Ealdwulf (died 6 May 1002) was a medieval

Abbot of Peterborough A list of the abbots of the abbey of Peterborough, known until the late 10th century as "Medeshamstede". Abbots Sources *'Houses of Benedictine monks: The abbey of Peterborough', ''A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 2'' (1906), pp.& ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

Life

Traditional stories state that Ealdwulf was a layman and chancellor to King

Edgar of England Edgar ( ang, Ēadgār ; 8 July 975), known as the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. The younger son of King Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, he came to the throne as a teenager following ...

when one night he accidentally smothered his son while sharing a bed with the child. Rather than go to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to seek absolution for this sin, which had been his original plan, Ealdwulf refounded the monastery at

Medeshamstede Medeshamstede was the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period. It was the site of a monastery founded around the middle of the 7th century, which was an important feature in the kingdom of Mercia from the outset. Little is known of its ...

, which later became known as Peterborough Abbey, on the advice of

Æthelwold Æthelwold was a common Anglo Saxon name. It may refer to: Royalty and nobility *King Æthelwold of Deira, King of Deira, d. 655 *King Æthelwold of East Anglia, King of East Anglia, d. 664 *King Æthelwold Moll of Northumbria, King of Northumbria, ...

bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. Ealdwulf then joined his new foundation as a monkHunt "Ealdwulf" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' before becoming

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 fem ...

of Peterborough from about 966 to 992.Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 59Fletcher ''Bloodfeud'' p. 70 Ealdwulf was bishop of Worcester as well as archbishop of York from 995Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 224 to his death on 6 May 1002. While archbishop, he held a synod at Worcester around 1000 to consider moving the relics of Saint Oswald of Worcester.Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 246 Ealdwulf's reputation was one of extreme piety.Brooke "York Minster" ''Churches and Churchmen'' p. 40 William of Malmesbury compared him to his successor Wulfstan as follows "Ealdwulf can be pardoned for holding the two sees contrary to canon law because of his sanctity, and because he did it not through ambition but by necessity."Quoted in Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 25

Citations

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ealdwulf 1002 deaths Abbots of Peterborough Archbishops of York Bishops of Worcester 10th-century English archbishops Year of birth unknown