Within the Church of England, the primacy of Canterbury or primacy of England is the supremacy of the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Jus ...

(as '' Primate of All England'') over the

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 ...

History

1071

The question of whether the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Archbishop of York should take precedence was once a cause of a long struggle and frequently embittered the mutual relations between the two sees. The dispute was temporarily resolved in 1071 after

Lanfranc Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and the ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury, and

Thomas of Bayeux Thomas of Bayeux (died 1100) was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. He was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke William of Normandy, who later became King William I of England. After the Norman Conquest, the king ...

, Archbishop of York, submitted the matter in person to

Pope Alexander II Pope Alexander II (1010/1015 – 21 April 1073), born Anselm of Baggio, was the head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1061 to his death in 1073. Born in Milan, Anselm was deeply involved in the Pataria reform ...

in Rome. He decided in favour of Canterbury, and at a subsequent synod it was resolved that the future Archbishops of York must be consecrated in Canterbury Cathedral and swear allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and that the Humber was to be the southern limit of the metropolitan jurisdiction of York. This decision was ratified in the Accord of Winchester.

1118

This arrangement lasted till 1118/1119, when

Thurstan :''This page is about Thurstan of Bayeux (1070 – 1140) who became Archbishop of York. Thurstan of Caen became the first Norman Abbot of Glastonbury in circa 1077.'' Thurstan or Turstin of Bayeux ( – 6 February 1140) was a medie ...

, archbishop-elect, refused to make submission to Canterbury, and in consequence the Archbishop of Canterbury, Ralph d'Escures, declined to consecrate him. Thurstan thereupon successfully appealed to

Pope Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

, who not only himself consecrated him, but also gave him a

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Neutering, castrated) adult male of the species ''Cattle, Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., Cattle, cows), bulls have long been an important symbol i ...

releasing him and his successors from the supremacy of Canterbury.

1352

From time to time during the reign of Henry II and succeeding kings the quarrel broke out again, until

Pope Innocent VI Pope Innocent VI ( la, Innocentius VI; 1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 December 1352 to his death in September 1362. He was the fifth Avignon pope ...

(1352–62) settled it. He did so by confirming an arrangement that the Archbishop of Canterbury should take precedence with the title 'Primate of All England', but that the Archbishop of York should retain the style of 'Primate of England'. Each prelate was to carry his metropolitical cross in the province of the other, and if they were together their cross-bearers should walk abreast. The Archbishop of York also undertook that each of his successors should send an image of gold to the shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury.

16th century to present

With this pre-eminence of the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledged by an Act of Parliament passed during the reign of Henry VIII, this status quo lasts to this day.

Present day

The titles of the two archbishops have been distinguished since the 14th century with the Archbishop of Canterbury known as '' Primate of All England'' and the Archbishop of York as '' Primate of England''. Anglican Communion News Service
on enthronement of Rowan Williams A similar distinction in Ireland makes the Archbishop of Armagh '' Primate of All Ireland'' and that of Dublin ''

Primate of Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. '' Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

''.

References

{{reflist Episcopacy in Anglicanism Episcopacy in the Catholic Church Primates of the Church of England