Eustace (bishop of Ely)

Eustace (died 1215) was the twenty-third Lord Chancellor of England, from 1197 to 1198. He was also Dean of Salisbury and Bishop of Ely.

Early life

Eustace was probably French or Norman by birth, and was educated at Paris. He was a student with Gerald of Wales, who remained a lifelong friend.Owen "Eustace" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' After his education was finished, he was considered a master, or magister.Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 259 By 1177, he was a clerk for Robert Foliot, who was Bishop of Hereford, and he stayed at Hereford until around 1186. By 1190, he held the office of parson of Withcall, Lincolnshire. He entered the king's service sometime before 1194, for he was Dean of Salisbury by 5 May 1194.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 4: Salisbury: Deans
' He held the offices of Archdeacon of Richmond, treasurer of the East Riding and archdeacon of the East Riding after this.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 6: York: Archdeacons of East Riding
'

Bishop

Eustace was elected to the see of Ely on 10 August 1197 and consecrated on 8 March 1198.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 244 He had been elected at Vaudreuil, but King Richard I of England sent him on a diplomatic mission to Germany after his election, which kept him from being consecrated until 1198. The consecration was performed by Hubert Walter, the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster.

Eustace was Lord Chancellor from May 1198 to May 1199.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 84 During this time he also acted as a royal justice, and in January 1199, Richard sent him to King Philip II of France to notify the French king that the truce between Philip and Richard was over. With the death of King Richard and the accession of King John of England, Eustace was replaced as chancellor by Hubert Walter, but Eustace was still employed by the king on diplomatic errands, including two errands to the French king, in 1202 and 1204. It was at this time that Pope Innocent III began to use Eustace as a papal judge-delegate, first appointing him to help mediate a dispute between Hubert Walter and the monks of Canterbury.

Eustace was appointed one of the papal commissioners to investigate and settle the attempt by Savaric FitzGeldewin the Bishop of Wells to take over Glastonbury Abbey as Savaric's new cathedral site. The commissioners set forth a plan, but Savaric died soon after and Pope Innocent III was persuaded to disallow the move.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 329 During King John's dispute with the pope over the election of Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, the pope once more chose Eustace as a commissioner in August 1207, along with William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the Bishop of London, and Mauger the Bishop of Worcester.Warren ''King John'' p. 164 The commission tried to convince the king to accept Langton, but eventually in March 1208, they pronounced an interdict on England because of John's refusal to accept Langton.Turner ''King John'' pp. 117–118 In July 1208 the commissioners once more attempted to negotiate with John, this time in company with Langton's brother Simon Langton. They waited eight weeks for a meeting, but the king never received them. A year later, the king finally met with them at Dover. Although an agreement was reached, it was never put into effect, and negotiations reached a stalemate. In November, the commissioners declared John excommunicated.Turner ''King John'' pp. 120–121 Eustace had been in exile since the proclamation of the interdict in 1208.Warren ''King John'' p. 169 In 1212, Eustace journeyed to Rome to complain to Innocent about John's oppression of the English Church.

Later life and death

When John made his peace with Innocent, Eustace was allowed to return to England, and it was Eustace who formally lifted the excommunication of John on 2 July 1214. John had pledged to compensate Eustace for the damages done to Ely during the interdict, which were estimated to have been around £1000. When John came into conflict with the barons, the king attempted to win over Eustace by giving Ely the royal rights of patronage to Thorney Abbey.

Eustace died at Reading on 3 February 1215 or on 4 February.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
'' He was buried in Ely Cathedral near the altar of St. Mary. A modern historian, C. R. Cheney, said of Eustace that even though he started as a royal official, he "rose to isresponsibilities" as bishop.Cheney ''Becket to Langton'' p. 29 It was a letter of Eustace to Innocent that caused Innocent to write a letter back entitled ''Pastoralis officii diligentia'', which later was incorporated into Gratian's ''Decretals''.Cheney ''Becket to Langton'' pp. 53–54 Eustace was also active in promoting the canonization of Gilbert of Sempringham. He also investigated alleged miracles of Wulfstan of Worcester. He also built the church of St. Mary, in Ely.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eustace
Lord chancellors of England
Deans of Salisbury
Archdeacons of the East Riding
1215 deaths
12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
Archdeacons of Richmond
12th-century births
Year of birth unknown