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Stigand

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Stigand
Stigand from the Bayeux Tapestry
Installedunknown
Term endedApril 11 1070
PredecessorRobert of Jumièges
SuccessorLanfranc
Orders
Consecration1052
Personal details
Born
Stigand
DiedFebruary 22 1072
BuriedOld Minster, Westminster
For the last bishop of Selsey, see Stigand of Selsey.

Stigand (died 1072) was an English churchman of pre-Conquest England. He served as archbishop of Canterbury, bishop of Winchester and was twice bishop of Elmham. Stigand acted as an adviser to several members of both the Anglo-Saxon and Norman lines of English royalty.

Five successive popes, including Pope Nicholas II and Pope Alexander II, excommunicated Stigand for holding both the see of Winchester and the see of Canterbury at the same time. Stigand submitted to William the Conqueror and assisted at his coronation on Christmas Day, 1066. In 1070 he was deposed by the papal legate and was imprisoned at Winchester. At the time of the death of Edward the Confessor, only the royal estates and the estates of Harold had been larger and wealthier than those held by Stigand.

Early life

Stigand first appears in the historical record in 1020 when, as a royal chaplain to Canute, he was appointed to Canute's church at Ashingdon that honoured the souls of those killed in Canute's rise to power in 1016.[1][2] His name was Norwegian and he was born in East Anglia, possibly in Norwich,[3] and was of mixed English and Scandanavian ancestry.[1] After Canute's death he successively served Canute's sons, Harold Harefoot and Harthacanute. When Harthacanute died, Stigand appears to have acted as the chief adviser to Canute's widow, Emma of Normandy mother of both Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor, who succeeded Harthacanute.[3]

Bishop of Elmham and Winchester

Shortly after Edward the Confessor's coronation, Stigand was appointed to the see of Elmham, probably on Emma's advice.[4] Elmham was the diocese that covered East Anglia. On April 3 1043[5] he was consecrated bishop.[6] Edward, however, deposed Stigand in late 1043 and deprived him of his wealth. The deposition was short lived, as Edward returned Stigand to the episcopal chair by 1044.[7] The reasons for the deposition are unknown, but it was probably connected to the similar fall from power of the king's mother Emma that occurred at the same time. Rumors of the time included some that Emma and Stigand were having an affair, and the alleged affair was supposedly the cause of their fall from power.[8]

In 1047 he was translated to the see of Winchester,[6][9] but he retained Elmham until 1052.[10] Some historians state that he supported Earl Godwin of Wessex in his quarrel with Edward the Confessor,[11] others hold that he was neutral.[12] Whatever the case, in 1052 a peace was arranged between the earl and the king.[11]

Archbishop of Canterbury

In 1052 the archbishop of Canterbury, Robert of Jumièges, was outlawed and driven from England. Stigand was then appointed to the archbishopric.[5] This was either a reward from Godwin for siding with Godwin's family in the crisis of 1051–1052, or a reward from King Edward for successfully negotiating a peaceful conclusion to the crisis of Godwin's return from exile in 1052.[12] Pope Leo IX and his two successors refused to recognize him, regarding Robert as the rightful archbishop. Stigand released Elmham to his brother Æthelmaer, but retained the bishopric of Winchester along with Canterbury.[9] He was the first non-monk to be named to either English archbishopric since before the days of Dunstan.[13] He was later accused of simony, or the buying of ecclesiastical office, but all such accusations date to after 1066, and are thus suspect due to the post-Conquest desire to vilify Stigand and the English Church as corrupt and backward.[14] Stigand may have been behind the effort to locate Edward the Atheling and his brother Edmund after 1052, possibly to secure a more acceptable heir to King Edward.[15]

Excommunicated

Emma of Normandy, seated with sons Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor, in this manuscript copy of the Encomium Emmae from circa 1042.

In 1058, Benedict X gave him a pallium, the symbol of an archbishop's authority,[16] but this pope was deposed in the following year. At this time, there was a growing movement in the church to reform itself and, being a pluralist, or the holding of more than one benefice at the same time, Stigand came under scrutiny. Since Stigand held both Winchester and Canterbury, he was definitely a pluralist. Pope Nicholas II had in 1061 declared pluralism to be uncanonical unless approved by the pope, when he declared that Aldred of Worcester must give up Worcester in order to be consecrated Archbishop of York.[17] Five successive popes (Pope Leo IX, Pope Victor II, Pope Stephen IX, Pope Nicholas II and Pope Alexander II)[16] excommunicated Stigand for holding both Winchester and Canterbury at the same time. Not only did Stigand hold Winchester along with Canterbury, but he held the abbey of Gloucester and the abbey of Ely and perhaps other abbeys also.[18] His position was such that even bishops in England did not want to be consecrated by him.[19] Both Giso of Wells and Walter of Hereford travelled to Rome to be consecrated by the Pope in 1061, rather than be consecrated by Stigand.[20] The position of Stigand as head of the church in England was used to good effect by the Normans in their propaganda before, during and after the Conquest.[21] During the brief period that he held a pallium, however, Stigand did consecrate Aethelric of Selsey and Siward of Rochester.[22]

Due to Stigand's issues with the papacy, the diocese of York was able to encroach on the suffragan bishops normally subject to Canterbury. York had long been held in common with Worcester, but during the period when Stigand was excommunicated, the see of York also claimed Lichfield and Dorcester as part of its archiepiscopal diocese.[23] In 1062, however, papal legates of Alexander II came to England. They did not depose Stigand, and even consulted with him and treated him as archbishop.[24] He was allowed to attend the council they held and was an active participant with the legates in the business of the council.[25]

Final years and legacy

William I, shown here from the Bayeux Tapestry, eventually deposed Stigand.

Stigand is said by Norman writers to have crowned King Harold II in January of 1066[26] and is depicted at that coronation in the Bayeux Tapestry, but current historical research has shown that this ceremony was performed by Aldred, Archbishop of York due to the controversy about Stigand's position.[19][22][27] The English sources claim that Aldred crowned Harold, while the Norman sources claim that Stigand did so, with the conflict between the various sources probably tracing to the post-Conquest desire to vilify Harold and depict his coronation as unlawful.[22] Stigand did support Harold and was present at Edward the Confessor's deathbed.[28]

After the death of Harold, Stigand worked with Earl Edwin and Earl Morcar, as well as Archbishop Aldred of York, to put Edgar Atheling on the throne.[29] This plan did not come to fruition, however, as the northern earls and some of the other bishops were against it.[30] Stigand submitted to William at Wallingford in early December 1066,[31] and assisted at his coronation on Christmas Day, 1066.[30] William took Stigand with him to Normandy in 1067.[32] After the first rebellions broke out, William adopted a policy of conciliating the church and gave Stigand a place at court, as well as giving administrative positions to Aldred of York and Aethelwig, abbot of Evesham.[33] Once the danger of rebellion was past, however, William had no further need of Stigand.[10] At a Council held at Winchester at Easter 1070,[34] the bishops met with papal legates from Alexander II.[35] On April 11 1070 Stigand was deposed[5] by the papal legate, Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion[16] and was imprisoned at Winchester. Deposed along with him were his brother Aethelmaer bishop of Elmham, Aethelric bishop of Selsey, Ethelwin bishop of Durham and Leofwine bishop of Lichfield, who was married.[36][37] There were three reasons for Stigand's deposition: that he held the bishopric of Winchester in plurarity with Canterbury, that he not only occupied Canterbury after Robert of Jumièges fled but also seized Robert's pallium which was left behind; and that he received his own pallium from Benedict X, an anti-pope.[38]

Stigand died in 1072 and his death was commemorated on February 22 or February 21.[16] Sometime between his deposition and his death, the dowager queen and an old friend, Edith Godwinson visited him in his imprisonment and allegedly told him to take better care of himself.[39] He was probably buried in the Old Minster at Westminster.[40] At King Edward's death, only the royal estates and the estates of Harold were larger and wealthier than those held by Stigand.[41] He had been an avaricious man and a great pluralist.[42]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Hill The Road to Hastings p. 61
  2. ^ O'Brien Queen Emma p. 123
  3. ^ a b Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 59
  4. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 76
  5. ^ a b c Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 210
  6. ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology. p. 223
  7. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 77
  8. ^ Hindley Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons p. 318
  9. ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 258
  10. ^ a b Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 87 Cite error: The named reference "Barlow87" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 123
  12. ^ a b Walker Harold p. 49
  13. ^ Knowles Monastic Order in England p. 66
  14. ^ Huscroft Ruling England pp. 46-47
  15. ^ Walker Harold p. 75
  16. ^ a b c d British History Online Archbishops of Canterbury accessed on November 2, 2007
  17. ^ Huscroft Ruling England p. 62
  18. ^ Knowles Monastic Order in England p. 72
  19. ^ a b Chibnall Anglo-Norman England p. 39
  20. ^ Huscroft Ruling England p. 51
  21. ^ Douglas William the Conqueror p. 170
  22. ^ a b c Walker Harold pp. 136-138
  23. ^ Barlow The Feudal Kingdom of England p. 27
  24. ^ Walker Harold p. 127
  25. ^ Walker Harold pp. 148-149
  26. ^ Chibnall Anglo-Norman England p. 21
  27. ^ Huscroft Ruling England p. 48
  28. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor pp. 249-250
  29. ^ Walker Harold pp. 183-185
  30. ^ a b Douglas William the Conqueror pp.203-206
  31. ^ Huscroft Ruling England pp. 18-19
  32. ^ Knowles Monastic Order in England p. 104
  33. ^ Barlow English Church 1066-1154 p. 57
  34. ^ Huscroft Ruling England pp. 60-61
  35. ^ Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 549
  36. ^ Douglas William the Conqueror p. 324
  37. ^ Barlow Feudal Kingdom of England p. 93
  38. ^ Powell House of Lords pp. 33-34
  39. ^ Barlow Godwins p. 161
  40. ^ O'Brien Queen Emma p. 221
  41. ^ Hindley Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons p. 330
  42. ^ Cowdrey "Stigand (d. 1072)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

References

  • Barlow, Frank (1970). Edward the Confessor. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-01671-8.
  • Barlow, Frank (1979). The English Church 1066-1154: A History of the Anglo-Norman Church. New York: Longman. ISBN 0-582-50236-5.
  • Barlow, Frank (1988). The Feudal Kingdom of England 1042-1216 (Fourth Edition ed.). New York: Longman. ISBN 0-582-49504-0. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  • Barlow, Frank (2003). The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty. London: Pearson/Longman. ISBN 0-582-78440-9.
  • Chibnall, Marjorie (1986). Anglo-Norman England 1066-1166. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0-631-15439-6.
  • Douglas, David C. (1964). William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Hill, Paul (2005). The Road to Hastings: The Politics of Power in Anglo-Saxon England. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-3308-3.
  • Hindley, Geoffrey (2006). A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The Beginnings of the English Nation. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 978-0-78671-738-5.
  • Huscroft, Huscroft (2005). Ruling England 1042-1217. London: Pearson/Longman. ISBN 0-582-84882-2.
  • Knowles, David (1976). The Monastic Order in England: A History of its Development from the Times of St. Dunstan to the Fourth Lateran Council, 940-1216 (Second Edition, reprint ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-05479-6.
  • O'Brien, Harriet. Queen Emma and the Vikings: A History of Power, Love and Greed in Eleventh-Century England. New York: Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 1-58234-596-1.
  • Powell, J. Enoch (1968). The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Walker, Ian (2000). Harold the Last Anglo-Saxon King. Gloucestershire: Wrens Park. ISBN 0-905-778-464.

Further reading

  • E. A. Freeman, The Norman Conquest (1870-1876), vols. ii, iii and iv
  • J. R. Green, The Conquest of England (1899), vol. ii.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Elmham
deposed
1040–1042 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Elmham
restored
1043–1047 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Winchester
1047–1070 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Canterbury
1052–1070 		Succeeded by

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