Pandulf Verraccio (died 16 September 1226), whose first name may also be spelled Pandolph or Pandulph (''Pandolfo'' in Italian), was a Roman ecclesiastical politician,

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholi ...

to England and

bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in ...

Early life

Pandulf was born in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from ...

, and first came to England in 1211, when he was commissioned by

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

to negotiate with King John during the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest ( German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monas ...

. He is often erroneously called ''Cardinal Pandulph'' or ''Pandulph Masca'' due to being confused with Cardinal Pandolfo da Lucca, who himself was confused with Cardinal

Pandulf of Pisa Pandulf of Pisa was a twelfth-century Italian cardinal, and biographer of several contemporary popes. He was a native of Rome. He was a nephew of Cardinal Hugo of Alatri. Under Pope Paschal II, and probably with the patronage of his uncle, Pandulf ...

and erroneously given the Pisan family name Masca. His authentic surname may be rendered Verraccio, Verracchio or Verracclo.

Role in the Investiture Controversy

__NOTOC__ Obtaining no satisfactory concessions in John's efforts to impose

Caesaropapism Caesaropapism is the idea of combining the social and political power of secular government with religious power, or of making secular authority superior to the spiritual authority of the Church; especially concerning the connection of the Chur ...

upon the

Catholic Church in England The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...

, Pandulf is alleged to have produced the papal sentence of excommunication in the very presence of the king. In May 1213 Pandulf again visited England to receive the king's submission. The ceremony took place at the Templar church at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidston ...

, and on the following day John, of his own motion, formally surrendered England to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

and received it back as a papal

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...

Loyalty to King John

Pandulf repaid this act of humility by using every means to avert the threatened French invasion of England. For nearly a year he was superseded by the cardinal-legate Nicholas of Tusculum; but returning in 1215 was present at the conference of

Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining hil ...

, when the

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by th ...

was sealed. He rendered valuable aid to John who rewarded him with the see of Norwich, England in 1215, however he was not consecrated for a number of years.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 261British History Online Bishops of Norwich
accessed on 29 October 2007 The arrival of the cardinal-legate Gualo in 1216 relegated Pandulf to a secondary position; but after Gualo's departure in 1218 he came forward once more, after having been appointed papal legate again on 1 September 1218.

Handling of Brigandage

Pandulf is known to have sent a letter to

Peter des Roches Peter des Roches (died 9 June 1238) ( Latinised as ''Peter de Rupibus'' ("Peter from the rocks")) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. He was not an Englishman, but rather a native of the Tourain ...

(who was bishop of Winchester) between 1218-1221 urgently requesting action against rampant brigandage on the roads near

Winchester Winchester is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is south-west of Lond ...

(one of the largest cities of England at the time). He wrote: My lord bishop, the complaints of the poor and of women ought especially to move you, that nobody can travel near Winchester without being held up, robbed, and worst of all—should there not be enough goods on them—people are being killed. Truly, because this sort of thing is a disgrace to the lord king, and to you, and it is going on to the scandal and disorder of the whole kingdom, we ask, advise and firmly instruct your wisdom, as you value the forgiveness of your sins, that you cause this business to be sorted out, so that we hear no further complaints.

Regency Years 1219-1221

During the years 1219-1221 there are at least 68 letters from or addressed to Pandulf which survive detailing his handling of diplomatic affairs, domestic affairs, national defense, the

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's '' current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government revenu ...

, and his coordination with the

Justiciar Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term ''justiciarius'' or ''justitiarius'' ("man of justice", i.e. judge). During the Middle Ages in England, the Chief Justiciar (later known simply as the Justiciar) was roughly equivalen ...

Hubert de Burgh Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

, the bishop of Winchester (regency member)

, and the vice-chancellor

Ralph Neville Ralph Neville (or Ralf NevillClanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 90 or Ralph de Neville; died 1244) was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester and Lord Chancellor of England. Neville first appears in ...

. In fact, the only two members of Henry III's regency government who have more surviving letters are Ralph Neville and Hubert de Burgh. He sent and received several letters regarding diplomacy including the reception of a letter from

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...

regarding diplomatic affairs with wales.

Termination of Legatine and Consecration as Bishop of Norwich

As representing the pope Pandulf claimed a control over

and the other ministers of the young Henry III; and his correspondence shows that he interfered in every department of the administration. His arrogance was tolerated while the regency was still in need of papal assistance; but in 1221 Hubert de Burgh and the primate

Stephen Langton Stephen Langton (c. 1150 – 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and his death in 1228. The dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III over his ...

successfully moved the pope to recall Pandulf and to send no other legate ''a latere'' (of the highest rank) in his place. His legatine commission was terminated by the summer of 1221. He was finally consecrated bishop on 29 May 1222. Pandulf retained the see of Norwich, but from this time drops out of English politics. He died in Rome on 16 September 1226, but his body was taken to Norwich for burial.

In popular culture

* Pandulf Verraccio is one of the main characters in the

stage play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between characters and intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, from ...

The Life and Death of King John ''The Life and Death of King John'', a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatises the reign of John, King of England (ruled 1199–1216), the son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the father of Henry III of E ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. Pandulf Verraccio's role centers first upon the

between King John and

and Verraccio's subsequent role in blocking the French invasion.

Citations

References

British History Online Bishops of Norwich
accessed on 29 October 2007 * * *

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandulph Bishops of Norwich 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Diplomats of the Holy See 1226 deaths Camerlengos of the Holy Roman Church Year of birth unknown Burials at Norwich Cathedral