Archbishops Ralph D'escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald Of
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Jean Truax OF BEC ARCHBISHOPS RALPH D Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald of Bec ’ ESCURES, WILLIAM OF CORBEIL AND THEOBALD Heirs of Anselm and Ancestors of Becket Jean Truax ISBN 978-0-7546-6836-7 ,!7IA7F4-ggidgh! The Archbishops of Canterbury Series www.routledge.com an informa business ARCHBISHOPS RaLPH D’ESCURES, WILLIAM OF CORBEIL AND THEOBALD OF BEC The Archbishops of Canterbury Series Series Editor: Andrew Chandler, University of Chichester UK Series Advisory Board: Professor Katy Cubitt (University of York); Professor Anne Duggan (King’s College, London); Professor Sally Vaughn (University of Houston); Dr Julia Barrow (University of Nottingham); Professor Robert Swanson (University of Birmingham); Professor Diarmaid McCulloch (University of Oxford); Professor Alexandra Walsham (University of Cambridge); Dr Judith Maltby (University of Oxford); Professor Jeremy Gregory (University of Manchester); Professor Stephen Taylor (University of Reading); Professor Arthur Burns (King’s College, London); Professor David Hein (Hood College) Developed in association with Lambeth Palace Library archives, this series presents authoritative studies on the Archbishops of Canterbury. Each book combines biographical, historical, theological, social and political analysis within each archiepiscopacy, with original source material drawn from the Archbishop’s correspondence, speeches and published and unpublished writings. TheArchbishops of Canterbury series offers a vital source of reference, of lasting importance to scholars, students and all readers interested in the history of the international Church. Other titles in this series: Archbishop Anselm 1093–1109 Bec Missionary, Canterbury Primate, Patriarch of Another World Sally N. Vaughn Archbishop Fisher, 1945–1961 Church, State and World Andrew Chandler and David Hein Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald ofB ec Heirs of Anselm and Ancestors of Becket JeaN TRUAX First published 20 12 by Ashgate Publishing Published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 2012 Jean Truax Jean Truax has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage orretrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Truax, Jean. Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald of Bec : heirs of Anselm and ancestors of Becket. -- (The Archbishops ofC anterbury series) 1. Escures, Ralph d’. 2. William, of Corbeil. 3. Theobald, of Bec. 4. Church of England--England-- Canterbury--Bishops--History--To 1500. 5. Church of England. Diocese of Canterbury--History--To 1500. 6. Church of England. Diocese of Canterbury--History--To 1500--Sources. I. Title II. Series 283.4'2234'09021-dc23 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Truax, Jean, 1947- Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil, and Theobald of Bec : heirs of Anselm and ancestors of Becket / Jean Truax. p. cm. -- (The archbishops ofC anterbury series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7546-6836-7 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-0-7546-6833-6 (pbk) 1. Bishops--England--Canterbury. 2. England--Church history--Middle Ages, 600-1500. 3. Ralph, d’Escures, Archbishop of Canterbury, d. 1122. 4. William, of Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury. 5. Theobald, of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury. I. Title. BX5198.T78 2012 282.092'2422--dc23 [B] 2012005201 ISBN 9780754668367 (hbk) ISBN 9780754668336 (pbk) Contents Acknowledgments vii List of Abbreviations ix PART I: THE ARCHBISHOPS AND THEIR CAREERS 1 Introduction: The EnglishC hurch as Anselm Left It 3 2 Ralph d’Escures: A Different Kind of Archbishop 27 3 The Road to Rome: Ralph of Canterbury, Thurstan of York and theP rimacy Dispute 49 4 Roman Holiday: William of Corbeil and the Canterbury Forgeries 75 5 Securing the Future: William of Corbeil and the Anglo-Norman Succession Crisis 93 6 Juggling Act: Archbishop, Bishop, King, Empress and Pope 113 7 The Limits of Power: Archbishop Theobald andH is Neighbors 133 8 Trouble on the Way: Theobald and theN ew Regime 163 9 Conclusion: The World asB ecket Found It 181 PART II: APPENDICES: CONTEMpoRARY DocUMENTS Appendix 1: TheC anterbury Forgeries 191 Appendix 2 205 Appendix 3 213 vi Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald of Bec Appendix 4 239 Appendix 5: Selected Correspondence of Archbishop Theobald ofC anterbury 245 Bibliography 253 Index 279 Acknowledgments Anyone who completes a scholarly project owes a debt of gratitude to all those who helped along the way. My debt to Professor Sally Vaughn at the University of Houston extends far beyond the usual thanks paid to the scholar who supervised my graduate studies, suggested that this book be written and commented extensively on my efforts. WhenI entered the University of Houston in my mid-thirties as a part-time student, I found in Professor Vaughn a dynamic scholar who welcomed all kinds of students, even those like me who were unlikely to leave other careers for the academic world. Many of Professor Vaughn’s students have gone on to fulfilling, academic careers, while the lives of many others have been enriched by her teaching and example. So, on behalf of the non-traditional students, thank you, Professor Vaughn, for all you’ve done. I also want to thank Patricia Orr, Patricia Torpis and Sandra Worth for reading an early manuscript of this book and offering many helpful suggestions. You improved my writing immeasurably and asked all the right questions, and this book is far better for the enormous amounts of time you spent on it. I am also grateful to Professor Richard Armstrong of the University of Houston Department of Classics and the Honors Program, who not only helped me with the mechanics of Latin translation but provided many helpful insights along the way. The cover design is based upon the famous manuscript illustration of the dream of Henry I in the chronicle of John of Worcester, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, MS. 157, F. 383. I thank Rev. Elias L. Rafaj for his splendid artwork. Somewhere, an anonymous reader spent a huge amount of time commenting in detail upon the work of a perfect stranger. I wish I could thank you by name. I would also like to thank Sarah Lloyd and David Shervington at Ashgate Publishing for their extreme patience in guiding this first-time author through the publishing process. viii Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald of Bec I am greatly indebted to the librarians at the University of Houston and Rice University, especially the interlibrary loan staff at theU niversity of Houston, who can find anything, no matter how ancient or how poor the reference. Any American medievalist must also thank the University of Western Michigan for hosting the International Congress on Medieval Studies every year and for opening its magnificent library and rare book room to scholars who visit for the conference. Most of all, I thank my dear husband Greg for loyally supporting my fixation with the Middle Ages for all these years. List of Abbreviations AEp Anselm, Epistolae, in F.S. Schmitt (ed.), Sancti Anselmi Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi Opera Omnia (6 vols, Stuttgart- Bad Canstatt: Friedrich Frommann Verlag, 1963-8), vols 2 and 3. Cited by letter number. ASC The nglo-SaxonA Chronicle, Michael Swanton (ed. and trans.) (New York: Routledge, 1998). Cited by year. CP Canterbury Professions, Michael Richter (ed.), Canterbury and York Society 67 (Torquay: Devonshire Press, 1973). Cited by document number. CS Councils and Synods with Other Documents Relating to the English Church, Vol. 1, Part 2, 1066-1154, D. Whitelock, M. Brett and C.N.L. Brooke (eds) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981). DNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com]. Cited by article number. EEA English Episcopal Acta. Cited by document number. EHR English Historical Review. GC Actus Gervase of Canterbury, Actus Pontificum, in William Stubbs (ed.), Historical Works, The Chronicle of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I, by Gervase, the Monk of Canterbury, RS 73 (2 vols, London: Longmans, 1879-80), vol. 2, pp. 325-414. GC Chron Gervase of Canterbury, Chronica, in William Stubbs (ed.), Historical Works, The Chronicle of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I, by Gervase, the Monk of Canterbury, RS 73 (2 vols, London: Longmans, 1879-80), vol. 1. GFEp Foliot, Gilbert, The Letters and Charters of Gilbert Foliot, Z.N. Brooke, Adrian Morey and C.N.L. Brooke (eds) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967). GS Gesta Stephani, K.R. Potter (ed. and trans.) and R.H.C. Davis (rev.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976). x Archbishops Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald of Bec HC Hugh the Chanter, The History of the Church of York 1066- 1127, Charles Johnson (ed. and trans.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990). HH Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum: The History of the English People, Diana Greenway (ed. and trans.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996). HN Eadmer, Historia Novorum in Anglia, Martin Rule (ed.), RS 81 (London: Longmans, 1884). Jaffé Regesta Pontificum Romanorum ad Annum Post Christum Natum 1198, P. Jaffé (ed.), W. Wattenbach,S . Loewenfeld, F. Kaltenbrunner and P. Ewald (rev.) (2 vols, Leipzig: Veir, 1885-8). JH John of Hexham, Historia, in SD, vol. 2, pp. 284-332. JS EP John of Salisbury, The Letters of John of Salisbury, Volume One, The Early Letters (1153-1161), W.J.