Walter or Gualterio of Albano
[ (died 1101) was the ]cardinal-bishop
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
of the Diocese of Albano
The Diocese of Albano ( la, Albanensis) is a suburbicarian see of the Roman Catholic Church in a diocese in Italy, comprising seven towns in the Province of Rome. Albano Laziale is situated some 15 kilometers from Rome, on the Appian Way.
Under ...
in Italy from 1091 to 1101. He served as 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 Catholic ...
to England in May 1095, where he secured the recognition of Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...
by King William II of England
William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...
.[ He also brought a ]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, to the newly elected 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 Justi ...
, Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury, OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also called ( it, Anselmo d'Aosta, link=no) after his birthplace and (french: Anselme du Bec, link=no) after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of th ...
.[Barlow ''Feudal Kingdom of England'' p. 159]
Early career
Walter was appointed a cardinal by Urban in 1091[ Accessed on 6 February 2009] and was one of Urban's supporters in the papal curia.[Cantor ''Church, King, and Lay Investiture'' p. 91]
In 1095 the papacy was disputed between two claimants, Clement III
Pope Clement III ( la, Clemens III; 1130 – 20 March 1191), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 December 1187 to his death in 1191. He ended the conflict between the Papacy and the city of Rome, by all ...
and Urban. King William had not recognized either, but Anselm, prior to his election as archbishop, had recognized Urban, and wished to go to Urban to receive his pallium. William would not allow Anselm to go to Rome nor acknowledge any pope until the king had chosen which pope to recognize, and called the Council of Rockingham to persuade Anselm to wait, but the council did not settle matters to the king's satisfaction.[Mason ''William II'' pp. 139–141] In order to resolve the situation without relinquishing his royal right to choose the pope acknowledged by England, the king sent two clerks to Rome to negotiate with Urban about English recognition and the pallium for Anselm. They set out after the Council in February 1095, and returned to England with Walter by 13 May 1095.[Mason ''William II'' p. 143]
Legate in England
Walter did not meet with Anselm when he landed at Dover, instead going directly to meet the king.[ Walter was authorized to give the king "all that he wanted" in return for William's recognition of Urban.][ The king's chief negotiator was ]William de St-Calais
William de St-Calais (died 2 January 1096) was a medieval Norman monk, abbot of the abbey of Saint-Vincent in Le Mans in Maine, who was nominated by King William I of England as Bishop of Durham in 1080. During his term as bishop, St-Calais re ...
, the Bishop of Durham
The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
.[Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 92] The medieval writer Hugh of Flavigny said that Walter expressly conceded that no more papal legates would be sent to England without William's permission, for the length of William's life.[ Papal approval of the king's acts in the dispute was also granted.][ William then attempted to get the legate to depose Anselm, but was unsuccessful. Hugh also accused Walter of taking a bribe and attempting to get Anselm to swear fealty to the pope and ]Saint Peter
Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...
. In the end, a compromise was reached, which limited the ability of the papacy to interfere in the English Church in exchange for the king's recognition of Urban.[Barlow ''William Rufus'' pp. 342–344]
When time came to give Anselm his pallium, the first suggestion that the king give it to Anselm was rejected by the archbishop, and a compromise was reached where Walter put the pallium on the high altar at Canterbury Cathedral
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 ...
on 27 May 1095, and Anselm took the pallium from the altar. Walter remained in England to collect Peter's Pence
Peter's Pence (or ''Denarii Sancti Petri'' and "Alms of St Peter") are donations or payments made directly to the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The practice began under the Saxons in England and spread through Europe. Both before and after the ...
, a traditional payment from the English bishoprics to the papacy.[ Anselm and the legate did not get along well from the start, for Walter said that Anselm's election as archbishop had been made by schismatics, throwing doubt on Anselm's fitness.][Southern ''Anselm'' p. 269] Relations between Walter and Anselm were further strained later in the summer when the legate wrote a letter to Anselm relaying some accusations against the archbishop made by some of the English bishops.[Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 345] Although Walter attempted to discuss church reform with Anselm, Anselm gave the excuse that because an invasion from Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...
was expected, the archbishop was unable to talk with the legate due to Anselm's military obligations.[Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 93] Another reason Anselm gave was that nothing could be done about a church council in England without the king's approval.[Southern ''Anselm'' p. 273]
Later career
Walter left England sometime in the summer or autumn of 1095.[Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 95] He took with him to Rome a letter from Anselm and a small gift for Urban.[Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec'' p. 193] He was in Rome on 14 August 1099, and probably helped elect Pope Pascal II
Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...
on 13 August 1099.[Robinson ''Papacy'' p. 62] He died in 1101.[
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Albano, Walter Of
11th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops
12th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops
Cardinal-bishops of Albano
Diplomats of the Holy See
1101 deaths
Year of birth unknown
1090s in England
William II of England