__NOTOC__ Robert Warelwast (died 1155) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.

Life

Warelwast and his successor,

Robert of Chichester __NOTOC__ Robert of Chichester (died before April 1161) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. Robert is often confused with his predecessor, Robert Warelwast. His surname comes from a single source, one of his successors. He was a relative of David ...

are often confused.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 93 Warelwast was the nephew of the previous bishop,

William Warelwast William Warelwast (died 1137) was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of Exeter in England. Warelwast was a native of Normandy, but little is known about his background before 1087, when he appears as a royal clerk for King William II. Most o ...

, and was appointed

archdeacon of Exeter The Archdeacon of Exeter is a senior ecclesiastical officer of the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. The modern diocese is divided into four archdeaconries: the archdeacon of Exeter supervises clergy and buildings within the area of the ...

by his uncle.Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 302 He had been educated at Laon,Chibnall ''Anglo-Norman England'' p. 128 sent there by his uncle to study under Master

Anselm of Laon Anselm of Laon ( la, Anselmus; 1117), properly Ansel ('), was a French theologian and founder of a school of scholars who helped to pioneer biblical hermeneutics. Biography Born of very humble parents at Laon before the middle of the 11th cent ...

.Barlow "Warelwast, Robert de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Warelwast was nominated on 10 April 1138 at a royal council held at Northampton.Appleby ''Troubled Reign'' p. 47 Probably, he was elected by the cathedral chapter and his election was formally accepted by King

Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 ...

at Northampton. He was consecrated on 18 December 1138 by the papal legate Alberic, because the

archbishopric of Canterbury The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitute the Church of England. The other is the Province of York (which consists of 12 dioceses). Overview The Province consist ...

was vacant. Warelwast went to the Lateran Council held by Pope

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

in 1139.Appleby ''Troubled Reign'' p. 61Barlow ''English Church'' p. 112 During King Stephen's reign, he was forced to recognize

Baldwin de Redvers Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon (died 4 June 1155), feudal baron of Plympton in Devon, was the son of Richard de Redvers and his wife Adeline Peverel. He was one of the first to rebel against King Stephen, and was the only first rank magnat ...

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall * Condor of Cornwall, ...

, but continued to date his charters by Stephen's regnal years.Matthew ''King Stephen'' pp. 121–122 He seems to have favored Stephen, but his diocese was not strategically significant in the civil war and he was little bothered by the disorders of the reign. He did excommunicate Matilda's half-brother Reginald fitz Roy whom she had made Earl of Cornwall, but this was because Richard had ravaged church lands. Warelwast failed to attend the

Council of Rheims Reims, located in the north-east of modern France, hosted several councils or synods in the Roman Catholic Church. These councils did not universally represent the church and are not counted among the official ecumenical councils. Early synodal cou ...

in 1148, and was suspended from his bishopric by Pope Eugene III for this. Warelwast was a patron of

Baldwin of Exeter Baldwin of Forde or FordSharpe ''Handlist of Latin Writers'' pp. 66–67 ( – 19 November 1190) was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pop ...

, the future Archbishop of Canterbury, sending Baldwin to Italy to study

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. Warelwast died about 28 March 1155.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 246 He was still alive on 7 February 1155 when he oversaw the translation of relics at

Launceston Priory Launceston Priory was a priory at Newport, Launceston, Cornwall, England, UK. The priory was founded 1127 by William Warelwast William Warelwast (died 1137) was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of Exeter in England. Warelwast was a nat ...

, but died soon after that. He was buried in his cathedral.

Citations

References

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External links

*
Entry for Robert
in George Oliver's ''Lives of the Bishops of Exeter'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Warelwast, Robert Bishops of Exeter 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 1155 deaths Burials at Exeter Cathedral Year of birth unknown