[
]
Welsh affairs, Jerusalem, and Worcester
The king again employed Ealdred as a diplomat in 1056, when he assisted Earls Harold and Leofric in negotiations with the Welsh.[ Edward sent Ealdred after the death in battle of Bishop ]Leofgar of Hereford
Leofgar (or Leovegard; died 1056) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford.
Leofgar was consecrated in March 1056. He had previously been the chaplain to Harold Godwineson,Walker ''Harold'' p. 70 and it was probably Harold who persuaded King Edward ...
, who had attacked Gruffydd ap Llywelyn after encouragement from the king. However, Leofgar lost the battle and his life, and Edward had to sue for peace.[Maund ''Welsh Kings'' pp. 94–95] Although details of the negotiations are lacking, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn swore loyalty to King Edward,[ but the oath may not have had any obligations on Gruffydd's part to Edward. The exact terms of the submission are not known in total, but Gruffydd was not required to assist Edward in war nor attend Edward's court.][ Ealdred was rewarded with the administration of the see of Hereford, which he held until 1061, and was appointed Archbishop of York.][King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' pp. 128–129] The diocese had suffered a serious raid from the Welsh in 1055, and during his administration, Ealdred continued the rebuilding of the cathedral church as well as securing the cathedral chapter's rights.[ Ealdred was granted the administration in order that the area might have someone with experience with the Welsh in charge.][
In 1058 Ealdred made a pilgrimage to ]Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, the first English bishop to make the journey.[ He travelled through Hungary, and the '']Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
'' said that "he went to Jerusalem in such state as no-one had done before him."[Quoted in King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' p. 130] While in Jerusalem he made a gift of a gold chalice to the church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...
.[Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 89] It is possible that the reason Ealdred travelled through Hungary was to arrange the travel of Edward the Exile's family to England. Another possibility is that he wished to search for other possible heirs to King Edward in Hungary.[King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' p. 130] It is not known exactly when Edward the Exile's family returned to England, whether they returned with Edward in 1057, or sometime later, so it is only a possibility that they returned with Ealdred in 1058.[Rex ''Harold II'' p. 129]
Very little documentary evidence is available from Ealdred's time as Bishop of Worcester. Only five leases that he signed survive, and all date from 1051 to 1053. Two further leases exist in ''Hemming's Cartulary
''Hemming's Cartulary'' is a manuscript cartulary, or collection of charters and other land records, collected by a monk named Hemming (monk), Hemming around the time of the Norman conquest of England, Norman Conquest of England. The manuscript ...
'' as copies only. How the diocese of Worcester was administered when Ealdred was abroad is unclear, although it appears Wulfstan, the prior of the cathedral chapter
According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
, performed the religious duties in the diocese. On the financial side, the '' Evesham Chronicle'' states that Æthelwig
Æthelwig (–16 February in either 1077 or 1078) was an Abbot of Evesham before and during the Norman Conquest of England. Born sometime around 1010 or 1015, he was elected abbot in 1058. Known for his legal expertise, he administered estates ...
, who became abbot of Evesham Abbey in 1058, administered Worcester before he became abbot.[King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' pp. 134–137]
Archbishop of York
Cynesige
Cynesige (died 22 December 1060) was a medieval English Archbishop of York between 1051 and 1060. Prior to his appointment to York, he was a royal clerk and perhaps a monk at Peterborough.William Henry Dixon. ''Fasti Eboracenses: Lives of the ...
, the archbishop of York, died on 22 December 1060, and Ealdred was elected Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...
on Christmas Day, 1060. Although a bishop was promptly appointed to Hereford, none was named to Worcester, and it appears Ealdred intended to retain Worcester along with York, which several of his predecessors had done.[ There were a few reasons for this, one of which was political, as the kings of England preferred to appoint bishops from the south to the northern bishoprics, hoping to counter the northern tendency towards separatism. Another reason was that York was not a wealthy see, and Worcester was. Holding Worcester along with York allowed the archbishop sufficient revenue to support himself.][Loyn ''Governance'' p. 158]
In 1061 Ealdred travelled to Rome to receive the pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...
, the symbol of an archbishop's authority. Journeying with him was Tostig
Tostig Godwinson ( 102925 September 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson. After being exiled by his brother, Tostig supported the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, and was kille ...
, another son of Earl Godwin, who was now earl of Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
.[Hindley ''Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons'' p. 330] William of Malmesbury says that Ealdred, by "amusing the simplicity of King Edward and alleging the custom of his predecessors, had acquired, more by bribery than by reason, the archbishopric of York while still holding his former see."[Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' pp. 13–14] On his arrival in Rome, however, charges of simony
Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...
, or the buying of ecclesiastical office, and lack of learning were brought against him, and his elevation to York was refused by Pope Nicholas II, who also deposed him from Worcester.[ The story of Ealdred being deposed comes from the ''Vita Edwardi'', a life of Edward the Confessor, but the ''Vita Wulfstani'', an account of the life of Ealdred's successor at Worcester, Wulfstan, says Nicholas refused the pallium until a promise to find a replacement for Worcester was given by Ealdred.][King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' p. 131] Yet another chronicler, John of Worcester, mentions nothing of any trouble in Rome, and when discussing the appointment of Wulfstan, says Wulfstan was elected freely and unanimously by the clergy and people.[ John of Worcester also claims that at Wulfstan's consecration, Stigand, the archbishop of Canterbury extracted a promise from Ealdred that neither he nor his successors would lay claim to any jurisdiction over the diocese of Worcester. Given that John of Worcester wrote his chronicle after the eruption of the Canterbury–York supremacy struggle, the story of Ealdred renouncing any claims to Worcester needs to be considered suspect.][King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' pp. 131–132]
For whatever reason, Ealdred gave up the see of Worcester in 1062, when papal legates arrived in England to hold a council and make sure Ealdred relinquished Worcester.[Walker ''Harold'' p. 50] This happened at Easter in 1062.[Darlington "Ecclesiastical Reform" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 399–400] Ealdred was succeeded by Wulfstan, chosen by Ealdred, but John of Worcester relates that Ealdred had a hard time deciding between Wulfstan and Æthelwig.[Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 76] The legates had urged the selection of Wulfstan because of his saintliness.[Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' pp. 106–107] Because the position of Stigand, the archbishop of Canterbury, was irregular, Wulfstan sought and received consecration as a bishop from Ealdred. Normally, Wulfstan would have gone to the archbishop of Canterbury, as the see of Worcester was within Canterbury's province.[Brooks ''Early History of the Church of Canterbury'' p. 306] Although Ealdred gave up the bishopric, the appointment of Wulfstan was one that allowed Ealdred to continue his considerable influence on the see of Worcester. Ealdred retained a number of estates belonging to Worcester. Even after the Norman Conquest, Ealdred still controlled some events in Worcester, and it was Ealdred, not Wulfstan, who opposed Urse d'Abetot's attempt to extend the castle of Worcester into the cathedral after the Norman Conquest.[King "Ealdred" ''Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII'' pp. 132–133]
While archbishop, Ealdred built at Beverley
Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
, expanding on the building projects begun by his predecessor Cynesige,[Huscroft ''Ruling England'' p. 46] as well as repairing and expanding other churches in his diocese.[ He also built refectories for the canons at York and Southwell.][Darlington "Ecclesiastical Reform" ''English Historical Review'' p. 404] He also was the one bishop who published ecclesiastical legislation during Edward the Confessor's reign, attempting to discipline and reform the clergy.[Barlow ''English Church, 1066–1154'' p. 122] He held a synod of his clergy shortly before 1066.[Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 246]
After the death of Edward the Confessor
John of Worcester, a medieval chronicler, said Ealdred crowned King HaroldII in 1066, although the Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
chroniclers mention Stigand as the officiating prelate.[ Given Ealdred's known support of Godwin's family, John of Worcester is probably correct.][ Stigand's position as archbishop was canonically suspect, and as earl Harold had not allowed Stigand to consecrate one of the earl's churches, it is unlikely Harold would have allowed Stigand to perform the much more important royal coronation.][Rex ''Harold'' pp. 199–200] Arguments for Stigand having performed the coronation, however, rely on the fact that no other English source names the ecclesiastic who performed the ceremony; all Norman sources name Stigand as the presider.[Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 60 footnote 4] In all events, Ealdred and Harold were close, and Ealdred supported Harold's bid to become king.[Walker ''Harold'' p. 117] Ealdred perhaps accompanied Harold when the new king went to York and secured the support of the northern magnates shortly after Harold's consecration.[Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 183]
According to the medieval chronicler Geoffrey Gaimar, after the Battle of Stamford Bridge Harold entrusted the loot gained from Harald Hardrada
Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' (; modern no, Hardråde, roughly translated as "stern counsel" or "hard ruler") in the sagas, was King of Norway from 1046 t ...
to Ealdred.[Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' p. 42 footnote 93] Gaimar asserts that King Harold did this because he had heard of Duke William's landing in England, and needed to rush south to counter it.[Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' p. 75] After the Battle of Hastings, Ealdred joined the group who tried to elevate Edgar the Ætheling, Edward the Exile's son, as king, but eventually he submitted to William the Conqueror at Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new town ...
.[Huscroft ''Ruling England'' p. 19][Williams ''English and the Norman Conquest'' p. 32] John of Worcester says the group supporting Edgar vacillated over what to do while William ravaged the countryside,[Rex ''Harold II'' p. 130] which led to Ealdred and Edgar's submission to William.[Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 206]
Ealdred crowned William king on Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
1066.[Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 1] An innovation in William's coronation ceremony was that before the actual crowning, Ealdred asked the assembled crowd, in English, if it was their wish that William be crowned king. The Bishop of Coutances
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis)''; French: ''Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Its mother church is the Cathe ...
then did the same, but in Norman French
Norman or Norman French (, french: Normand, Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a Romance language which can be classified as one of the Oïl languages along with French, Picard and Walloon. The name "Norman French" is sometimes used to descri ...
.[ In March 1067, William took Ealdred with him when William returned to ]Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, along with the other English leaders Earl Edwin of Mercia
Edwin (Old English: ''Ēadwine'') (died 1071) was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on Ælfgār's d ...
, Earl Morcar, Edgar the Ætheling, and Archbishop Stigand.[Walker ''Harold'' pp. 185–187] Ealdred at Whitsun 1068 performed the coronation of Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
, William's wife.[ The '']Laudes Regiae
The Laudes Regiæ (English: Royal Praises or Royal Acclamations) is a hymn used in the rites of the Catholic Church. There are variant texts, but they most often begin with these words that give the hymn its alternative title: Christus vincit! Chri ...
'', or song commending a ruler, that was performed at Matilda's coronation may have been composed by Ealdred himself for the occasion.[Stafford ''Queen Emma & Queen Edith'' p. 183] In 1069, when the northern thegns rebelled against William and attempted to install Edgar the Ætheling as king, Ealdred continued to support William.[ He was the only northern leader to support William, however.][Kapelle ''Norman Conquest of the North'' p. 109] Ealdred was back at York by 1069. He died there on 11 September 1069,[ and his body was buried in his episcopal cathedral. He may have taken an active part in trying to calm the rebellions in the north in 1068 and 1069.][ The medieval chronicler William of Malmesbury records a story that when the new sheriff of Worcester, Urse d'Abetot, encroached on the cemetery of the cathedral chapter for ]Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...
, Ealdred pronounced a rhyming curse on him, saying "Thou are called Urse. May you have God's curse."[Quoted in Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 153]
Legacy
After Ealdred's death, one of the restraints on William's treatment of the English was removed.[ Ealdred was one of a few native Englishmen who William appears to have trusted, and his death led to fewer attempts to integrate Englishmen into the administration, although such efforts did not entirely stop.][Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 156] In 1070, a church council was held at Westminster and a number of bishops were deposed. By 1073 there were only two Englishmen in episcopal sees, and by the time of William's death in 1087 there was only one, WulfstanII of Worcester.[Barlow ''English Church, 1066–1154'' p. 57]
Ealdred did much to restore discipline in the monasteries and churches under his authority,[ and was liberal with gifts to the churches of his diocese. He built the monastic church of St Peter at ]Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
(now Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...
, though nothing of his fabric remains), then part of his diocese of Worcester. He also repaired a large part of Beverley Minster
Beverley Minster, otherwise known as the Parish Church of Saint John and Saint Martin, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the largest parish churches in the UK, larger than one-third ...
in the diocese of York, adding a presbytery and an unusually splendid painted ceiling covering "all the upper part of the church from the choir to the tower... intermingled with gold in various ways, and in a wonderful fashion." He added a pulpit "in German style" of bronze, gold and silver, surmounted by an arch with a rood
A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church.
Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...
cross in the same materials; these were examples of the lavish decorations added to important churches in the years before the conquest.[Dodwell ''Anglo-Saxon Art'' p. 65 and note 151 on pp. 264–265]
Ealdred encouraged Folcard, a monk of Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
, to write the ''Life'' of Saint John of Beverley.[Palliser "John of Beverley (St John of Beverley) (d. 721)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''] This was part of Ealdred's promotion of the cult of Saint John,[Blair ''Church in Anglo-Saxon Society'' p. 314] who had been canonised only since 1037. Along with the ''Pontificale'', Ealdred may have brought back from Cologne the first manuscript of the ''Cambridge Songs
The Cambridge Songs (''Carmina Cantabrigiensia'') are a collection of Goliardic medieval Latin poems found on ten leaves (ff. 432–41) of the ''Codex Cantabrigiensis'' (''C'', MS Gg. 5.35), now in Cambridge University Library.
History and co ...
'' to enter England, a collection of Latin Goliard
The goliards were a group of generally young clergy in Europe who wrote satirical Latin poetry in the 12th and 13th centuries of the Middle Ages. They were chiefly clerics who served at or had studied at the universities of France, Germany, Spa ...
ic songs which became famous in the Middle Ages.[Lapidge "Ealdred" ''Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 153] The historian Michael Lapidge suggests that the ''Laudes Regiae'', which are included in Cotton Vitellius Exii, might have been composed by Ealdred, or a member of his household. Another historian, H. J. Cowdrey, argued that the ''laudes'' were composed at Winchester. These praise songs are probably the same performed at Matilda's coronation, but might have been used at other court ceremonies before Ealdred's death.[Lapidge "Ealdred of York" ''Yorkshire Archaeological Journal'' pp. 16–18]
Historians have seen Ealdred as an "old-fashioned prince-bishop".[Loyn ''English Church'' p. 62] Others say he "raised the see of York from its former rustic state".[Harper-Bill "Anglo-Norman Church" ''Companion to the Anglo-Norman World'' p. 158] He was known for his generosity and for his diplomatic and administrative abilities.[ After the Conquest, Ealdred provided a degree of continuity between the pre- and post-Conquest worlds.][Loyn ''English Church'' p. 67] One modern historian feels it was Ealdred who was behind the compilation of the D version of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', and gives a date in the 1050s as its composition.[Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' p. 62 footnote 34] Certainly, Ealdred is one of the leading figures in the work, and it is likely one of his clerks compiled the version.[Wormald ''Making of English Law'' pp. 130–131]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ealdred
1069 deaths
Abbots of Tavistock
Archbishops of York
Bishops of Hereford
Bishops of Worcester
11th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
11th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops
Year of birth unknown
Burials at York Minster