Baldwin Of Exeter
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Baldwin of Forde or FordSharpe ''Handlist of Latin Writers'' pp. 66–67 ( – 19 November 1190) was
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
between 1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied
canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
and theology at
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
and was tutor to
Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
Eugene III's nephew before returning to England to serve successive
bishops of Exeter A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
. After becoming a
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
he was named abbot of his monastery at Forde and subsequently elected to the episcopate at
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
. Before becoming a bishop, he wrote theological works and sermons, some of which have survived. As a bishop, Baldwin came to the attention of King
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 ...
, who was so impressed he insisted that Baldwin become archbishop. In that office, Baldwin quarrelled with his cathedral clergy over the founding of a church, which led to the imprisonment of the clergy in their cloister for more than a year. Baldwin spent some time in Wales with
Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales (; ; ; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taught in France and visited Rome several times, meeting the Pope. He ...
, preaching and raising money for the
Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...
. After the coronation of
Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...
, the new king sent Baldwin ahead to the
Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
, where he became embroiled in the politics of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...
. Baldwin died in the Holy Land while participating in the crusade.


Ecclesiastical career

Born in
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
around 1125, Baldwin was the son of Hugh d'Eu, Archdeacon of Totnes, and a woman of unknown name who later became a nun. Gervase of Canterbury's story, that he was from an even humbler background, has been shown by modern scholarship to stem from bias on the medieval chronicler's part.Holdsworth "Baldwin" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' It is possible that he studied at Bologna in the 1150s with the future Pope Urban III.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 509Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 37 Robert Warelwast, who was Bishop of Exeter from 1138 to 1155, had sent Baldwin to Italy to study law.Barlow "Warelwast, Robert de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Baldwin was also said to have taught at Exeter, although this is not substantiated by any contemporary record.Morey ''Bartholomew of Exeter'' pp. 105–109 In 1150 or 1151 Pope Eugene III appointed him tutor to Eugene's nephew. By 1155 Baldwin seems to have returned to England, where he joined the household of Robert of Chichester, Bishop of Exeter. Baldwin attracted the attention of
Bartholomew Iscanus Bartholomew of Exeter (died 1184) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. He came from Normandy and after being a clerk of the Archbishop of Canterbury, was made Archdeacon of Exeter in 1155. He became Bishop of Exeter in 1161. Known for his knowled ...
, Bishop of Exeter, who made him
archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...
at
Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...
in about 1161,Knowles ''Monastic Order'' pp. 316–324 after Baldwin's father's death. Baldwin was known as a
canon lawyer Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
during his holding of Totnes.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 184 He received a letter from
John of Salisbury John of Salisbury (late 1110s – 25 October 1180), who described himself as Johannes Parvus ("John the Little"), was an English author, philosopher, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres. The historian Hans Liebeschuetz described him ...
in 1167, complaining about Bartholomew's conduct during the
Becket controversy The Becket controversy or Becket dispute was the quarrel between Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England from 1163 to 1170.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' pp. 401–402 The controversy culminated ...
. John accused Bartholomew of not properly supporting
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 ...
the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
in his dispute with the king, urging Baldwin to influence the bishop to increase his support, and not to sign any appeal by the English bishops against Becket.Knowles ''Episcopal Colleagues'' p. 103 Other letters from John dealt with rumours concerning
Roger Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...
, the Bishop of Worcester, who John had heard was speaking badly of Becket. John's purpose seems to have been to have Baldwin pass along a warning from Becket to Roger about his behaviour; John was a supporter of Becket's during the latter's exile.Cheney ''Roger of Worcester'' p. 36 In 1169 Baldwin was once again peripherally involved in the Becket dispute, when he objected to Becket's excommunication of a number of noblemen and clergy for opposing Becket's cause. Baldwin's objection was not so much that they were excommunicated, but that no warning had been given that such an action was contemplated. Baldwin became a monk in about 1170, and then abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Forde.Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 132Greenway "Worcester: Bishops" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces) He was well known as a
canonist Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
, and often acted as a judge-delegate for the papacy, hearing cases that had reached the Roman
Curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...
and been remanded to local experts for decision.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 90 In 1166, Baldwin was the addressee of a work by John of Salisbury, ''Expectiatione longa'', which was one of the tracts written during the Becket controversy.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' pp. 155–157 It was probably at this time that Baldwin wrote ''De sacramento altaris''. In 1175 he served with his old bishop, Bartholomew, as joint papal judge in a dispute between
Malmesbury Abbey Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a former Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul. It was one of the few English religious houses with a continuous history from the 7th century throug ...
and
Josceline de Bohon Josceline de Bohon or Bohun ( c. 1111–1184) was an Anglo-Norman religious leader. Life Josceline was a great-grandson of Humphrey de Bohun, one of the companions of William the Conqueror. Savaric FitzGeldewin, who was bishop of Bath from 1192 ...
, the
Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...
.Morey ''Bartholomew of Exeter'' p. 36 In 1178 he was recommended to Pope Alexander as a possible candidate for a cardinalship, but this never occurred. Baldwin became
Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...
on 10 August 1180.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 278 While at Worcester, he impressed King Henry II by intervening in a secular case to prevent a hanging on a Sunday.Warren ''Henry II'' p. 554 Although the medieval writer
Walter Map Walter Map (; 1130 – 1209/1210) was a medieval writer. He wrote '' De nugis curialium'', which takes the form of a series of anecdotes of people and places, offering insights into the history of his time. Map was a courtier of King He ...
said that Baldwin was determined to continue writing even after his election to the bishopric, none of Baldwin's writings can be dated to his time as bishop except for one sermon.


Archbishop of Canterbury

Baldwin was translated from the see of Worcester to the
see of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop was Augustine of C ...
in December 1184,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 232 after Henry II let it be known that he would accept only Baldwin at Canterbury; the previous incumbent,
Richard of Dover Richard (died 16 February 1184) was a medieval Benedictine monk and Archbishop of Canterbury. Employed by Thomas Becket immediately before Becket's death, Richard arranged for Becket to be buried in Canterbury Cathedral and eventually succeeded ...
, had died in April that year.Warren ''Henry II'' p. 555 The monks put forward three candidates from within
Christ Church Priory Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christian struct ...
: Odo, who had been
prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...
of Christ Church and was then Abbot of
Battle Abbey Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours. It is a Scheduled Monument. The Grade I listed site is now o ...
, Peter de Leia, a
Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...
prior of
Wenlock Priory Wenlock Priory, or St Milburga's Priory, is a ruined 12th-century monastery, located in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, at . Roger de Montgomery re-founded the Priory as a Cluniac house between 1079 and 1082, on the site of an earlier 7th-century m ...
and later
Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in ...
, and Theobald, Abbot of Cluny, but none of them found favour with the English bishops. Instead, the prelates selected the king's choice, Baldwin. The selection of Baldwin took place only after a dispute between the members of the cathedral chapter of Canterbury and the
suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...
s of Canterbury, both of whom claimed the right to elect the new archbishop.Young ''Hubert Walter'' p. 12 Baldwin received his
pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
from Pope Lucius III along with Lucius' approval of his translation.Duggan "From the Conquest to the Death of John" ''English Church and the Papacy'' p. 73 Baldwin was named a
papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...
in 1185, although his authority was limited to his own archdiocese and did not extend into the Archdiocese of York.Robinson ''Papacy'' p. 173


Dispute with Christ Church Priory

During his time as archbishop there was a dispute with the monks of Christ Church Priory in
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
, who resented Baldwin's attempts to impose stricter control over them and disputed the legitimacy of Baldwin's election. For his part, Baldwin did not approve of the luxurious and pampered life the monks of Christ Church lived,Poole ''Domesday Book to Magna Carta'' p. 221 and felt that they profited too much from the cult of Thomas Becket.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 271 The dispute escalated when Baldwin deprived the monks of some of the revenues of their monastic estates. After that, Baldwin proposed to establish a church dedicated to Becket in Canterbury itself, staffed by
secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
rather than monastic clergy. The monks of the
cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
saw this proposed foundation as the first step in an attempt to change the see of Canterbury from a monastic cathedral chapter, a peculiarity of the English Church, to the more normal pattern of secular clergy. It is not clear if Baldwin himself intended such a plan, but the other bishops supported the effort, as contemporary writers made clear. Baldwin sought the advice of
Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...
, the
Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...
, who advised Baldwin to abandon the plan as it would only cause distress to all parties. The controversy was long and involved and, at one point, the monks were imprisoned within their own buildings for a year and a half, from January 1188 to August 1189. This led to the suspension of the
liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
in the cathedral. Eventually all the prominent ecclesiastics and monastic houses of Europe were forced into choosing sides in the dispute. In October 1189, in an attempt to gain control, Baldwin appointed Roger Norreys as the chapter's prior, an appointment widely acknowledged by contemporaries as putting a useless individual into the office. His plan for financing the church involved soliciting contributions from donors by promising a one-third reduction in penances for annual donations.Little ''Religious Poverty'' p. 32


Service to King Henry

In 1188 King Henry II of England called for a tax to support the Third Crusade, following the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187.Warren ''Henry II'' pp. 607–608 It was collected at the rate of a tenth of all the property and income of any person not vowing to go on crusade.Lyon ''Constitutional and Legal History'' p. 269 It was popularly known as the "
Saladin tithe The Saladin tithe, or the Aid of 1188, was a tax (more specifically a '' tallage'') levied in England and, to some extent, France, in 1188, in response to the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187. Background In July 1187, the Kingdom of Jerusa ...
" and was the most extensive tax ever collected in England up to that point.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 89 Being a tithe and not a secular tax, it was collected by
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
s rather than by
shire Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...
s. Baldwin especially was blamed for its harshness,Poole ''Domesday Book to Magna Carta'' p. 296 although in February, along with his advisor Peter of Blois, he was in Normandy with the king.Southern "Peter of Blois" ''Studies in Medieval History'' p. 209 Baldwin took the cross, or vowed to go on crusade, along with King Henry and many others in January 1188, or when he began his preaching campaign on 11 February 1188 to drum up support for the Third Crusade.Tyerman ''God's War'' p. 378 According to the archbishop's secretary, Peter of Blois, Baldwin was initially opposed to joining the crusade, but was persuaded by Peter to take the cross and to preach the crusade, arguing that it was the archbishop's duty to defend "the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts".Bennett ''Elite Participation'' pp. 33-4 Baldwin preached the crusade with Gilbert of Glanville, bishop of Rochester, at Henry's council at Geddington and in April 1188, Baldwin was in Wales on a tour attempting to secure support for the king's crusade, and was forcing his servants and followers to exercise on foot up and down hills in preparation for the journey to the Holy Land.Bennett ''Elite Participation'' p. 35Tyerman ''England and the Crusades'' pp. 60–61 He spent most of the year in Wales, preaching the crusade, accompanied by the chronicler Gerald of Wales. Gerald claimed about 3000 recruits for the crusade from his and Baldwin's efforts in Wales,Tyerman ''England and the Crusades'' p. 161 although he also suggested that Baldwin mainly embarked on the tour to avoid his dispute with the Canterbury monks.Tyerman ''God's War'' p. 393 A side effect of Baldwin's tour of Wales was the implied assertion of royal authority in a section of Henry's domains that had always been somewhat fractious. Baldwin was also asserting his ecclesiastical authority over the Welsh bishops, especially when he made a point of celebrating
mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
at every Welsh cathedral; he was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to celebrate mass at St Asaph's Cathedral. Baldwin excommunicated the only Welsh prince who refused to appear before him and take the cross,
Owain Cyfeiliog Owain ap Gruffydd (c. 1130–1197) was a prince of the southern part of Powys and a poet. He is usually known as Owain Cyfeiliog to distinguish him from other rulers named Owain, particularly his contemporary, Owain ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd, who is ...
.Tyerman ''God's War'' p. 385 Baldwin was with King Henry shortly before the latter's death, taking part in unsuccessful efforts to negotiate a truce with Henry's heir, Prince Richard, who had rebelled against his father.Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 97 After Henry's death, Richard sought and obtained
absolution Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Priest#Christianity, Christian priests and experienced by Penance#Christianity, Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, alth ...
for the sin of disobedience to his father from both Baldwin and
Walter de Coutances Walter de Coutances (died 16 November 1207) was a medieval Anglo-Norman bishop of Lincoln and archbishop of Rouen. He began his royal service in the government of Henry II, serving as a vice-chancellor. He also accumulated a number of eccl ...
,
Archbishop of Rouen The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...
.Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 104 Baldwin, along with Coutances, was with Richard on 20 July 1189 at Rouen when the king was invested with the Duchy of Normandy.Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 73 Baldwin crowned Richard at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
on 13 September 1189 in the first English coronation for which a detailed description survives.Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 107


Under Richard

After the death of Henry II, and the accession of Richard as king, the monks of Christ Church Priory petitioned Richard to intercede in the long-running dispute between them and the archbishop. In November 1189, Richard and the whole court, including the Queen Mother
Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine ( or ; ; , or ; – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As ...
, travelled to Canterbury in an attempt to end the controversy before the papacy become involved.Gillingham ''Richard I'' pp. 110–111 Richard finally settled the dispute by persuading Baldwin to abandon his church-building project and to dismiss Norreys. Soon after this, Richard left England and Baldwin declared that he was going to found the proposed church at
Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
, and then join Richard on crusade. Both Richard and Baldwin agreed to appoint Norreys to
Evesham Abbey Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in Worcestershire, England between 700 and 710 following an alleged vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof. According to the monastic history, Evesh ...
, as the previous abbot of Evesham, Adam of Evesham, had recently died. This appointment eventually led, after Baldwin's death, to the Case of Evesham.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' pp. 331–333 In August 1189 Baldwin objected to the marriage of Prince
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, later King John, to Isabel of Gloucester, on the grounds of
consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...
. John promised to obtain a papal dispensation, but never did so.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 557 Baldwin laid John's lands under
interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits certain persons or groups from participating in particular rites, or that the rites and services of the church are prohibited in certain territories for ...
, but it was lifted by a papal legate who declared the marriage legal. Richard also restored to the archbishops of Canterbury the right to operate a mint, staffed by three moneyers.Young ''Hubert Walter'' p. 76


Third Crusade

In April 1190 Baldwin left England with Richard on the Third Crusade. Leading the English advance guard,Tyerman ''England and the Crusades'' p. 57 Baldwin left Marseilles ahead of Richard together with
Hubert Walter Hubert Walter ( – 13 July 1205) was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter be ...
and
Ranulf de Glanvill Ranulf de Glanvill (''alias'' Glanvil, Glanville, Granville, etc., died 1190) was Chief Justiciar of England during the reign of King Henry II (1154–89) and was the probable author of '' Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Anglie ...
. The group sailed directly to Syria on 5 August 1190.Young ''Hubert Walter'' pp. 33–36Tyerman ''England and the Crusades'' pp. 66–69 Baldwin delegated the administration of his
spiritualities Spiritualities is a term, often used in the Middle Ages, that refers to the income sources of a diocese or other ecclesiastical establishment that came from tithes. It also referred to income that came from other religious sources, such as offerings ...
and
temporalities Temporalities or temporal goods are the secular properties and possessions of the church. The term is most often used to describe those properties (a '' Stift'' in German or ''sticht'' in Dutch) that were used to support a bishop or other religious ...
to
Gilbert Glanvill Gilbert Glanvill or Gilbert de Glanville was a medieval Bishop of Rochester. Life Glanvill was a clerk of Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury and the archdeacon of the Lisieux.Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester, Kent, Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Rochester Cathedral, Cathedral Chur ...
, but entrusted any archiepiscopal authority to Richard FitzNeal, the
Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...
. The custom of giving the archiepiscopal authority to London had originated in Archbishop
Lanfranc Lanfranc, OSB (1005  1010 – 24 May 1089) was an Italian-born English churchman, monk and scholar. Born in Italy, he moved to Normandy to become a Benedictine monk at Bec. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Ste ...
's time.Young ''Hubert Walter'' pp. 94–95 Baldwin continued to conduct some ecclesiastical business however, dealing with the suspended Hugh Nonant, the
Bishop of Coventry The Bishop of Coventry is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by the bishops known today as the Bishop of Lichf ...
. Baldwin had suspended Nonant in March 1190 for holding secular office as sheriff, but Baldwin wrote to FitzNeal after his departure that Nonant had agreed to relinquish his secular offices.Franklin "Nonant, Hugh de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Baldwin and his group arrived at Tyre on 16 September 1190. Richard did not arrive in Syria until 1191.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 115 It is unclear exactly why they were sent ahead of the king; perhaps it was to look out for the king's interests while Richard took a more leisurely route, or perhaps to rid the king's entourage of a family grouping around Glanvill that the king did not trust. Baldwin was not a member or close associate of the Glanvill faction, so most likely he was sent ahead to look after the king's interests, whatever the reasons for the inclusion of his companions. Another concern may have been to get help to the Kingdom of Jerusalem as quickly as possible after the king learned of
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
's death on the way to the Holy Land.Tyerman ''God's War'' p. 441 When Baldwin arrived at
Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
on 12 October 1190, the Muslim forces in the city were
under siege ''Under Siege'' is a 1992 action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and written by J. F. Lawton. It stars Steven Seagal (who also produced the film), Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, and Erika Eleniak. Seagal plays Casey Ryback, a former ...
by the Frankish forces led by King
Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan ( 1150 – 18 July 1194) was King of Jerusalem, first as husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190 then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192. He was also Lord of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194. A French Poitevin kni ...
and Queen
Sibylla of Jerusalem Sibylla (; – 25 July 1190) was the queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She reigned alongside her husband Guy of Lusignan, to whom she was unwaveringly attached despite his unpopularity among the barons of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Sibylla ...
,Tyerman ''God's War'' pp. 409–410 who in turn were being besieged by Saladin. As joint commander of the Angevin advance force, Baldwin is described as leading some 200 knights and 300 men-at-arms under the banner of Saint Thomas Becket.Bennett ''Elite Participation'' p. 54 Their arrival seemingly revitalised the besiegers' offensive spirit.Hosler ''Siege of Acre'' pp. 89-94 On 12 November, immediately after the feast of Saint Martin, a significant crusader attack was launched. It is quite possible that the archbishop was already unwell and that participation in the offensive may have contributed to his death a week later. Alongside the other bishops, Baldwin absolved the crusaders before the attack and it is likely that he joined the Angevin forces and
Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...
knights that served as rearguard during the army's withdrawal on 13 November.Bennett ''Elite Participation'' p. 60 Indeed, the ''Itinerarium peregrinorum et gesta regis Ricardi'' has the archbishop in the midst of the action, as he "fought amongst the rest, but he outstripped them all" in combat.Bennett ''Elite Participation'' pp. 60-61 Soon after Baldwin's arrival, there was a succession crisis in the
Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...
. Sibylla, a first cousin of Henry II, and her two young daughters all died in July from an epidemic ravaging the siege camp where they were living. This left Guy without a legal claim to the kingdom as he had held the kingship through his wife. The heiress to the kingdom was Sibylla's half-sister Isabella; she was already married to
Humphrey IV of Toron Humphrey IV of Toron ( 1166 – 1198) was a leading baron in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He inherited the Lordship of Toron from his grandfather, Humphrey II, in 1179. He was also heir to the Lordship of Oultrejourdan through his mother, Step ...
, but he was loyal to Guy and seems to have had no ambition to be king. A more promising candidate for the throne was
Conrad of Montferrat Conrad of Montferrat (Italian language, Italian: ''Corrado del Monferrato''; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''Conrà ëd Monfrà'') (c. 1146 – 28 April 1192) was a nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the '' ...
, uncle of the last undisputed king, Baldwin V. Conrad had saved the kingdom from destruction by leading the successful defence of Tyre, and had the support of Isabella's mother Maria Comnena and stepfather
Balian of Ibelin Balian of Ibelin (; ), also known as Barisan the Younger, was a Crusades, crusader noble of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. He was Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Lordship of Ibelin, Lord of Ibelin from 1170 to 1193. As the ...
. Maria and Balian abducted Isabella from Humphrey, and compelled her to seek an annulment, so that she could be married to Conrad and enable him to claim the kingship.Gillingham ''Richard I'' pp. 148–149 Baldwin supported Guy's claim, but Ubaldo,
Archbishop of Pisa The Archdiocese of Pisa () is a Latin Church metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Pisa, Italy.
, Philip of Dreux,
Bishop of Beauvais The Diocese of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese encompasses the department of Oise in the region of Hauts-de-France. The diocese is a suffragan o ...
, and Eraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, supported Conrad. Isabella and Humphrey's marriage was forcibly annulled. Baldwin, already ailing, attempted to excommunicate everyone involved in the annulment, but he died on 19 November 1190. He wrote his will shortly before his death, and died surrounded by his followers on the crusade.Tyerman ''England and the Crusades'' p. 179 Hubert Walter assumed the leadership of the English forces, and also became Baldwin's executor. Walter paid the wages of some soldiers and knights from Baldwin's estate, and distributed the rest of the money to the poor.Tyerman ''England and the Crusades'' p. 63


Writings and studies

''De sacramento altaris'', dealing with the
eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
and
passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
, is Baldwin's longest surviving work, in 12 manuscripts. It also includes a discussion of martyrdom that reads much like a vindication of Becket's status as a martyr.Smalley ''Becket Conflict'' pp. 218–220 It was first printed in 1662, and has more recently been edited and published in the series
Sources Chrétiennes Sources Chrétiennes ( French "Christian sources") is a bilingual collection of patristic texts founded in Lyon in 1942 by the Jesuits Jean Daniélou, Claude Mondésert, and Henri de Lubac. Citations to the series are commonly made by the le ...
, as volumes 93 and 94, in 1963. Others works include 22 sermons, and a work on faith, ''De commendatione fidei'', that only survives in two manuscripts, although another five are known to have existed. One of the missing manuscripts survived until at least the mid-1600s, as it formed the basis of the first printed edition of ''De commendatione fidei'' in 1662.Freeland and Bell "Introduction" ''Baldwin of Forde'' p. 13 The modern critical edition of ''De commendatione'' was published, along with the sermons, in 1991 as ''Balduini de Forda Opera: Sermones, De Commendatione Fidei'',Freeland and Bell "Introduction" ''Baldwin of Forde'' p. 11 with the ''De commendatione fidei'' translated into English in 2000.Freeland and Bell "Introduction" ''Baldwin of Forde'' Renowned for his preaching, Baldwin's surviving sermons show that interest in them continued after his death.Cheney ''From Becket to Langton'' pp. 28–29 His sermons were first published in 1662; the modern edition includes two more (titled ''de obedientia'' and ''de sancta cruce'') that were not in the original publication. It appears that originally there were 33 sermons, with the others now lost. The sermons survive in 12 manuscripts, although only 5 are collections of substantial numbers of the works. None of the surviving manuscripts has a complete collection of the 22 sermons.Bell "Introduction" ''Baldvini de Forda Opera'' p. vii Baldwin also collaborated with Bartholomew Iscanus on a ''Liber penitentialis'', which is jointly ascribed to both of them in a
Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament of the United King ...
manuscript, MS 235. Another work often attributed to Baldwin, the ''Ad laudem Bartholomaei Exoniensis episcopi de coloribus rhetoricis'', survives in three manuscripts and a fragment of a fourth. A number of other works are known to have been authored by Baldwin, but do not survive. These include ''Carmen devotionis'', which was seen by
John Bale John Bale (21 November 1495 – November 1563) was an English churchman, historian controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory in Ireland. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English (on the subject of King John), and developed and ...
at
Glastonbury Abbey Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction. The abbey was founded in the 8th century and enlarged in the 10th. It wa ...
in the 16th century. Other lost works were a commentary on the biblical books of ''
Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...
'' and '' Kings'', ''De sectis haereticis'' which existed at Christ Church Priory in the 13th century, and ''De orthodoxis fidei dogmatibus'', which was seen by John Leland at Christ Church in the 16th century. Some of Baldwin's letters existed in manuscript form, although they appear never to have circulated as a collection, but they are no longer extant. One of his letters is mentioned in a
Rievaulx Abbey Rievaulx Abbey ( ) was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissolu ...
catalogue, and Leland mentions others in his works. Besides Baldwin's own writings, there is a
decretal Decretals () are letters of a pope that formulate decisions in canon law (Catholic Church), ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church.McGurk. ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms''. p. 10 They are generally given in answer to consultations but are some ...
collection known as the ''Collectio Wigorniensis'', still extant in manuscript (MS) form. It now resides in the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
as Royal MS 10.A.ii. This collection may have belonged to Baldwin. It was probably compiled at Worcester Cathedral before December 1184, when Baldwin went to Canterbury, and besides a basic collection of Pope Alexander III's decretals it includes a number of letters from the papacy addressed to Baldwin as Bishop of Worcester and as Archbishop of Canterbury. Although the main contents are unexceptional, the compiler of the work numbered the books and capitula into which the work was divided, an innovation that allowed for much more efficient use of the collection. It is likely that the compiler was one of Baldwin's clerks, and that this testified to Baldwin's continuing interest in canon law.Cheney ''Roger of Worcester'' pp. 197–200 The manuscript itself was likely owned either by Baldwin himself or a member of his household.Duggan ''Twelfth-century Decretal Collections'' pp. 114–115 The historian Frank Barlow stated that Baldwin was "one of the greatest English decretalists". His work was more influential in his inspiration and support for the development of decretal collections, rather than in terms of the actual influence of his judicial decisions themselves.Duggan ''Twelfth-century Decretal Collections'' pp. 118–119 Another collection of writings associated with Baldwin is the correspondence relating to his dispute with the Christ Church monks. The documents relating to this dispute, which dragged on into the archbishopric of Hubert Walter, are published in one whole volume of the Rolls Series, which was edited by the Victorian historian
William Stubbs William Stubbs (21 June 182522 April 1901) was an English historian and Anglican bishop. He was Regius Professor of History (Oxford), Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford between 1866 and 1884. He was Bishop of Ches ...
.Brooke ''English Church & the Papacy'' pp. 224–225


Reputation

Baldwin's long-running dispute with his cathedral chapter caused the chronicler Gervase of Canterbury to characterise him as "a greater enemy to Christianity than Saladin."Quoted in Gillingham ''Richard I'' pp. 119–120 Another contemporary, Gerald of Wales, praised Baldwin as "distinguished for his learning and religion",Quoted in Smalley ''Becket Conflict'' p. 218 but also said he was gloomy and nervous. Herbert of Bosham dedicated his ''History of Thomas'', a story of Thomas Becket, to the archbishop in the late 1180s.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 263 The historian A. L. Poole called Baldwin a "distinguished scholar and deeply religious man, ut hewas injudicious and too austere to be a good leader." Baldwin was also known as a theologian, as well as being a canon lawyer.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 645 His clerk and nephew,
Joseph of Exeter Joseph of Exeter was a twelfth-century Latin poet from Exeter, England. Around 1180, he left to study at Gueldres, where he began his lifelong friendship with Guibert, who later became Abbot of Florennes. Some of their correspondence still sur ...
, accompanied Baldwin on the crusade, and wrote two works after his return to England: '' Antiocheis'', an epic poem about King Richard on crusade, and '' De Bello Trojano'', a rewriting of the Trojan War.Mortimer ''Angevin England'' p. 210


Notes


Citations


References

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Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin of Forde 1120s births 1190 deaths 12th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Anglo-Normans Archbishops of Canterbury Archdeacons of Totnes Bishops of Worcester Christians of the Third Crusade English Cistercians English abbots Clergy from Exeter Year of birth uncertain 12th-century Christian abbots