Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lyfing | |
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Enthroned | {{{began}}} |
|---|---|
| Ended | June 12, 1020 |
| Predecessor | Alphege |
| Successor | Aethelnoth |
| Consecration | 1013 |
| Birth name | Aelfstan |
| Died | June 12, 1020 |
| Buried | Canterbury Cathedral |
Lyfing (d. 12 June 1020) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Wells and Archbishop of Canterbury.
[edit] Life
Lyfing was born "Aelfstan" and took his ecclesiastical name from leof-carus (= "darling").
He was abbot of Chertsey Abbey from about 989.[1][2] He became Bishop of Wells in 998 or 999,[3] and in 1013 King Ethelred the Unready appointed him to the see of Canterbury.[4] Lyfing was taken captive by Vikings and held prisoner for a time, but he was released in time to attend the Witenagemot in 1014, and he started repairs of the damage the Vikings had done to Canterbury Cathedral.
Lyfing was unable to go to Rome for his pallium during King Ethelred's reign, for every bishop that was consecrated during the remainder of the king's reign was consecrated by Archbishop Wulfstan of York.[5] By 1018, however, he was named as archbishop, having returned to England from Rome with letters from Pope Benedict VIII.[6] As Archbishop of Canterbury, Lyfing crowned two English kings: Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside in 1016 and Canute the Great in 1017.[1] He seems to have gone to Rome on behalf of Canute at least once.[7]
He died on June 12, 1020.[4] He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, near the altar of St. Martin.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Mason, Emma "Lyfing (d. 1020)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 7, 2007
- ^ Knowles, David; London, Vera C. M.; Brooke, Christopher (2001). The Heads of Religious Houses, England and Wales, 940-1216, Second Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 38, 244. ISBN 0-521-80452-3.
- ^ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 222. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- ^ a b Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 214. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- ^ Williams, Ann Æthelred the Unready: The Ill-Counselled King London: Hambledon and London 2003 ISBN1-85285-382-4 p. 111
- ^ Brooks, Nicholas (1984). The Early History of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. London: Leicester University Press, p. 287-290. ISBN 0-7185-0041-5.
- ^ O'Brien, Harriet Queen Emma and the Vikings: A History of Power, Love and Greed in Eleventh-Century England New York:Bloomsbury ISBN 1-58234-596-1 p. 122
[edit] External links
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Aelfwin |
Bishop of Wells c999–1013 |
Succeeded by Aethelwine |
| Preceded by Alphege |
Archbishop of Canterbury 1013–1020 |
Succeeded by Aethelnoth |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lyfing |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Aelfstan |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Archbishop of Canterbury; Bishop of Wells |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 12, 1020 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
