Thomas of Bayeux

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Thomas of Bayeux bigraphy, stories - Archbishop of York

Thomas of Bayeux : biography

– 18 November 1100

Thomas of Bayeux (died 1100) was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. He was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke William of Normandy, who later became King William I of England. After the Norman Conquest, the king nominated Thomas to succeed Ealdred as Archbishop of York. After Thomas’ election, Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, demanded an oath from Thomas to obey him and any future Archbishops of Canterbury; this was part of Lanfranc’s claim that Canterbury was the primary bishopric, and its holder the head of the English Church. Thomas countered that York had never made such an oath. As a result, Lanfranc refused to consecrate him. The King eventually persuaded Thomas to submit, but Thomas and Lanfranc continued to clash over ecclesiastical issues, including the primacy of Canterbury, which dioceses belonged to the province of York, and the question of how York’s obedience to Canterbury would be expressed.

After King William I’s death Thomas served his successor, William II, and helped to put down a rebellion led by Thomas’ old mentor Odo of Bayeux. Thomas also attended the trial for rebellion of the Bishop of Durham, William de St-Calais, Thomas’ sole suffragan, or bishop subordinate to York. During William II’s reign Thomas once more became involved in the dispute with Canterbury over the primacy when he refused to consecrate the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm, if Anselm was named the Primate of England in the consecration service. After William II’s sudden death in 1100, Thomas arrived too late to crown King Henry I, and died soon after the coronation.

Archbishop under William I

Thomas succeeded Ealdred as Archbishop of York in 1070; he was nominated on 23 May and was probably consecrated on 25 December.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 281 The appointment of Thomas was a departure for the King, who had usually promoted Norman nobles or monks when he was still Duke of Normandy. The appointment was more consistent with English norms, as most of those appointed to the English episcopate before the Conquest had previously been royal clerks.Hill and Brooke "From 627 until the Early Thirteenth Century" History of York Minster pp. 19–20

Shortly after Thomas’ election, Lanfranc, pursuing a claim that Canterbury was the primatial see, or bishopric, of England, demanded that Thomas provide a written oath swearing to obey both Lanfranc and any future Archbishops of Canterbury. Thomas declined to make such a written promise, so Lanfranc refused to consecrate him. Thomas argued that Lanfranc’s demand was unprecedented, as no other Archbishop of York had been required to swear such an oath before.Vaughn Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan pp. 161–163 King William wanted clear lines of authority in the church to match the lines of authority in the secular sphere; thus, the King supported Lanfranc in the dispute. Royal pressure induced Thomas to submit to Lanfranc and Thomas was consecrated, but his profession of obedience was made orally to Lanfranc personally and not in writing or to any future archbishops of Canterbury.Douglas William the Conqueror pp. 321–323Chibnall Anglo-Norman England pp. 39–40 Although this settled the issue between Thomas and Lanfranc, it was the beginning of the long-running Canterbury–York dispute over the claims of Canterbury to have jurisdiction over York.Barlow The English Church 1066–1154 p. 33

The next year both archbishops travelled to Rome for their palliums, where Thomas took advantage of the opportunity to ask Pope Alexander II to decree that the sees of Canterbury and York were equal. Thomas also sought to have the pope declare that the midland sees of Worcester, Dorchester on Thames, and Lichfieldall south of the River Humberwere part of the Archdiocese of York rather than Canterbury. The 12th-century chronicler Eadmer, a monk at Canterbury, wrote much later that Thomas had resigned and surrendered his archiepiscopal symbols, but they were promptly returned to him by Lanfranc on the pope’s orders. The story’s partisan source casts some doubt on its accuracy.Ruud "Episcopal Reluctance" Albion pp. 165–167