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Ralph d'Escures (also known as RadulfEadmer. ''Eadmer’s History of Recent Events in England = Historia Novorum in Anglia''. Translated by Geoffrey Bosanquet. London: Cresset Press, 1964.) (died 20 October 1122) was a medieval abbot of Séez,
bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester, Kent, Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Rochester Cathedral, Cathedral Chur ...
, and then
archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
. He studied at the school at the Abbey of Bec. In 1079 he entered the
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
of St Martin at Séez and became
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
there in 1091. He was a friend of both Archbishop
Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...
and Bishop Gundulf of Rochester, whose see, or bishopric, he took over on Gundulf's death. Ralph was not chosen archbishop of Canterbury by the chapter of Canterbury alone. His election involved an assembly of the lords and bishops meeting with King
Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...
. Ralph then received his
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 metropolitan bish ...
from Pope
Paschal II Pope Paschal II (; 1050  1055 – 21 January 1118), born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, 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 creat ...
, rather than travelling to Rome to retrieve it. As archbishop, Ralph was very assertive of the rights of the see of Canterbury and of the liberties of the English church. He claimed authority in Wales and Scotland. Ralph also quarrelled for a time with
Pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II (; 1050  1055 – 21 January 1118), born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, 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 creat ...
. Ralph suffered a stroke on 11 July 1119 and was left partially paralysed and unable to speak clearly from that time until his death on 20 October 1122. A surviving English translation of a sermon delivered by Ralph is preserved in a manuscript in the British Library. The sermon survives in some fifty Latin manuscripts.


Early life

Ralph was the son of Seffrid d'Escures and his first wife Rascendis,Brett "Escures, Ralph d' " ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' and a half brother of Seffrid I,Greenway ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 5: Chichester: Bishops''
Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...
from 1125 to 1145.Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' pp. 51,250 The surname of de Turbine, by which he is sometimes known in older scholarship, is only attested in the fourteenth century and possibly resulted from confusion with William de Corbeil, Ralph's successor at Canterbury. Ralph studied at the school at the Abbey of BecCantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 176 before entering the abbey of St Martin at Séez in 1079. St. Martin was a house founded by the Montgomery and
Bellême Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême, as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810–1877), ...
families, and was still under their lordship.Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan'' p. 109 He became abbot of the house in 1091, and his election was attended by Anselm, abbot of Bec.Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan'' p. 61


Time in England

Soon afterwards Ralph paid a visit to England, perhaps to visit
Shrewsbury Abbey The Abbey Church of the Holy Cross (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Normans, Norman Earl of Shre ...
, which was a daughter house of Séez. He may have been involved in mediating the surrender of Robert of Bellême at
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
in 1102, for some chroniclers state that it was Ralph who delivered the keys of the castle to King Henry I of England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 163 In 1103, he took refuge in England from the demands of Robert of Bellême for homage. Ralph declined to do homage because Pope Urban II had ordered that no clergy could do homage to the laity.Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan'' pp. 24–25 Robert was also demanding heavy taxes, and Ralph fled with Serlo, Bishop of Séez, who was also subjected to Robert's demands.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 181 He passed his time in England with his friends Saint Anselm and Gundulf the Bishop of Rochester.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 82 He attended the
translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...
of Saint Cuthbert's remains at Durham, where he was one of examiners of the body, and declared the saint's remains uncorrupt. In 1106, he visited Anselm at the Abbey of Bec, but probably did not try to assert himself at Séez. After Anselm was elected to the see of Canterbury, Ralph appears to have become part of the archbishop's household. In June 1108, Ralph succeeded Gundulf as Bishop of Rochester, having been nominated by Gundulf before his death.Greenway "Rochester: Bishops" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces) Ralph was consecrated on 9 August 1108.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 267 He was at Anselm's deathbed in April 1109, and, afterwards, Ralph acted as administrator of the see of CanterburyPowell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 57 until 26 April 1114, when he was chosen Archbishop at Windsor.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 232 The king had wanted his doctor, Faricus, who was an Italian and Abbot of Abingdon, but the nobles and the bishops objected to anyone but a Norman being appointed. The bishops also desired someone who was not a monk, or at least not one who was so close to Henry.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 181 As a compromise, Ralph was chosen, rather than the
secular clergy In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. Secular priests (sometimes known as diocesan priests) are priests who commit themselves to a certain geograph ...
that the bishops favoured.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 628 Although Ralph was a monk and had not served as a royal clerk, he was also a bishop, which seems to have reconciled the other bishops to his selection.Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 33


Archbishop of Canterbury

It is noteworthy that, while Ralph was not chosen by the chapter of Canterbury alone, his election involved an assembly of the magnates and bishops meeting with the king. He was not selected solely by the king, nor solely by the bishops or chapter.Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 281 Ralph received his pallium from the pope, rather than travelling to Rome to retrieve it.Barlow ''English Church 1066–1154'' p. 38 However, It was only with difficulty that Pope Paschal II was persuaded to grant the pallium, as the papacy was attempting to reassert papal jurisdiction over the English Church. It was
Anselm of St Saba Anselm (died 1148) was a Middle Ages, medieval bishop of London, bishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, London whose election was quashed by Pope Innocent II. He was a monk of Sacra di San Michele, Chiusa, abbot of San Saba, ...
who brought the pallium to England, along with letters from Paschal complaining that the English Church was translating bishops from see to see without papal permission, that legates from the papacy were being refused entry to England and that the king was allowing no appeals to be made to the pope over ecclesiastical issues.Hollister ''Henry I'' pp. 240–243 In 1116 the pope even demanded the payment of
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 Kingdom of England, England and spread through Europe. Both ...
, a payment direct to the papacy of a penny from every household in England. Ralph, when he took the pallium, professed "fidelity and canonical obedience" to the pope, but did not submit to the papal demands and, in fact, supported King Henry in opposing the pope's demands.Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' pp. 301–308 As archbishop Ralph championed the rights of the see of Canterbury and the English church.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 83 He claimed authority in Wales and Scotland, writing to the pope that "the church of Canterbury has not ceased to provide pastoral care for the whole of Britain and Ireland, both as a benevolence and from its rights of primacy."Quoted in Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 92 He advised the
bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's cathedra, seat is in the Llandaff Cathedral, Cathedral Chu ...
that a new Llandaff Cathedral should be built and granted an
indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission bef ...
to contributors.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 395 He even refused to consecrate Thurstan as
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 the ...
because Thurstan would not profess obedience to the Archbishop of Canterbury,Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan'' pp. 357–359 part of the Canterbury-York dispute.Barlow ''English Church'' pp. 39–44 At first, Ralph depended only on the king to demand Thurstan to submit, but later he appealed to the popes to force Thurstan to obey. His refusal brought him into a dispute with the papacy, for Pope Paschal II supported Thurstan. Ralph visited Rome in 1117, but was unable to obtain an interview with Paschal as the pope had fled the city in front of an invading imperial army. Ralph had taken ill with an ulcer on his face during the trip to Rome and, for a time, it was feared that he would die. He recovered enough to continue on to Rome, however, although it was a fruitless trip. Despite instructions from Paschal's successors, Gelasius II and Calixtus II, the archbishop continued to refuse to consecrate Thurstan, and Thurstan was still unconsecrated when Ralph died.Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan'' p. 362 Thurstan was eventually consecrated at
Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...
by Pope Calixtus II in May 1119, although the issue of primacy remained unresolved. Although he feuded with York over the primacy, it appears clear that Ralph considered the
Investiture Crisis The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops ( investiture), abbots of monasteries, and the Pope himself. A series ...
settled in England for, in 1117 while visiting Rome, he took a neutral position as regards the issues between the Pope and the Emperor.Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' pp. 275–276 In 1115, however, he refused to consecrate
Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...
as Bishop of St David's in the royal chapel, although Robert of Meulan, the king's chief counsellor, advocated that the consecration must take place in the royal chapel according to ancient custom. The king did not insist and Ralph won the confrontation. He was also involved in ecclesiastical affairs in Normandy, as he attended the provincial synod, or Council of Rouen, held in 1118.Spear "Norman Empire" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 3


Final years and legacy

Ralph suffered a stroke on 11 July 1119, as he was removing his vestments after celebrating Mass. From then until his death, Ralph was partially paralysed and unable to speak clearly.Bethell "English Black Monks" ''English Historical Review'' p. 673 He was still involved in decision making and, in 1120, he agreed to King Alexander I of Scotland's suggestion that Eadmer become the next Bishop of St Andrew's. Ralph was one of the lords consulted about the remarriage of Henry I to Adeliza of Leuven at London in 1121.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 58 He also successfully asserted his right to celebrate the king's new marriage, over attempts by
Roger of Salisbury Roger of Salisbury (died 1139), was a Norman medieval bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England. Life Roger was originally priest of a small chapel near Caen in Normandy. He was called "Roger, priest of t ...
to officiate instead.Cantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' p. 299 Due to the damage from the stroke, Ralph was unable to perform the ceremony but, when Roger made an attempt to do so, Ralph successfully insisted on choosing the officiant and William Giffard the
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'' the offic ...
performed the marriage.Hollister ''Henry I'' pp. 280–281 Ralph died on 20 October 1122, at Canterbury. He was buried in the nave of Canterbury Cathedral on 23 October 1122. His nephew,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, was a clerk under Ralph, and later Ralph appointed him
Archdeacon of Canterbury The Archdeacon of Canterbury is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of Canterbury (a division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury). Like other archdeacons, they are an administrator in the diocese at large (having oversight of parish ...
. After Ralph's death, John was elected to the see of Rochester.Greenway "Archdeacons: Canterbury" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces) Ralph was regarded as a "witty, easygoing" man.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 235 The struggle with York, however, along with his illnesses and the effects of the stroke, turned Ralph in his last years into a quarrelsome person.
Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...
said that he was well educated and well loved by people. Even
William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury (; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as "a gifted historical scholar and a ...
, no lover of ecclesiastics and always ready to find fault with them, could only find fault with him for his occasional lapses into unbecoming frivolity. Ralph wrote a sermon for the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin and it survives in some fifty
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
manuscripts, probably because it was thought to have been written by Anselm of Canterbury, until shown to be Ralph's in 1927.Treharne "Life of English" ''Writers of the Reign of Henry II'' pp. 172–173 A surviving English translation of the sermon is also preserved in the manuscript
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
, Cotton Vespasian D. xiv.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 494 The Latin version, which Ralph was a translation of his originally spoken French version, has been edited and published in 1997. Ralph also had the monks of
Christ Church, Canterbury Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
search for documents relating to the privileges of Canterbury and had those documents copied into a manuscript which still survives, BM MS Cotton Cleopatra E. His seal is one of the first to take the usual form for bishop's seals, with Ralph standing, in full vestments including a
mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...
, and performing a benediction with his right hand while holding his
crosier A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catho ...
in his left. The seal took the form of a pointed oval.Harvey and McGuinness ''Guide to British Medieval Seals'' pp. 64–65


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Escures, Ralph d 11th-century births 1122 deaths Anglo-Normans Archbishops of Canterbury Bishops of Rochester French abbots People from Orne 12th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops Anglo-Norman Benedictines Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Burials at Canterbury Cathedral 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops