THEOBALD OF BEC

'Theobald' ('Tedbald') (died April 18, 1161) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1138 to 1161. He was of Norman parentage, but the date of his birth is unknown.

Contents

Early life

Archbishop of The Anarchy

Patronage

Notes

References

See also

Source

External Links

Early life

He was a Norman by descent and became a Benedictine monk at Bec late in the late eleventh or early in the twelfth century. In 1127 he was made prior, and abbot in 1137.
In 1138 he was selected by Stephen, king of England, to fill the vacant see of Canterbury. Theobald was chosen by Stephen instead of Stephen's brother Henry of Winchester, who had helped Stephen gain the throne of England. Stephen feared that if Henry was archbishop, Henry would be too strong and would attempt to control the king.Barlow ''The English Church 1066-1154'' p. 94-97

Archbishop of The Anarchy

On 24 December 1138, he was elected archbishop and was consecrated on 8 January following.Powicke ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 210 He went to Rome for his palliumBarlow ''The English Church 1066-1154'' p. 38 and took part in the second Lateran Council.Barlow ''The English Church 1066-1154'' p. 110-112 He proved a capable prelate, devout in his private life, charitable and a lover of learning. Apparently he owed his advancement to his character for meekness, and as archbishop he behaved with a moderation which is in contrast to the conduct of his rival, Henry of Winchester. During the struggle between Stephen and Matilda it was Bishop Henry who fought for the privileges of the Church; Theobald, while showing a preference for Stephen's title, made it his rule to support the ''de facto'' sovereign. He adhered to Stephen, whom he crowned, though for a time he was at Matilda's court, and always worked for the Angevin succession.
Theobald suffered difficulties because of the position of Henry of Winchester, his suffragan bishop, as papal legate. Among these was the appointment of William FitzHerbert as archbishop of York, which Theobald felt bound to oppose. This quarrel was ended by the intercession of the queen, Matilda of Boulogne, but another was provoked by Theobald's refusal to crown Count Eustace, the eldest son of Stephen. The archbishop pleaded the pope's orders as the excuse for this contumacy. He was banished from the kingdom, but Pope Eugene III terrified Stephen into a reversal of the sentence.Barlow ''The English Church 1066-1154'' p. 100-102
Celestine II did not reappoint Henry as legate and finally in 1150, or possibly before, Theobald was named legate by Eugene III, probably on the recommendation of St. Bernard (Ep. 238).
When the pope summoned the English bishops to the council of Reims, the king forbade them to go, whereupon Theobald defied the king and went. Though he saved the king from excommunication, his property was confiscated and he was banished. The pope then put England under interdict, which was disregarded except in Canterbury, and finally the king and archbishop were reconciled in 1148.
In 1151 Theobald held a legatine council in London.Barlow ''The English Church 1066-1154'' p. 131 In the following year, acting on papal authority, he refused to crown Eustace, the king's son, and was again compelled to seek flight. While in Normandy he reconciled Henry of Anjou to Stephen, with the result that in 1153 the Treaty of Wallingford, securing for Henry the succession to the throne, ended The Anarchy.
After Stephen's death, Theobald crowned Henry and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine on December 19, 1154,Warren ''Henry II'' p. 53Powell ''The House of Lords in the Middle Ages'' p. 73 and during the rest of his life he maintained good relations with the Court, as a trusted counsellor; especially with his former disciple Thomas Becket, who had now become chancellor. He expressed to John of Salisbury his hope that Thomas would succeed him.
Throughout his pontificate he had continual trouble with the monks of Christchurch. Theobald died on April 18, 1161 and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, where eighteen years afterwards his body was found incorrupt. However, as of now (2007), he is not a candidate for sainthood.

Patronage

In his household, he collected many young men of ability, including his successor Thomas Becket, and he encouraged the formation of scholars and statesmen of a new type. Theobald's household was a university in little; and in it were trained not a few of the leading prelates of the next generation.
He was instrumental in the early spread of Roman law to England, inviting the Bologna-schooled jurist Roger Vacarius to join his administration and advise on legal matters.^[1]
Theobald lives chiefly as the patron of three eminent men: Becket, who began life as a clerk in his household; Vacarius, who was the first to teach Roman law in England; and John of Salisbury, the most learned scholar of the age.

Notes

1. R. H. Helmholz, ''Oxford History of the Laws of England'' v.1, Oxford University Press, Oxford:2004, p. 121]

References

★ ''Vita Theobaldi'' printed in J. A. Giles, ''Lanfranci Opera'', vol. i. (Oxford, 1844)

★ Hook, W. F., ''Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury'', ii. c. vi. (London, 1862)

★ Norgate, Kate, ''England under the Angevin Kings'', vol. i. (London, 1887)

★ Barlow, Frank ''The English Church 1066-1154'' London:Longman 1979 ISBN 0-582-50236-5

★ 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

★ Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961

★ Warren, W. L. ''Henry II'' Berkeley: University of California Press 1973 ISBN 0-520-03494-5

See also

List of Archbishops of Canterbury

Source

★ [1]

External Links

★ Theobald at Catholic Encyclopedia Online