THE ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY And yet — in fact you need only draw a single thread at any point you choose out of the fabric of life and the run will make a pathway across the whole, and down that wider pathway each of the other threads will become successively visible, one by one. — Heimito von Doderer, DIE DÂIMONEN “NARRATIVE HISTORY” AMOUNTS TO FABULATION, THE REAL STUFF BEING MERE CHRONOLOGY “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Archbishops of Canterb HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 597 CE Christianity was established among the Anglo-Saxons in Kent by Augustine (this Roman import to England was of course not the Aurelius Augustinus of Hippo in Africa who had been in the ground already for some seven generations — and therefore he is referred to sometimes as “St. Augustine the Less”), who in this year became the 1st Archbishop of Canterbury, and one of the things this meant was that fruit orchards would be established for the monasteries. Despite repeated Viking attacks many of these survived. The monastery at Ely (Cambridgeshire) would be particularly famous for its orchards and vineyards. DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? GOOD. Archbishops of Canterbury “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 604 CE May 26, 604: Augustine died (this Roman import to England was of course not the Aurelius Augustinus of Hippo in Africa who had been in the ground already for some seven generations — and therefore he is referred to sometimes as “St. Augustine the Less”), and Laurentius succeeded him as Archbishop of Canterbury. CHANGE IS ETERNITY, STASIS A FIGMENT Archbishops of Canterbury “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 619 CE Mellitus became Archbishop of Canterbury. NOBODY COULD GUESS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT Archbishops of Canterbury “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 624 CE Justus became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 627 CE Honorius became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 655 CE Deusdedit became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 668 CE Theodore became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 693 CE Berhtwald became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 731 CE Tatwine became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 735 CE Nothelm became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 740 CE Cuthbert became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 761 CE Bregowine became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 765 CE Jaenbert became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 793 CE Ethelhard became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 805 CE Wulfred became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 832 CE Feologeld became Archbishop of Canterbury. The 1st squadron of Northmen attacked part of the English coast. These Danes had begun their ravages in France a few years earlier. For two centuries Scandinavia would be sending out fleet after fleet of sea rovers to desolate all the western kingdoms of Europe, and in many cases effect permanent conquests. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 833 CE Ceolnoth became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 870 CE Treaty at Aix between Louis II and Charles the Bald concerning the division of the kingdom of Lothar II. READ THE FULL TEXT Ethelred became Archbishop of Canterbury. From this year into 899 CE, the reign of Alfred the Great in England. After a long and varied struggle, he would rescue England from its Danish invaders. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 890 CE Plegmund became Archbishop of Canterbury. At about this point the cleric Aethelstan was commissioned by King Alfred the Great of England to prepare a vernacular description of appropriate chivalric behavior, specifically requesting that this be the sort of account even his grandson would be able to comprehend. This kingly commission would result in an untitled poem that in the 18th Century scholars would begin to term “Beowulf.” Aethelstan imagined his story as happening during the 6th Century: a Swedish prince, Beowulf, sails to England to struggle against a human monster who invades Anglo/Scandinavian mead-halls at night to gorge himself upon human flesh. Beowulf, exceedingly strong, grabs the monster by the arm, and he attempts to jerk away. The arm is ripped from its socket and the monster runs screaming armless into the night to die. However, several days later, the monster’s mother attempts to avenge herself on Beowulf. When Beowulf grapples with her she throws him to the floor. She attempts to stab him but his ring-mail turns the point, and grabbing a sword, he slashes off her head. Apparently what made this into examples of “appropriate chivalric behavior” was that the fighting made use only of the sort of weapon being employed by the opponent. Since the monster who invaded the mead-hall at night, Grendel, used only his teeth, Beowulf wrestles with him rather than resorting to any weapon. When the monster’s mother attacks, Beowulf resorts to a blade only after she has used one. Hoo-hah. WHAT I’M WRITING IS TRUE BUT NEVER MIND YOU CAN ALWAYS LIE TO YOURSELF Archbishops of Canterbury “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 914 CE Athelm became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 923 CE Wulfhelm became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 942 CE Oda became Archbishop of Canterbury. From this point into 950 CE, a record of Welsh law would be being written down per order by Hywel Dda, Prince of all Wales. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 959 CE In this year first Aelfsige and then Brithelm was named Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 960 CE Dunstan became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 988 CE At about this point Ethelgar became Archbishop of Canterbury. According to the Primary Chronicle, created during the 12th Century, it had been in this timeframe that Prince Vladimir of Kiev wed a Byzantine princess by converting to the Greek Orthodox faith, a belief system that would not require him to give up either pork or wine, or fast or be circumcised. The Orthodox Church would indulge in some wishful reconstruction of history and assert that what this had amounted to, two centuries earlier, had been the conversion to Christianity of all Russia (although the Slavic peasantry would be worshiping a thunder-god, Pyerun, into the 18th Century and taking oaths on Moist Mother Earth into the 20th Century). HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 990 CE Sigeric became Archbishop of Canterbury. During this decade the Toltec people would be taking over Chichen Itza. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 995 CE Aelfric became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1005 Alphege became Archbishop of Canterbury. At about this point King Macbeth was born (circa 1005-1057). LIFE IS LIVED FORWARD BUT UNDERSTOOD BACKWARD? — NO, THAT’S GIVING TOO MUCH TO THE HISTORIAN’S STORIES. LIFE ISN’T TO BE UNDERSTOOD EITHER FORWARD OR BACKWARD. “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Archbishops of Canterb HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1013 Lyfing became Archbishop of Canterbury. Oxford surrendered and gave hostages. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1020 Ethelnoth became Archbishop of Canterbury. At this point “Italian” towns such as Roma (Rome), Firenze (Florence), and Venezia (Venice) were transforming themselves into city-states. During this decade Boleslav I would be forming Poland into a powerful state. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1038 Eadsige became Archbishop of Canterbury. When a Norman adventurer, Rainulf, became the Count of Aversa, French feudalism was injected into southern Italy (subsequent to this cultural influence of the north on the south, Muslim military technologies and tax-collecting bureaucracies would be introduced into France and Normandy, examples of the south similarly influencing the north). HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1051 Robert of Jumieges became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1052 Stigand became Archbishop of Canterbury. HDT WHAT? INDEX ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY 1093 Anselm succeeded Lanfranc as Archbishop of Canterbury. Anselm had been born in the Piedmont circa 1033 CE as the son of a Lombard noble, and as such had been given the usual classical education. When his mother had died in 1056 CE, he had given away his wealth, and in 1059 CE he had entered a monastery at Bec and become a disciple of Lanfranc. He had succeeded his mentor as abbot of Bec in 1078 CE. While at Bec, he had written his MONOLOGIUM and PROSLOGIUM, containing what purport to be proofs of the existence of God. As Archbishop, he would oppose lay investiture and would twice be exiled to Rome, from 1097 CE to 1100 CE and from 1103 CE to 1107 CE.