Wulfhelm
Wulfhelm | |
---|---|
Bishop of Wells | |
Orders | |
Consecration | c. 924 |
Personal details | |
Died | 12 February 941 |
Buried | First church of St John the Baptist, Canterbury, later Canterbury Cathedral |
Wulfhelm (died 12 February 941) was
Biography
Wulfhelm was elected and consecrated Bishop of Wells between 923 and September 925.[1] Nothing else is known about his time at Wells.[2]
Wulfhelm was translated from the Bishopric of Wells to be Archbishop of Canterbury in about 926.[3] While he was archbishop, he was a frequent attendee of the royal court, and King Æthelstan of England says in his law code that Wulfhelm was consulted on the drafting of the laws.[4] Wulfhelm also advised the king on the Ordinance on Charities issued by Æthelstan.[5] One of the surviving manuscripts of Æthelstan's laws has an epilogue that stated that the law was declared and decided at a synod held at Grately where Wulfhelm was present.[6] From other parts of the laws issued by the king, it appears that Wulfhelm also presided at a council held at Thunderfield, at which the reeves of London pledged to keep the king's peace.[7] The implication of the various accounts of the laws of Æthelstan is that Wulfhelm was highly involved in royal efforts to improve the law code.[8]
Wulfhelm also went to Rome to receive his pallium in person from Pope John X.[4] Why he chose to go to Rome in person for his pallium rather than having it sent to him like most of his predecessors is unknown. One suggestion has been that because he had been translated from another see, Wulfhelm felt the need to have papal approval of his translation made explicit. Given the low status of the papacy at the time,[Notes 1] it is unlikely that the impetus for the change in tradition came from the pope.[9]
Wulfhelm died while archbishop on 12 February 941.
Wulfhelm was buried at
Notes
- ^ Some polemical tracts refer to the papacy at this time as the pornocracy.
Citations
- ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 222
- ^ a b c Robinson Saxon Bishops of Wells pp. 40–41
- ^ a b Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 214
- ^ a b c Leyser "Wulfhelm" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Lawson "Archbishop Wulfstan" English Historical Review p. 569
- ^ Wormald Making of English Law p. 295
- ^ Wormald Making of English Law p. 298
- ^ Wormald Making of English Law p. 299–300
- ^ a b c Brooks Early History of the Church of Canterbury pp. 216–222
- ^ Robinson Saxon Bishops of Wells p. 42
- ^ Robinson Saxon Bishops of Wells pp. 58–59
References
- ISBN 0-7185-0041-5.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- required)
- Lawson, M. K. (July 1992). "Archbishop Wulfstan and the Homiletic Element in the Laws of Æthelred II and Cnut". JSTOR 575245.
- OCLC 13867248.
- ISBN 0-631-22740-7.
External links