Barlow English Church p. 58
- ^ Norton Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux p. 3
- ^ Barlow William Rufus p. 51
- ^ Cantor Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture p. 36
- ^ Barlow English Church
References
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- Dawtry, Anne (1982). "The Benedictine Revival in the North: The Last Bulwark of Anglo-Saxon Monasticism". In Stuart Mews (ed.). Studies in Church History 18: Religion and National Identity. Vol. 18. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. pp. 87–98. S2CID 163793330.
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- Greenway, Diana E. (1999). "Archbishops". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300. Vol. 6: York. Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
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- Plant, Richard (2002). "Ecclesiastical Architecture, c. 1050 to c. 1200". In Harper-Bill, Christopher; van Houts, Elizabeth (eds.). A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell. pp. 215–253. ISBN 978-1-84383-341-3.
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- Vaughn, Sally N. (1987). Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan: The Innocence of the Dove and the Wisdom of the Serpent. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-05674-4.
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