Thomas Arundel
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| Thomas Arundel | |
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
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| Enthroned | {{{began}}} |
|---|---|
| Ended | 1397 and February 19, 1414 |
| Predecessor | William Courtenay and Roger Walden |
| Successor | Roger Walden and Henry Chichele |
| Consecration | Translated in 1396 and 1399 |
| Born | 1353 |
| Died | February 19, 1414 |
Thomas Arundel (1353 - February 19, 1414) was Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken opponent of the Lollards.
Contents |
[edit] Life
A younger son of Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel, he was provided to the Bishopric of Ely on August 13, 1373.[1] On April 3, 1388 he was transferred to archbishopric of York.[2] Eventually he was moved to Canterbury on September 25, 1397.[3] However, he was exiled by King Richard II of England, and his tenure was interrupted by that of Roger Walden.[3]
After being removed as Archbishop of Canterbury by both King Richard II and the Pope, he was in exile in Florence, Italy where he plotted his return to England and power. This opportunity came via his support of Henry, Earl of Derby (soon to become Duke of Lancaster and then, after his usurpation of the English throne, Henry IV) who would return to England from his exile in France and take the throne from Richard II.
On the accession of Henry IV, Roger Walden, his successor in the primatial see, was declared a usurper, and Arundel restored, 21 October 1399,[3] Walden eventually being translated to London with the support of Arundel.
He served several times as Lord Chancellor, the first three under Richard II and the last two under Henry IV.[4]
[edit] Anti-Lollard
Arundel was vehement in his sturdy assertion of Transubstantiation as a litmus test for doctrinal orthodoxy, using it to stifle dissent. One such example was John Wycliffe, who posited an alternative view of the eucharist in his 1379 treatise De Eucharistia. Wycliffe's teachings - Lollardy - were strongly resisted by both the religious and secular authorities. King Henry IV passed the De heretico comburendo, i.e. on the burning of heretics, in 1401. This act recited in its preamble that it was directed against a certain new sect "who thought damnably of the sacraments and usurped the office of preaching."[5] It empowered the bishops to arrest, imprison, and examine offenders and to hand over to the secular authorities such as had relapsed or refused to abjure. The condemned were to be burnt "in an high place" before the people.[5] This act was probably due to the authoritative Arundel.[5] Its passing was immediately followed by the burning of the first victim, William Sawtrey, a London priest. He had previously abjured but had relapsed, and he now refused to declare his belief in transubstantiation or to recognize the authority of the Church.[5]
Arundel and the ecclesiastical authorities continued the work of repression.[5] In 1407, a synod at Oxford under Arundel's presidency passed a number of constitutions to regulate preaching, the translation and use of the Scriptures, and the theological education at schools and the university.[5] In 1410, a body of Oxford censors condemned no less than 267 propositions collected out of Wyclif's writings. These different measures seem to have been successful at least as far as the clergy were concerned, and Lollardy came to be more and more a lay movement, often connected with political discontent.[5]
No further executions occurred until 1410, and the penalty was seldom carried out by the bishops. Only eleven people were recorded to have been burnt from 1401, to the accession of Henry VII in 1485.[5] Others were executed as traitors for being implicated in overt acts of rebellion. Still, it was Arundel who made possible the use of execution by burning to enforce orthodoxy. Due to this, he was selected by the BBC History Magazine as the 15th century's worst Briton,[6] and in 2006, he was selected by the BBC History Magazine as the 9th worst Briton in the last 1000 years.[7] Arundel also supported the prerogatives and divine institution of the Papacy. He was less popular with Henry's son and successor, Henry V. He died 19 February 1414.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 244
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 286
- ^ a b c d Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 233
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 87
- ^ a b c d e f g h
"Lollards" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia. - ^ 'Worst' historical Britons list. BBC News/UK. Retrieved on October 5, 2007.
- ^ Jack the Ripper is 'worst Briton'. BBC Website. Retrieved on October 5, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Constitutions (1408). Umilta Website. Retrieved on October 11, 2005. Latin transcription; Arundel's prohibition of Bible translation into vernacular languages.
- Fryde, E. 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.
- Are these the 10 Worst Britons? accessed on September 7, 2007
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Earl of Suffolk |
Lord Chancellor 1386–1389 |
Succeeded by William of Wykeham |
| Preceded by William of Wykeham |
Lord Chancellor 1391–1396 |
Succeeded by Edmund Stafford |
| Preceded by Edmund Stafford |
Lord Chancellor 1399 |
Succeeded by John Scarle |
| Preceded by Thomas Langley |
Lord Chancellor 1407–1410 |
Succeeded by Sir Thomas Beaufort |
| Preceded by Sir Thomas Beaufort |
Lord Chancellor 1412–1413 |
Succeeded by Henry Beaufort |
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by John Barnet |
Bishop of Ely 1373–1388 |
Succeeded by John Fordham |
| Preceded by Alexander Neville |
Archbishop of York 1388–1397 |
Succeeded by Robert Waldby |
| Preceded by William Courtenay |
Archbishop of Canterbury 1397–1398 |
Succeeded by Roger Walden |
| Preceded by Alexander Neville |
Anti-Bishop of St Andrews 1398–1399 |
Succeeded by John Trevaur |
| Preceded by Roger Walden |
Archbishop of Canterbury 1399–1414 |
Succeeded by Henry Chichele |
|
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Arundel, Thomas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Lord Chancellor of England; Archbishop of York; Archbishop of Canterbury; Bishop of Ely |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1353 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 19, 1414 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
