Æthelric II

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For other uses, see Aethelric (disambiguation).
Æthelric II
Denomination Catholic
Senior posting
See Diocese of Selsey
Title Bishop of Selsey
Period in office 1058–1070
Predecessor Heca
Successor Stigand
Personal
Date of death circa 1076

Æthelric II (d.c.1076) was the second to last Bishop of Selsey before the see was moved to Chichester. His name is also spelled Ethelric.

[edit] Life

Æthelric II was a monk at Christ Church Priory Canterbury[1] until 1058 when he was consecrated bishop by Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury.[2][3] Several historians opine that he might have been the same as the Æthelric who was a monk of Canterbury and a relative of Godwin of Wessex. That Æthelric was elected by the monks of Canterbury to be Archbishop of Canterbury in 1050, but who was not confirmed by King Edward the Confessor who instead insisted on Robert of Jumièges becoming archbishop instead.[4][5] The evidence is not merely that they shared the same name, because the name was a relatively common one in Anglo-Saxon England. Other evidence pointing to the possibility of them being the same person includes the fact that he was felt to have been unfairly deposed in 1070 as well as the bishops great age in 1076.[6] Æthelric was consecrated by Stigand, unlike most of the English bishops of the time period, because at that point, Stigand held a valid pallium.[7]

Æthelric was deposed by the Council of Windsor on May 24, 1070[3] and imprisoned at Marlborough, being replaced by Stigand (not the same as the Archbishop), who moved the see. It is possible, that his deposition was tied to the fact that about that time, King Harold of England's mother and sister took refuge with the count of Flanders. If Æthelric was related to the Godwin's, King William I of England may have feared that the bishop would use his diocese to launch a rebellion.[8] Other reasons put forward include the fact that Æthelric had been consecrated by Stigand, but the other bishop that Stigand had consecrated, Siward, Bishop of Rochester was not deposed.[6] Æthelric was a monk, and while not having a great reputation for sanctity, he was not held to be immoral either.[9] The pope did not feel that his deposition had been handled correctly,[10] so his deposition was confirmed at the Council of Winchester on April 1, 1076.[3] He was carted from imprisonment to Penenden Heath for the trial of Odo of Bayeux, earl of Kent. Evidently, he was, at that time, the most prominent legalist in England.[11][12] Eadmer also consulted Æthelric for information on Eadmer's Life of St Dunstan.[13]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Barlow, Frank, Edward the Confessor p. 198
  2. ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, version E
  3. ^ a b c British History Online Bishops of Chichester accessed on October 20, 2007
  4. ^ Barlow The Godwins p. 56
  5. ^ Mason The House of Godwine p. 93
  6. ^ a b Walker Harold p. 203
  7. ^ Walker Harold p. 137-138
  8. ^ Walker Harold p. 193
  9. ^ Stafford Unification and Conquest p. 105
  10. ^ Stenton Anglo-Saxon England p. 661
  11. ^ Hindley A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons p. 347
  12. ^ Stafford Unification and Conquest p. 107
  13. ^ Walker Harold p. 95

[edit] References

  • Barlow, Frank Edward the Confessor Berkeley: University of California Press 1970 ISBN 0-520-01671-8
  • Barlow, Frank The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty London: Pearson Longman 2002 ISBN 0-582-78440-9
  • British History Online Bishops of Chichester accessed on October 20, 2007
  • Garmonsway, G. N. 1953. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
  • Hindley, Geoffrey A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The beginnings of the English nation New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers 2006 ISBN 978-0-78671738-5
  • Hynde, Thomas (ed). The Domesday Book: England's History Then and Now. 1995
  • Kelly, S. E. 1998. Charters of Selsey. Anglo-Saxon Charters 6
  • Mason, Emma The House of Godwine: The History of a Dynasty London: Hambledon and London 2004 ISBN 1-85285-389-1
  • Stafford, Pauline Unification and Conquest: A Political and Social History of England in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries London: Edward Arnold 1989 ISBN 0-7131-6532-4
  • Stenton, F. M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition Oxford:Oxford University Press 1971 ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5
  • Walker, Ian Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King Wrens Park Publishing 2000 ISBN 0-905-778-464
Roman Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Heca		 Bishop of Selsey
1058–1070		 Succeeded by
Stigand
Persondata
NAME Æthelric
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Æthelric II; Ethelric
SHORT DESCRIPTION Bishop of Selsey
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH about 1076
PLACE OF DEATH