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Stigand

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Stigand
Stigand from the Bayeux Tapestry
Installed1052
Term endedApril 11 1070
PredecessorRobert of Jumieges
SuccessorLanfranc
Personal details
Born
Stigand
DiedFebruary 22 1072
BuriedOld Minster, Westminster
For the last bishop of Selsey, see Stigand of Selsey.

Stigand (died 1072) was an English churchman of pre-Conquest England. He served as archbishop of Canterbury, bishop of Winchester and was twice bishop of Elmham. Stigand acted as an adviser to several members of both the Anglo-Saxon and Norman lines of English royalty.

Five successive popes, including Pope Nicholas II and Pope Alexander II, all excommunicated Stigand for holding both the see of Winchester and the see of Canterbury at the same time. Stigand submitted to William the Conqueror and assisted at his coronation on Christmas Day, 1066. In 1070 he was deposed by the papal legate and was imprisoned at Winchester. At the time of the death of Edward the Confessor, only the royal estates and the estates of Harold had been larger and wealthier than those held by Stigand.

Early life

Stigand first appears in the historical record in 1020 when, as a royal chaplain to Canute, he was appointed to the church that Canute built at Ashingdon to honor the souls of those killed in Canute's coming to power in 1016.[1][2] After Canute's death he served Canute's son, Harold Harefoot. His name was Norwegian and he was born in East Anglia, possibly born a native of Norwich.[3] He was definitely of mixed English and Scandanavian stock.[1] After the death of Harthacanute, Stigand appears to have acted as the chief adviser of Canute's widow, Emma of Normandy mother of both Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor.[3]

Bishop of Elmham and Winchester

Emma of Normandy, seated with sons Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor, in this manuscript copy of the Encomium Emmae from circa 1042.

Shortly after Edward the Confessor's coronation, Stigand was appointed to the see of Elmham, almost assuredly on Emma's advice.[4] Elmham was the diocese that covered East Anglia. On April 3 1043[5] he was consecrated bishop.[6] Edward, however, deposed Stigand in late 1043 and deprived him of his wealth. The deposition was short lived, as Edward returned Stigand to the episcopal chair by 1044.[7] The reasons for the deposition are unknown, but it was probably connected to the similar fall from grace of the king's mother Emma that occurred at the same time. Rumors of the time included one that had Emma and Stigand having an affair, which led to both of them being deprived of the king's favor.[8]

In 1047 he was translated to the see of Winchester.[6][9] He retained at Elmham, however, until 1052.[10] Some have held that he supported Earl Godwin of Wessex in his quarrel with Edward the Confessor,[11] others hold that he was neutral.[12] Whatever the case, in 1052 there was arranged a peace between the earl and the king.[11]

Archbishop of Canterbury

In 1052 the archbishop of Canterbury, Robert of Jumieges, was outlawed and driven from England. Stigand was then appointed to the archbishopric.[5] This was either a reward from Godwin, for siding with Godwin's family in the crisis of 1051–1052, or one from King Edward for successfully negotiating a peaceful conclusion to the situation in 1052 when Godwin returned.[12] Pope Leo IX and his two successors refused to recognize him, regarding Robert as the rightful archbishop. Stigand released Elmham to his brother Æthelmaer, but retained the bishopric of Winchester at the same time he was archbishop.[9] He was the first non-monk to be named to either the Archbishopric of Canterbury or of York since before the days of Dunstan.[13] He was later accused of simony, or the buying of ecclesiastical office, but all such accusations date to after 1066, and are thus suspect due to the post-Conquest desire to vilify Stigand and the English Church as corrupt and backward.[14] Stigand may have been behind the effort to locate Edward the Atheling and his brother Edmund after 1052, possibly to secure a more acceptable heir to King Edward.[15]

Excommunicated

File:Papaalessandro.jpg
Pope Alexander II was one pope who excommunicated the archbishop.

In 1058, however, Benedict X gave him the pall,[16] but this pope was deposed in the following year. At this time, there was a growing movement in the church to reform itself and, being a pluralist, or the holding of more than one benefice at the same time, came under scrutiny. Since Stigand retained Winchester, he was definitely a pluralist, which Pope Nicholas II had in 1061 declared to be uncannoical unless approved by the pope, when he declared the Aldred of Worcester must give up Worcester in order to be consecrated Archbishop of York.[17] Five successive popes (Pope Leo IX, Pope Victor II, Pope Stephen IX, Pope Nicholas II and Pope Alexander II)[16] excommunicated Stigand for holding both Winchester and Canterbury at the same time. Not only did Stigand hold Winchester along with Canterbury, but he held the abbey of Gloucester and the abbey of Ely and perhaps others.[18] His position was such that even bishops in England were leery of being consecrated by him.[19] Both Giso of Wells and Walter of Hereford travelled to Rome to be consecrated by the Pope in 1061, rather than be consecrated by Stigand.[20] The position of Stigand as head of the church in England was used to good effect by the Normans in their propaganda before, during and after the Conquest.[21] During the brief period that he held a pallium, however, Stigand did consecrate Aethelric of Selsey and Siward of Rochester.[22]

Due to Stigand's issues with the papacy, the diocese of York was able to encroach on the suffragan bishops normally subject to Canterbury. York had long been held in common with Worcester, but during the period when Stigand was excommunicated, the see of York also claimed Lichfield and Dorcester as part of its archiepiscopal diocese.[23] In 1062, however, papal legates of Alexander II came to England. They did not depose Stigand, and even consulted with him and treated him as archbishop.[24] He was allowed to attend the council they held and was an active participant with the legates in the business of the council.[25]

Final years and legacy

William I, shown here from the Bayeux Tapestry, eventually deposed Stigand.

Stigand is said by Norman writers to have crowned King Harold II in January of 1066[26] and is depicted at that coronation in the Bayeux tapestry, but current historical research has shown that this ceremony was performed by Aldred, Archbishop of York due to the controversy about Stigand's position.[19][27][22] Stigand did support Harold and was present at Edward the Confessor's deathbed.[28] The English sources claim that Aldred crowned Harold, while the Norman sources claim that Stigand did so, with the conflict between the various sources probably tracing to the post-Conquest desire to vilify Harold and depict his coronation as unlawful.[22]

After the death of Harold, Stigand worked with Earl Edwin and Earl Morcar, as well as Archbishop Aldred of York, to put Edgar Atheling on the throne.[29] This plan did not come to fruition, however, as the northern earls and some of the other bishops were against it.[30] Stigand submitted to William at Wallingford in early December of 1066,[31] and assisted at his coronation on Christmas Day, 1066.[30] William took Stigand in his train to Normandy in 1067.[32] After the first rebellions broke out, William adopted a policy of conciliating the church and gave Stigand a place at court, as well as giving administrative positions to Aldred of York and Aethelwig, abbot of Evesham.[33] Once the danger of rebellion was past, however, William had no further need of Stigand.[10] At a Council held at Winchester at Easter,[34] the bishops met with papal legates from Alexander II.[35] On April 11 1070 he was deposed[5] by the papal legate, Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion[16] and was imprisoned at Winchester. Deposed along with him were his brother Aethelmaer bishop of Elmham, Aethelric bishop of Selsey, Ethelwin bishop of Durham and Leofwine bishop of Lichfield, who was married.[36][37] There were three reasons for Stigand's deposition: that had held the bishopric of Winchester in plurarity with Canterbury, that he had not only occupied Canterbury after Robert of Jumièges fled but had also seized Robert's pallium which had been left behind and that he had received his own pallium from Benedict X.[38]

Stigand died in 1072 and his death was commemorated on February 22 or February 21.[16] Sometime between his deposition and his death, the dowager queen and an old friend, Edith Godwinson visited him in his imprisonment and allegedly told him to take better care of himself.[39] He was probably buried in the Old Minster at Westminster.[40] At King Edward's death, only the royal estates and the estates of Harold were larger and wealthier than those held by Stigand.[41] He had been an avaricious man and a great pluralist, holding the bishopric of Winchester after he became archbishop of Canterbury, in addition to several abbeys.[42]


Pop Culture References

The Archbishop of Canterbury is mentioned in the opening scene of Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Alice's instructor is reading about the earls of Northumbria. i.e. Morcar of Northumbria and William the Conqueror.

References

  1. ^ a b Hill, Paul The Road to Hastings: The Politics of Power in Anglo-Saxon England Stroud: Tempus 2005 ISBN00-7524-3308-3 p. 61
  2. ^ O'Brien, Harriet Queen Emma and the Vikings: A History of Power, Love and Greed in Eleventh-Century England New York:Bloomsbury ISBN 1-58234-596-1 p. 123
  3. ^ a b Barlow, Frank, Edward the Confessor Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8 p. 59
  4. ^ Barlow, Frank Edward the Confessor Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8 p. 76
  5. ^ a b c Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London: Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 210
  6. ^ a b Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London: Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 223
  7. ^ Barlow, Frank Edward the Confessor Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8 p. 77
  8. ^ Hindley, Geoffrey A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The beginnings of the English nation New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers 2006 ISBN 978-0-78671738-5 p. 318
  9. ^ a b Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London: Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 258
  10. ^ a b Barlow, Frank Edward the Confessor Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8 p. 87 Cite error: The named reference "Barlow87" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Barlow, Frank Edward the Confessor Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8 p. 123
  12. ^ a b Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464 p. 49
  13. ^ Knowles, Dom David The Monastic Order in England: From the Times of St. Dunstan to the Fourth Lateran Council Second Edition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1976 reprint ISBN 0-521-05479-6 p. 66
  14. ^ Huscroft, Richard Ruling England 1042-1217 London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2 p. 46-47
  15. ^ Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464 p. 75
  16. ^ a b c d British History Online Archbishops of Canterbury accessed on November 2, 2007
  17. ^ Huscroft, Richard Ruling England 1042-1217 London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2 p. 62
  18. ^ Knowles, Dom David The Monastic Order in England: From the Times of St. Dunstan to the Fourth Lateran Council Second Edition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1976 reprint ISBN 0-521-05479-6 p. 72
  19. ^ a b Chibnall, Marjorie Anglo-Norman England 1066-1166 Oxford: Basil Blackwell 1986 ISBN 0-631-15439-6 p. 39
  20. ^ Huscroft, Richard Ruling England 1042-1217 London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2 p. 51
  21. ^ Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1964 p. 170
  22. ^ a b c Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464 p. 136-138
  23. ^ Barlow, Frank The Feudal Kingdom of England: 1042-1216 Fourth Edition New York: Longman 1988 ISBN 0-582-49504-0 p. 27
  24. ^ Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464 p. 127
  25. ^ Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464 p. 148-149
  26. ^ Chibnall, Marjorie Anglo-Norman England 1066-1166 Oxford: Basil Blackwell 1986 ISBN 0-631-15439-6 p. 21
  27. ^ Huscroft, Richard Ruling England 1042-1217 London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2 p. 48
  28. ^ Barlow, Frank Edward the Confessor Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8 p. 249-250
  29. ^ Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464 p. 183-185
  30. ^ a b Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1964 p.203-206
  31. ^ Huscroft, Richard Ruling England 1042-1217 London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2 p. 18-19
  32. ^ Knowles, Dom David The Monastic Order in England: From the Times of St. Dunstan to the Fourth Lateran Council Second Edition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1976 reprint ISBN 0-521-05479-6 p. 104
  33. ^ Barlow, Frank The English Church 1066-1154 New York: Longman 1979 ISBN 0-582-50236-5 p. 57
  34. ^ Huscroft, Richard Ruling England 1042-1217 London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2 p. 60-61
  35. ^ Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London: Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 549
  36. ^ Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1964 p. 324
  37. ^ Barlow, Frank The Feudal Kingdom of England: 1042-1216 Fourth Edition New York: Longman 1988 ISBN 0-582-49504-0 p. 93
  38. ^ Powell, J. Enoch and Keith Wallis The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540 London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1968 p. 33-34
  39. ^ Barlow, Frank The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty London: Pearson Longman 2002 ISBN 0-582-78440-9 p. 161
  40. ^ O'Brien, Harriet Queen Emma and the Vikings: A History of Power, Love and Greed in Eleventh-Century England New York:Bloomsbury ISBN 1-58234-596-1 p. 221
  41. ^ Hindley, Geoffrey A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The beginnings of the English nation New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers 2006 ISBN 978-0-78671738-5 p. 330
  42. ^ Cowdrey, H. E. J. "Stigand (d. 1072)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 9, 2007

Further reading

  • E. A. Freeman, The Norman Conquest (1870-1876), vols. ii, iii and iv
  • J. R. Green, The Conquest of England (1899), vol. ii.

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Elmham
deposed
1040–1042 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Elmham
restored
1043–1047 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Winchester
1047–1070 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Canterbury
1052–1070 		Succeeded by

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