John of Canterbury (died 1204) was

Bishop of Poitiers The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Metropolitae Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse Metropolitain de Poitiers'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of ...

1162 to 1181 and subsequently

Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...

1181 to 1193. He became a "cosmopolitan and much-respected churchman". He began as a clerk to Theobald of Canterbury. He became Treasurer of York in 1152. At the wish of

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

, he was made

, and consecrated at the Council of Tours in 1163. He was a close supporter of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

in his quarrel with Henry II. Though John was elected

Archbishop of Narbonne The former Catholic diocese of Narbonne existed from early Christian times until the French Revolution. It was an archdiocese, with its see at Narbonne, from the year 445, and its influence ran over much of south-western France and into Cataloni ...

, he did not take up that see since the election was superseded by his being elected to Lyon, which he accepted. At Lyon, he banned preaching by the

Waldensians The Waldensians, also known as Waldenses (), Vallenses, Valdesi, or Vaudois, are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation. Originally known as the Poor of Lyon in the l ...

. John later resigned the see of Lyon to become a monk at the Cistercian

Clairvaux Abbey Clairvaux Abbey (, ''l’abbaye de Clairvaux''; ) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, from Bar-sur-Aube. The abbey was founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux. As a primary abbey, it was one of the most significant monasteri ...

, where he lived out the rest of his life.Barlow, p. 31. In his retirement, he received an important papal letter, '' Cum Marthae circa'', dated 29 November 1202.

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* * {{authority control 1204 deaths Archbishops of Lyon Bishops of Poitiers 12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France Year of birth unknown