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Reginald Fitz Jocelin (died 26 December 1191) was a medieval
Bishop of Bath The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of Do ...
and an
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 ...
-elect in England. A member of an Anglo-Norman noble family, he was the son of a bishop, and was educated in Italy. He was a household clerk for
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
, but by 1167 he was serving King
Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
. He was also a favourite of King
Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...
, who had him appointed
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fe ...
of the Abbey of Corbeil. After Reginald angered Becket while attempting to help negotiate a settlement between Becket and the king, Becket called him "that offspring of fornication, that enemy to the peace of the Church, that traitor."Quoted in Warren ''Henry II'' p. 535 When he was elected as a bishop, the election was challenged by King Henry's eldest son,
Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. Beginning in 1170, he was titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Main ...
, and Reginald was forced to go to Rome to be confirmed by
Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a co ...
. He attended the
Third Lateran Council The Third Council of the Lateran met in Rome in March 1179. Pope Alexander III presided and 302 bishops attended. The Catholic Church regards it as the eleventh ecumenical council. By agreement reached at the Peace of Venice in 1177 the bitte ...
in 1179, and spent much of his time administering his diocese. He was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1191, but died before he could be installed.


Early life

Reginald was the son of Josceline de Bohon, the Bishop of Salisbury, although he was possibly born before his father became a priest.Warren ''Henry II'' p. 535 Reginald was a great-great-grandson of Humphrey de Bohun, one of the companions of
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...
.Spear "Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 4 Some sources say that he was born while his father was studying law in Italy. His uncle Richard de Bohon was
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 Cath ...
from 1151 to 1180.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 78 He was also related to
Robert, Earl of Gloucester Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – 31 October 1147 David Crouch, 'Robert, first earl of Gloucester (b. c. 1090, d. 1147)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200Retrieved ...
.Duggan "Reginald fitz Jocelin" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
Savaric FitzGeldewin Savaric fitzGeldewin (died 8 August 1205) was an Englishman who became Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury in England. Related to his predecessor as well as to Emperor Henry VI, he was elected bishop on the insistence of his predecessor, who urged hi ...
, Reginald's successor at Bath, was Reginald's father's second cousin. Reginald's mother may have a member of the family of the counts of
Maurienne Maurienne ( frp, Môrièna) is one of the provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Location The Mau ...
. He was born and brought up in Italy, which led to him sometimes being referred to as Reginald Italus, Reginald Lombardus or Reginald the Lombard. He was appointed Archdeacon of Wiltshire by his father before 8 December 1161, when he first signed a document as
archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of most ...
.Greenway "Archdeacons of Wiltshire" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 4: Salisbury He served in Thomas Becket's household after Becket became
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
, and by June 1164 was serving Becket's interests in France at both the court of the French King Louis VII and the papal
Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...
. It was probably in November 1164 that Louis named Reginald abbot of the Abbey of Corbeil.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 107 Reginald probably studied at Paris sometime during 1163 or 1164, as he had a letter of introduction from Pope Alexander III to Hugues de Champfleury, Bishop of Soissons, the chancellor of Louis VII. Reginald did not complete his studies for the title of master, however, as he was in service with the King of England by 1167. He served King Henry II as a royal messenger to Rome during the crisis with Becket in 1167. For the next four years, Reginald would be embroiled in the dispute and with trying to find a diplomatic solution to it.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 175 While serving Henry, Reginald incurred Becket's displeasure enough that Becket called Reginald "that offspring of fornication, that enemy to the peace of the Church, that traitor." However,
John of Salisbury John of Salisbury (late 1110s – 25 October 1180), who described himself as Johannes Parvus ("John the Little"), was an English author, philosopher, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres. Early life and education Born at Salisbury, E ...
always maintained friendly relations with both Reginald and his father, even though John was a partisan of Becket's. Reginald took part in the negotiations in August and September 1169 that attempted to reach a settlement between Henry and Becket. These negotiations included
papal nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...
s and most of the Norman bishops and prominent abbots, as well as the royal clerks. However, the negotiations came to nothing, and led to Becket's castigation of Reginald.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' pp. 189–92 Reginald was one of the main clerics working for King Henry during the dispute with Becket, along with
John of Oxford John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
, Richard of Ilchester, and Geoffrey Ridel. Henry's plans to reward the four with bishoprics in late 1170 probably precipitated the final crisis that led to Becket's murder.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' pp. 223–4


Bishop of Bath

Reginald was elected Bishop of Bath in late April 1173, and was consecrated 23 June 1174.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 228 However, Henry the Young King challenged the election, on the grounds of
illegitimacy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ' ...
and an uncanonical election. Reginald went to Rome in the company of
Richard of Dover Richard (died 1184) was a medieval Benedictine monk and Archbishop of Canterbury. Employed by Thomas Becket immediately before Becket's death, Richard arranged for Becket to be buried in Canterbury Cathedral and eventually succeeded Becket at Ca ...
, who had just been elected Archbishop of Canterbury and was facing a challenge from the Young King to his election. Reginald was confirmed by Pope Alexander III on 18 April 1174Greenway "Bishops" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 7: Bath and Wells with
Walter Map Walter Map ( la, Gualterius Mappus; 1130 – 1210) was a medieval writer. He wrote '' De nugis curialium'', which takes the form of a series of anecdotes of people and places, offering insights on the history of his time. Map was a court ...
alleging bribery as the only reason the election was confirmed.
Ralph de Diceto Ralph de Diceto (or Ralph of Diss; c. 1120c. 1202) was archdeacon of Middlesex, dean of St Paul's Cathedral (from c. 1180), and author of two chronicles, the ''Abbreviationes chronicorum'' and the ''Ymagines historiarum''. Early career Ralph is ...
, however, states that Reginald swore an oath that he was uninvolved in the death of Becket and that his birth took place before his father became a priest. During the dispute, Reginald's friend
Peter of Blois Peter of Blois ( la, Petrus Blesensis; French: ''Pierre de Blois''; ) was a French cleric, theologian, poet and diplomat. He is particularly noted for his corpus of Latin letters. Early life and education Peter of Blois was born about 1130. Earl ...
wrote him a letter, which is still extant, encouraging him to persevere.Wahlgren "Peter of Blois" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 1202–4 As a bishop, Reginald was kept busy attending the king's councils and the royal court, but also took part in the 1178 mission to
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
, led by Cardinal Pierre of San Crisogono, which attempted to deal with the
Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...
heretics there. He attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179. During the 1180s, he was more active in the affairs of his diocese, and appears less often in the secular affairs of the kingdom, but in 1189 he took part in the coronation of King
Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was over ...
. In April 1191 he was one of the persons selected to arbitrate between the chancellor
William Longchamp William de Longchamp (died 1197) was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's fat ...
and Prince
John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...
.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 97 He also attended the trial of William Longchamp on 5 October 1191 at Loddon Bridge between
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling) ...
and Windsor that dismissed Longchamp from his offices.Barlow ''Feudal Kingdom'' p. 375 He may have been an unsuccessful candidate for the chancellorship of England. He was active as a bishop: some 122 acta from his time as bishop survive. He built the hospital of St. John in Bath, as well as building extensively at
Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as ...
and starting the construction of the Bishop's Palace. He also issued a confirmation of the status of the town of
Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada * Wells, British Columbia England * Wel ...
.


Archbishop of Canterbury

Baldwin of Forde, the archbishop of Canterbury, died in 1190, while on Crusade in Palestine. Early in 1191, King Richard wrote to the cathedral chapter of Canterbury, which was composed of monks, not regular clergy, to recommend the election of William, who was Archbishop of Monreale, but this idea was not acted upon by the monks. In the autumn, William Longchamp, the chancellor, was driven from the kingdom by
Walter de Coutances Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
, who had been sent by the king to deal with the issue of Longchamp's misgovernment, and Prince John. Walter then turned to the issue of the vacant see of Canterbury, and ordered an election to take place on 2 December, and several bishops as well as Prince John and Walter arrived early at Canterbury.Wahlgren "Peter of Blois" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 1204–5 But Reginald was elected to the Archbishopric of Canterbury on 27 November 1191, by the monks. His election was an attempt by the monks to prevent a candidate unacceptable to them being forced on them, and his election was contested by Walter, who appealed to the papacy, and the monks counterappealed. Reginald's death on 26 December 1191Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 232 stopped the controversy and appeals. Reginald was probably chosen by the monks because he had supported the monks of Canterbury against their archbishop Baldwin of Forde in their dispute over the foundation of a church dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket. He died at Dogmersfield,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire is ...
, and was buried at Bath. Before his death, he was admitted as a confrater of
Christ Church Priory Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the Ch ...
, Canterbury, and was buried in the habit of a
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...
.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' pp. 477–8 According to a monk of
Eynsham Abbey Eynsham Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, in England between 1005 and 1538. King Æthelred allowed Æthelmær the Stout to found the abbey in 1005. There is some evidence that the abbey was built on the site of an earli ...
, after Reginald's death "he performed miraculous cures for certain weak and sick people."Quoted in Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 607 The same source claimed Reginald wore a hair shirt under his episcopal vestments.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 607


Notes


Citations


References

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Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitz Jocelin, Reginald Reginald Fitz Jocelin 12th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops Bishops of Bath Archdeacons of Wilts Anglo-Normans Reginald 1191 deaths Year of birth unknown 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops