Geoffrey, Archbishop of York (c. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Roger de Pont L'Evêque or Robert of Bishop's Bridge (d 1181 was a contemporary of Thomas Becket and later Archbishop of York. Walter de Gray (died 1 May 1255 was an English prelate and statesman who rose to be Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Grandmontines were the monks of the Order of Grandmont, a Religious order founded by Saint Stephen of Thiers, towards the end of the 11th century Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. Grandmontines were the monks of the Order of Grandmont, a Religious order founded by Saint Stephen of Thiers, towards the end of the 11th century 1152 – 12 December 1212) was an illegitimate son of Henry II, King of England. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian In Common law, legitimacy is the status of a Child that is born to parents who are legally married to one another or that is born shortly after the The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during Geoffrey's history is chiefly one of quarrels, with the see of Canterbury, with the chancellor William Longchamp, with his half-brothers Richard and John, and especially with his canons at York. Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. William Longchamp (sometimes William de Longchamp or William de Longchamps) (died 1197 was a medieval chancellor of England Chief Jusiticar and John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.

Early life

Geoffrey's father Henry II, from Cassell's History of England circa 1902.

He was distinguished from his legitimate half-brothers by his consistent attachment and fidelity to his father. ^[1] His mother was Ykenai, whom Walter Map described as 'a base-born, common harlot who stooped to all uncleanness'. Walter Map (born 1140 died c 1208&ndash1210 was a medieval writer using Latin He was probably born before his father married Eleanor of Aquitaine,^[2] sometime around 1152. For other Eleanors of England see Eleanor of England (disambiguation Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine (1122&ndash1 April 1204 ^[3]

He was Archdeacon of Lincoln by September of 1171, and probably retained the archdeaconry until he was confirmed as bishop-elect in 1175. ^[4] He was made Bishop of Lincoln at the age of twenty-one about May of 1173; he at first was refused confirmation by Pope Alexander III and Archbishop Thomas Becket, and went to Rome in October of 1174 to secure confirmation, which happened before July of 1175. See also List of bishops of Lincoln and precursor offices The Bishop of Lincoln heads the ( Anglican) Pope Alexander III (c 1100/1105 &ndash August 30, 1181) born Rolando (or Orlando) Bandinelli, was Pope from 1159 St Thomas Becket (c 1118 &ndash December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 He was never ordained, however. ^[5] In 1173 and early 1174 he fought a campaign in northern England that supported his father's attempts to subdue the Scots. The campaign helped in the capture of William the Lion, king of Scots and also helped to compel Hugh du Puiset, Bishop of Durham to pledge fealty to Henry I. Hugh de Puiset (c 1125&ndash3 March 1195 was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. See also List of Bishops of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican Bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in ^[6] It was after this campaign that Henry is said to have told Geoffrey "My other sons are the real bastards. This is the only one who's proved himself legitimate!"^[7] He then was confrimed as bishop by Alexander and Becket, and was sent to study at Tours. Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river It was during this period that he probably befriended Peter of Blois. Peter of Blois or Petrus Blesensis (c 1135 &ndash c 1203 was a French poet and diplomat who wrote in Latin. He made a number of gifts to the cathedral at Lincoln, including two bells for the bell tower. ^[6]

Chancellor

Richard I of England and Philip II of France, from a 14th century illuminated manuscript.

He resigned the see of Lincoln on January 6, 1182,^[8] rather than be ordained as the pope had ordered. The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King ^[6] He then became his father's chancellor in 1181 and 1182,^[9] holding a large number of lucrative benefices in plurality, including Treasurer of York from 1182, the Archdeaconry of Rouen from 1183,^[10] and probably the Archdeaconry of East Riding. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. Originally a benefice was a gift of land ( Precaria) for life as a reward for services rendered ^[11] When Prince Richard and King Philip II of France declared war on Henry in 1187, Henry gave Geoffrey command of a quarter of the army. Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death Philip II Augustus (Philippe Auguste ( 21 August[[ 165]] &ndash 14 July 1223) was the King of France from 1180 until his death Geoffrey was with Henry when the king was driven from Le Mans in 1189,^[6] and Geoffrey was the one son of Henry II's that was present at the death of the king. Le Mans (ləmɑ̃ in French) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. ^[12]

Archbishop

King Richard nominated him archbishop of York in September of 1189,^[3] but he was not consecrated until August 18, 1191,^[13] at Tours, when he received his pallium. Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river This article refers to the religious garment called a "pallium" ^[3] However, on his election, he either resigned or was stripped of his office of chancellor. ^[9] After Richard took the throne of England, Geoffrey was made to become a full priest, to eliminate a potential rival to the throne. ^[14] He was consecrated a priest at Southwell on September 23, 1189. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English ^[3] In 1191, after being consecrated archbishop, he attempted to go to York, but was met at Dover by agents of the chancellor, William Longchamp, and even though he took refuge in the priory of St. Martin in Dover, was dragged from sanctuary and imprisoned in Dover Castle. Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. William Longchamp (sometimes William de Longchamp or William de Longchamps) (died 1197 was a medieval chancellor of England Chief Jusiticar and The Priory of St Mary the Virgin and St Martin of the New Work or Newark, commonly called Dover Priory, was a Priory at Dover, Dover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history ^[15] Longchamp claimed that Geoffrey had not sworn fealty to Richard, but it was more likely just an excuse to eliminate a rival. An Oath of fealty, from the Latin fidelitas ( Faithfulness) is a pledge of Allegiance of one person to another ^[12] He was soon released, and took part in the council at Loddon Bridge between Reading and Windsor which excommunicated Longchamp and led to the deposition of Longchamp from the chancellorship. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between Windsor (ˈwɪnzə/ /ˈwɪndzə is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. ^[16] It was during this time that Geoffrey started his feud with Hugh du Puiset, probably over Geoffrey's authority in Hugh's diocese of Durham. The feud dragged on for years, with many appeals to Rome and the king. ^[6]

Geoffrey long faced opposition from part of his cathedral chapter, with the opposition led by Henry Marshal, who was dean of York, Burchard du Puiset, who was Hugh du Puiset's nephew and treasurer of York, and Roger of London who was abbot of Selby. In accordance with Canon law, a cathedral chapter is a body of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a Bishop and in the case of a vacancy in the bishop’s The Dean of York is the member of the Clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral The chapter objected to Geoffrey having given a large part of York's treasury towards Richard's ransom, and to some of Geoffrey's appointments in the church of York. Charges of simony, extortion, and neglect of his duties were lodged against Geoffrey, who in return excommunicated the ringleaders more than once, and locked the canons out of church. ^[6]

In 1194 he went into debt to the crown for the sum of 3000 marks in order to buy the office of Sheriff of Yorkshire. ^[17] He quarrelled with Richard in 1196 and Richard forbade Geoffrey from administering York. ^[18] In 1200 he refused to allow the collection of carucage on his property, and was in return forced to submit to the new sheriff of Yorkshire, James de Poterna, who had wasted the lands in revenge. Carucage was the name of a type of medieval taxation in England. In January of 1201, John then made peace with his half brother. ^[19] In 1207, Geoffrey led the clergy in their refusal to be taxed by John and was forced to flee the kingdom. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. ^[20] He died while still in exile at Grandmont in Normandy on December 12, 1212. Grandmontines were the monks of the Order of Grandmont, a Religious order founded by Saint Stephen of Thiers, towards the end of the 11th century Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian ^[13][3] He was buried at Notre-Dame de Grandmont. ^[3]

Notes

References

• Bartlett, Robert England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings: 1075-1225 Oxford:Clarendon Press 2000 ISBN 0-19-822741-8
• British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
• British History Online Archdeacons of Lincoln accessed on September 15, 2007
• British History Online Bishops of Lincoln accessed on September 15, 2007
• British History Online Prebends of York accessed on September 15, 2007
• British History Online Treasurers of York accessed on September 15, 2007
• Fryde, E. Professor Robert Bartlett (born 1950 MA (Cantab DPhil (Oxon FRHistS FBA FRSE FSA is an English Historian and Medievalist. B. ; Greenway, D. E. ; Porter, S. ; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.  
• Gillingham, John Richard I New Haven:Yale University Press 1999 ISBN 0-300-07912-5
• Joliffe, J. E. A. Angevin Kingship London:Adam and Charles Black 1955
• Lovatt, Marie "Geoffrey (1151?–1212)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 Online Edition revision of October 2007 accessed November 12, 2007
• Lyon, Bryce A Constitutional and Legal History of Medieval England Second Edition New York:Norton 1980 ISBN 0-393-958132-4
• Powell, J. Enoch and Keith Wallis The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540 London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1968
• Warren, W. L. Henry II Berkeley: University of California Press 1973 ISBN 0-520-03494-5
• Warren, W. L. King John Berkley: University of California Press 1978 ISBN 0-520-03643-3
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

External links

• Geoffrey at Britannia Biographies
• Geoffrey at 1911 Britannica Encyclopedia Online