Roger of Worcester (c. 1118 – 9 or 10 August 1179) was

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

from 1163 to 1179. He had a major role in the controversy between

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 kin ...

, who was Roger's cousin, and Archbishop

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 the ...

.Cheney ''Roger, Bishop of Worcester''

Life

Roger's father was

Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – 31 October 1147David Crouch, 'Robert, first earl of Gloucester (b. c. 1090, d. 1147)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200Retrieved ...

.British History Online Bishops of Worcester
accessed on 3 November 2007 His illegitimate half-brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

was

Bishop of Bayeux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and i ...

from 1135 to 1142.Spear "Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 5 Roger was a younger son and he was educated with the future king, Henry II, afterwards ordained priest, and consecrated Bishop of Worcester by

, on 23 August 1163.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 278 He was consecrated at Canterbury. He adhered loyally to Thomas, and though one of the bishops sent to the pope to carry the king's appeal against the archbishop, he took no active part in the embassy, nor did he join the appeal made by the bishops against the archbishop in 1166, thus arousing the enmity of the king. When Thomas desired Roger to join him in his exile, Roger went without leave in 1167, Henry having refused him permission. He boldly reproached the king when they met at

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

in 1170, and a reconciliation followed. After the martyrdom of St. Thomas, England was threatened with an interdict, but Roger interceded with the pope and was thereafter highly esteemed in England and at Rome.

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 con ...

, who frequently employed him as delegate in ecclesiastical causes, spoke of him and

Bartholomew Iscanus Bartholomew of Exeter (died 1184) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. He came from Normandy and after being a clerk of the Archbishop of Canterbury, was made Archdeacon of Exeter in 1155. He became Bishop of Exeter in 1161. Known for his knowled ...

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

, as "the two great lights of the English Church".

Death

Roger died on 9 August 1179 or on 10 August. His death was commemorated on 9 August.

Citations

References

British History Online Bishops of Worcester
accessed on 3 November 2007 * Cheney, Mary G. ''Roger, Bishop of Worcester 1164–1179'' Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980 *Eyton, Rev. Robert William (1878). ''Court, Household, and Itinerary of King Henry II: Instancing Also the Chief Agents and Adversaries of the King in His Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy''. London: Taylor and Co. p. 73 * * Spear, David S. "The Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy, 1066–1204" ''The Journal of British Studies'' Volume XXI Number 2 Spring 1982 p. 1-10

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roger 1179 deaths Bishops of Worcester 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown Anglo-Normans Younger sons of earls