Baldwin of Exeter
Encyclopedia
Baldwin of Forde was Archbishop of Canterbury
between 1185 and 1190. Son of a clergyman, he studied both canon law
and theology at Bologna
and was tutor to Pope Eugene III
's nephew before returning to England to serve successive bishops of Exeter
. After becoming a Cistercian monk
, he was named abbot of his monastery before being elected to the episcopate at Worcester
. Before becoming a bishop, he wrote theological works and sermons, some of which survive.
Baldwin impressed King Henry II of England
while bishop, and the king insisted that Baldwin become archbishop. While archbishop, Baldwin quarrelled with his cathedral clergy over the founding of a church, which led to the imprisonment of the clergy in their cloister for over a year. He also spent some time in Wales with Gerald of Wales, preaching and raising money for the Third Crusade
. After the coronation of King Richard I of England
, Baldwin was sent ahead by the king to the Holy Land, and became embroiled in the politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Baldwin died in the Holy Land while participating in the Crusade. His dispute with his clergy led one chronicler to characterize him as worse for Christianity than Saladin
.
Baldwin was born in Exeter
around 1125, the son of Hugh d'Eu, who was Archdeacon of Totnes and a woman whose name is unknown; his mother, however, later became a nun. Gervase of Canterbury
's story that Baldwin was of humble background has been shown by modern scholarship to stem from bias on Gervase's part. Possibly he studied at Bologna in the 1150s with the future Pope Urban III
. Robert Warelwast
, who was Bishop of Exeter from 1138 to 1155, is said to have sent Baldwin to Italy to study law. Baldwin was also said to have taught at Exeter, although this is not substantiated by any contemporary record. In 1150 or 1151 Pope Eugene III appointed Baldwin tutor to Eugene's nephew. By 1155, however, 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
, Bishop of Exeter who made him archdeacon
at Totnes
about 1161, after his father's death. Baldwin was known as a canon lawyer during his holding of Totnes. In 1167, Baldwin was the recipient of a letter from John of Salisbury
, who complained about Bartholomew's conduct during the Becket controversy
, and accusing Bartholomew of not supporting Thomas Becket
properly, and urged Baldwin to have the bishop support Becket better and to avoid signing any appeal by the English bishops against Becket. Other letters from John dealt with rumours about Roger
, the Bishop of Worcester, who John had heard was speaking badly of Becket. John's purpose in relaying the rumours seems to have been to have Baldwin pass along a warning to Roger about his behaviour from Becket, as John was a supporter of Becket's during Becket's exile. In 1169, Baldwin was once more peripherally involved in the Becket dispute, when he objected to Becket's excommunication of a number of noblemen and clergy for opposition to Becket's cause. Baldwin's objection was not so much to them being excommunicated but to the fact that there had been no warning that such an action was contemplated.
Baldwin then became a monk and then abbot
of the Cistercian monastery of Forde
about 1170. He was well known as a canonist
, and he often acted as a judge-delegate
for the papacy, hearing cases that had reached the Roman Curia
and been remanded back to local experts for decision. 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
. It was probably at this time that Baldwin wrote one of his works, De sacramento altaris. In 1175 he served with his old bishop Bartholomew as joint papal judges of a dispute between Malmesbury Abbey
and Josceline de Bohon
, the Bishop of Salisbury
. In 1178 he was recommended to Pope Alexander as a possible candidate for a cardinalship
, but this never occurred.
on 10 August 1180. While at Worcester, Baldwin impressed King Henry II by intervening in a secular case, to prevent a hanging on a Sunday. Although the medieval writer Walter Map
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.
to the see of Canterbury
in December 1184, after Henry II let it be known that he would only accept Baldwin at Canterbury. The monks put forth three candidates from within Christ Church Priory
: Odo, who had been prior
of Christ Church and was then Abbot of Battle Abbey
, Peter de Leia
, a Cluniac
prior of Wenlock Priory
and later Bishop of St David's
, 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 cathedral chapter of Canterbury and the suffragan bishops of Canterbury, both of which claimed the right to elect the new archbishop.
Baldwin received his pallium
from Pope Lucius III
along with Lucius' approval of his translation. Baldwin was named a papal legate
in 1185, although his authority was limited to his own archdiocese and it did not extend into the Archdiocese of York. During his time as archbishop there was a dispute with the monks of Christ Church Priory in Canterbury
, who resented Baldwin's attempts to impose stricter control over them, and who disputed the legitimacy of Baldwin's election. For his part, Baldwin did not approve of the luxurious and pampered life that the monks of Christ Church lived, and felt that they profited too much from the cult of Thomas Becket.
, not monastic, clergy. The monks of the cathedral chapter
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 it was definitely a plot by some of the other backers of the proposed church, among whom were the king and many other English bishops. Baldwin sought the advice of Hugh
, the Bishop of Lincoln
, 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
in the cathedral. Eventually all the prominent ecclesiastics and monastic houses of Europe were forced into choosing sides in the dispute. In October 1189, as an attempt to gain control, Baldwin appointed Roger Norreys as the chapter's prior, an appointment that was widely acknowledged 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.
to support the Third Crusade, following the fall of Jerusalem
to Saladin in 1187. The tithe was later ascribed to King Richard I, who became notorious for his pre-Crusade fundraising (including his remark about selling London to the highest bidder) although the amount collected (about 1 denarius per adult person) was far outstripped by forced contributions from the Jewish "servi camerae" in England. It was popularly known as the "Saladin tithe
" and was the most extensive tax ever collected in England up to that point. Due to the fact that it was a tithe rather than a secular tax, it was collected by diocese
s rather than by shire
s, and Baldwin was especially blamed for its harshness, although in February Baldwin was in Normandy with the king, along with Baldwin's advisor Peter of Blois
.
Baldwin took the cross 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 Crusade. In April 1188, Baldwin was in Wales on his tour, and was forcing his servants and followers to exercise on foot up and down hills in preparation for the journey to the Holy Land. He spent most of 1188 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, although the chronicler also claimed that it was mainly undertaken by Baldwin in order to avoid the dispute with the Canterbury monks.
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
at all the Welsh cathedrals. He was the first archbishop of Canterbury to celebrate mass at St Asaph's Cathedral during this tour. Baldwin excommunicated the one Welsh prince who refused appear before the archbishop and take the cross, Owain Cyfeiliog
.
Baldwin was with Henry before his death, unsuccessfully taking part in efforts to negotiate with Prince Richard. After Henry's death, Richard sought and obtained absolution
for the sin of disobedience to his father from both Baldwin and Walter de Coutances
, Archbishop of Rouen
. Baldwin was with Richard on 20 July 1189 at Rouen when the king was invested with the Duchy of Normandy, along with Coutances. Baldwin crowned Richard at Westminster Abbey
on 13 September 1189, which is the first English coronation for which a detailed description survives.
traveled to Canterbury to attempt to end the controversy before the papacy become involved. Richard finally settled the dispute by persuading Baldwin to abandon the church 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
, and then to join Richard on Crusade. Both Richard and Baldwin agreed to appoint Norreys to Evesham Abbey
, as the previous abbot of Evesham
, Adam of Evesham had just recently died. This appointment eventually led, after the death of Baldwin, to the infamous Case of Evesham. It was in August 1189 that Baldwin objected to the marriage of Prince John
, later King John, to Isabel of Gloucester
, on the grounds of consanguinity
. John promised to obtain a papal dispensation
, but never did so. Baldwin laid John's lands under interdict
, but it was lifted by a papal legate who declared the marriage legal. Richard also restored to the archbishops of Canterbury the right to have a mint
, with three moneyers to staff the operation.
In April 1190 Baldwin left England with Richard on the Third Crusade. Baldwin led the English advance guard, leaving Marseilles ahead of Richard along with Hubert Walter
and Ranulf de Glanvill sailing to Syria directly on 5 August 1190. Baldwin delegated the administration of his spiritualities
and temporalities
to Gilbert Glanvill
, the Bishop of Rochester
, but entrusted any metropolitan authority to Richard FitzNeal
, the Bishop of London
. The custom of giving the archiepiscopal authority to London had originated in Archbishop Lanfranc
's time. Baldwin continued to conduct some ecclesiastical business however, dealing with the suspended Hugh Nonant
, the Bishop of Coventry
. Baldwin had suspended Nonant in March 1190 for holding secular office as sheriff, but Baldwin wrote to FitzNigel after his departure that Nonant had agreed to relinquish his secular offices.
Baldwin and his group arrived at Tyre on 16 September 1190. Richard did not arrive in Syria until 1191. It is unclear exactly why they were sent ahead of the king, perhaps to look out for the king's interests while Richard took a more leisurely route or perhaps it was 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 learning of the death of Frederick Barbarossa's death on the way to the Holy Land.
When Baldwin arrived at Acre on 12 October 1190, the city was under siege by the Frankish forces led by King Guy of Lusignan
and Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem
, who in turn were being besieged by Saladin. Soon after Baldwin's arrival, there was a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
. Sibylla, a first cousin of Henry II, and her two young daughters died in July, leaving Guy without a legal claim as he had held the kingship through his wife. The heiress of the kingdom was Sibylla's half-sister Isabella; she was already married to Humphrey IV of Toron
, 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
, 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
. 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. Since her marriage to Humphrey had been arranged by her half-brother Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
when she was eleven, having been betrothed to him when she was eight, they argued that she had not been able to give proper consent.
Baldwin supported Guy's claim, but Ubaldo Archbishop of Pisa, Philip of Dreux
, Bishop of Beauvais, 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. After his death, Hubert Walter took over the leadership of the English forces, and also became Baldwin's executor. From Baldwin's funds, Walter paid the wages of some soldiers and knights and distributed the rest of the money to the poor.
and on the passover
, and survives in 12 manuscripts. It also includes a discussion of martyrdom that reads much like a vindication of Becket's status as a martyr. It was first printed in 1662, and has recently been edited and published in the series Sorces Chrétiennes volumes 93 and 94 in 1963. Others works include twenty-two sermons, and a work on faith. The work on faith, the De commendatione fidei, 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. The modern critical edition of De commendatione was published, along with the sermons, in 1991 as Balduini de Forda Opera: Sermones, De Commendatione Fidei. with the De commendatione fidei translated into English in 2000. The sermons were also first published in 1662, and the modern edition includes two more sermons (titled de obedientia and de sancta cruce) that were not originally published in 1662. 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. Baldwin was known for his preaching ability, and was considered a famous preacher.
Besides these works, Baldwin also collaborated with Bartholomew Iscanus on a Liber penitentialis, which is jointly ascribed to the both of them in a Lambeth Palace
manuscript, MS 235. Another work is often attributed to Baldwin, the Ad laudem Bartholomaei Exoniensis episcopi de coloribus rhetoricis, which 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
at Glastonbury Abbey
in the 16th century. Other lost works were a commentary on the biblical books of Samuel 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 letters of Baldwin's also existed, although they never appear to have circulated as a collection. One letter of his is mentioned in a Rievaulx Abbey
catalogue, and Leland mentions others in his works.
Besides Baldwin's own writings, there is a decretal
collection known as the Collectio Wigorniensis, still extant in manuscript (MS) form. It know resides in the British Library
as Royal MS 10.A.ii. This collection may have belonged to Baldwin. It was probably compiled at Worcester Cathedral prior to 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 were not exceptional, the compiler of the work numbered the books and capitula into which the work was divided, a new 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. The manuscript itself was likely owned either by Baldwin himself or a member of his household.
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. Besides the decretal collections, another group of writings connected with Baldwin was 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
, and this volume was edited by Stubbs
.
dedicated his History of Thomas, a story of Thomas Becket, to the archbishop in the late 1180s. When news of his death reached England in 1191, he was succeeded briefly by Reginald fitzJocelin, Bishop of Bath and Wells
; Reginald soon died and the seat remained vacant until 1193 when Hubert Walter, Bishop of Salisbury and a fellow crusader with Baldwin, was elected archbishop. The historian A. L. Poole
called Baldwin a "distinguished scholar and deeply religious man, [but] was injudicious and too austere to be a good leader." Baldwin was also known as a theologian, as well as being a canon lawyer. His clerk, Joseph of Exeter
, who was also Baldwin's nephew, accompanied him on the crusade, and wrote two works after Joseph's return: Antiocheis
, an epic poem about King Richard on crusade, and De Bello Trojano
, a rewriting of the Trojan War.
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
between 1185 and 1190. Son of a clergyman, he studied both canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and theology at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and was tutor to Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III
Pope Blessed Eugene III , born Bernardo da Pisa, was Pope from 1145 to 1153. He was the first Cistercian to become Pope.-Early life:...
's nephew before returning to England to serve successive bishops of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
. After becoming a Cistercian monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, he was named abbot of his monastery before being elected to the episcopate at Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. Before becoming a bishop, he wrote theological works and sermons, some of which survive.
Baldwin impressed King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
while bishop, and the king insisted that Baldwin become archbishop. While archbishop, Baldwin quarrelled with his cathedral clergy over the founding of a church, which led to the imprisonment of the clergy in their cloister for over a year. He also spent some time in Wales with Gerald of Wales, preaching and raising money for the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
. After the coronation of King Richard I of England
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
, Baldwin was sent ahead by the king to the Holy Land, and became embroiled in the politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Baldwin died in the Holy Land while participating in the Crusade. His dispute with his clergy led one chronicler to characterize him as worse for Christianity than Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
.
Early life
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
around 1125, the son of Hugh d'Eu, who was Archdeacon of Totnes and a woman whose name is unknown; his mother, however, later became a nun. Gervase of Canterbury
Gervase of Canterbury
Gervase of Canterbury was an English chronicler.- Life :...
's story that Baldwin was of humble background has been shown by modern scholarship to stem from bias on Gervase's part. Possibly he studied at Bologna in the 1150s with the future Pope Urban III
Pope Urban III
Pope Urban III , born Uberto Crivelli, was Pope from 1185 to 1187. He was made cardinal and archbishop of Milan by Pope Lucius III, whom he succeeded on November 25, 1185...
. Robert Warelwast
Robert Warelwast
-Life:Warelwast and his successor, Robert of Chichester are often confused. Warelwast was the nephew of the previous bishop, William Warelwast, and was appointed archdeacon of Exeter by his uncle. He had been educated at Laon, sent there by his uncle to study under Master Anselm of Laon.Warelwast...
, who was Bishop of Exeter from 1138 to 1155, is said to have sent Baldwin to Italy to study law. Baldwin was also said to have taught at Exeter, although this is not substantiated by any contemporary record. In 1150 or 1151 Pope Eugene III appointed Baldwin tutor to Eugene's nephew. By 1155, however, Baldwin seems to have returned to England where he joined the household of Robert of Chichester
Robert of Chichester
Robert of Chichester was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.Robert is often confused with his predecessor, Robert Warelwast. His surname comes from a single source, one of his successors. He was a relative of David fitzGerald, bishop of St David's, but the exact relationship is unknown...
, Bishop of Exeter.
Baldwin attracted the attention of Bartholomew Iscanus
Bartholomew Iscanus
Bartholomew Iscanus was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.-Early life:Bartholomew was a native of Normandy, and was probably born in Millières, a village in the Cotentin near Lessay and Périers. He was a clerk of Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury before becoming Archdeacon of Exeter in 1155...
, Bishop of Exeter who made him archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
at Totnes
Totnes
Totnes 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...
about 1161, after his father's death. Baldwin was known as a canon lawyer during his holding of Totnes. In 1167, Baldwin was the recipient of a letter from John of Salisbury
John of Salisbury
John of Salisbury , who described himself as Johannes Parvus , was an English author, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres, and was born at Salisbury.-Early life and education:...
, who complained about Bartholomew's conduct during the Becket controversy
Becket controversy
The Becket controversy or Becket dispute was the quarrel between Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and King Henry II of England, from 1163 to 1173...
, and accusing Bartholomew of not supporting Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
properly, and urged Baldwin to have the bishop support Becket better and to avoid signing any appeal by the English bishops against Becket. Other letters from John dealt with rumours about Roger
Roger of Worcester
Roger of Worcester was Bishop of Worcester from 1164 to 1179. He had a major role in the controversy between Henry II of England, who was Roger's cousin, and Archbishop Thomas Becket.-Life:...
, the Bishop of Worcester, who John had heard was speaking badly of Becket. John's purpose in relaying the rumours seems to have been to have Baldwin pass along a warning to Roger about his behaviour from Becket, as John was a supporter of Becket's during Becket's exile. In 1169, Baldwin was once more peripherally involved in the Becket dispute, when he objected to Becket's excommunication of a number of noblemen and clergy for opposition to Becket's cause. Baldwin's objection was not so much to them being excommunicated but to the fact that there had been no warning that such an action was contemplated.
Baldwin then became a monk and then abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the Cistercian monastery of Forde
Forde Abbey
Forde Abbey is a privately owned former Cistercian monastery in Dorset, England. The house and gardens are run as a tourist attraction while the estate is farmed to provide additional revenue...
about 1170. He was well known as a canonist
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, and he often acted as a judge-delegate
Papal judge-delegate
A papal judge delegate was a type of judicial appointment created during the 12th century by the medieval papacy where the pope would designate a local judge, often an ecclesiastic, to decide a case that had been appealed to the papal court....
for the papacy, hearing cases that had reached the Roman Curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
and been remanded back to local experts for decision. 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
Becket controversy
The Becket controversy or Becket dispute was the quarrel between Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and King Henry II of England, from 1163 to 1173...
. It was probably at this time that Baldwin wrote one of his works, De sacramento altaris. In 1175 he served with his old bishop Bartholomew as joint papal judges of a dispute between Malmesbury Abbey
Malmesbury Abbey
Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, was founded as a Benedictine monastery around 676 by the scholar-poet Aldhelm, a nephew of King Ine of Wessex. In 941 AD, King Athelstan was buried in the Abbey. By the 11th century it contained the second largest library in Europe and was...
and Josceline de Bohon
Josceline de Bohon
Josceline de Bohon was an English religious leader.-Life:...
, the Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the 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...
. In 1178 he was recommended to Pope Alexander as a possible candidate for a cardinalship
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, but this never occurred.
Bishop of Worcester
Baldwin became Bishop of WorcesterBishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
on 10 August 1180. While at Worcester, Baldwin impressed King Henry II by intervening in a secular case, to prevent a hanging on a Sunday. Although the medieval writer Walter Map
Walter Map
Walter Map was a medieval writer of works written in Latin. Only one work is attributed to Map with any certainty: De Nugis Curialium.-Life:...
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 WorcesterAnglican Diocese of Worcester
The Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.The diocese was founded in around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury at Worcester to minister to the kingdom of the Hwicce, one of the many Anglo Saxon petty-kingdoms of that time...
to the see of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in December 1184, after Henry II let it be known that he would only accept Baldwin at Canterbury. The monks put forth three candidates from within Christ Church Priory
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
: Odo, who had been prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Christ Church and was then Abbot of Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
, Peter de Leia
Peter de Leia
Peter de Leia was Bishop of St David's from 1176 until his death. Before his appointment, he had been Prior of the Cluniac house at Wenlock....
, a Cluniac
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....
prior of Wenlock Priory
Much Wenlock Priory
Much Wenlock Priory is a ruined 12th century monastery, located in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, at . The foundation was a part of the Cluniac order, which was refounded in 1079 and 1082, on the site of an earlier 7th century monastery, by Roger de Montgomery...
and later Bishop of St David's
Bishop of St David's
The Bishop of St David's is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St David's.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 David's in Pembrokeshire, founding St David's Cathedral. The current Bishop of St...
, and Theobald, Abbot of Cluny
Abbot of Cluny
The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of Cluny Abbey in medieval France. The following is a list.-List of abbots:-References:...
, 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 cathedral chapter of Canterbury and the suffragan bishops of Canterbury, both of which claimed the right to elect the new archbishop.
Baldwin received his pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
from Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...
along with Lucius' approval of his translation. Baldwin was named a papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
in 1185, although his authority was limited to his own archdiocese and it did not extend into the Archdiocese of York. During his time as archbishop there was a dispute with the monks of Christ Church Priory in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, who resented Baldwin's attempts to impose stricter control over them, and who disputed the legitimacy of Baldwin's election. For his part, Baldwin did not approve of the luxurious and pampered life that the monks of Christ Church lived, and felt that they profited too much from the cult of Thomas Becket.
Escalation of the dispute
The dispute escalated when Baldwin deprived the monks of some of the revenues of their monastic estates. After that, Baldwin then proposed to establish a church dedicated to Becket in Canterbury itself, staffed by secularClergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
, not monastic, clergy. The monks of the cathedral chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
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 it was definitely a plot by some of the other backers of the proposed church, among whom were the king and many other English bishops. Baldwin sought the advice of Hugh
Hugh of Lincoln
Hugh of Lincoln was at the time of the Reformation the best-known English saint after Thomas Becket.-Life:...
, the Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary 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 North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, 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
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
in the cathedral. Eventually all the prominent ecclesiastics and monastic houses of Europe were forced into choosing sides in the dispute. In October 1189, as an attempt to gain control, Baldwin appointed Roger Norreys as the chapter's prior, an appointment that was widely acknowledged 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.
Service to King Henry
In 1188 King Henry II of England called for a titheTithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
to support the Third Crusade, following the fall of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
On July 4, 1187 the Kingdom's army was defeated at the Battle of Hattin by Saladin and only Balian of Ibelin commanding a small number of soldiers remained in Jerusalem. The Siege of Jerusalem lasted from September 20 to October 2, 1187. On October 2, 1187 Balian of Ibelin surrendered Jerusalem to...
to Saladin in 1187. The tithe was later ascribed to King Richard I, who became notorious for his pre-Crusade fundraising (including his remark about selling London to the highest bidder) although the amount collected (about 1 denarius per adult person) was far outstripped by forced contributions from the Jewish "servi camerae" in England. It was popularly known as the "Saladin tithe
Saladin tithe
The Saladin tithe, or the Aid of 1188, was a tax, or more specifically a tallage, levied in England and to some extent in France in 1188, in response to the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187.-Background:...
" and was the most extensive tax ever collected in England up to that point. Due to the fact that it was a tithe rather than a secular tax, it was collected by diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s rather than by shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
s, and Baldwin was especially blamed for its harshness, although in February Baldwin was in Normandy with the king, along with Baldwin's advisor Peter of Blois
Peter of Blois
Peter of Blois or Petrus Blesensis was a French poet and diplomat who wrote in Latin. Peter studied law in Bologna and theology in Paris...
.
Baldwin took the cross 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 Crusade. In April 1188, Baldwin was in Wales on his tour, and was forcing his servants and followers to exercise on foot up and down hills in preparation for the journey to the Holy Land. He spent most of 1188 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, although the chronicler also claimed that it was mainly undertaken by Baldwin in order to avoid the dispute with the Canterbury monks.
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
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
at all the Welsh cathedrals. He was the first archbishop of Canterbury to celebrate mass at St Asaph's Cathedral during this tour. Baldwin excommunicated the one Welsh prince who refused appear before the archbishop and take the cross, Owain Cyfeiliog
Owain Cyfeiliog
Owain ap Gruffydd 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 known as Owain Gwynedd.Owain was the son of Gruffydd ap Maredudd and...
.
Baldwin was with Henry before his death, unsuccessfully taking part in efforts to negotiate with Prince Richard. After Henry's death, Richard sought and obtained absolution
Absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This concept is found in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican churches, and most Lutheran churches....
for the sin of disobedience to his father from both Baldwin and Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Rouen. He began his royal service in the government of Henry II, serving as a vice-chancellor...
, Archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
. Baldwin was with Richard on 20 July 1189 at Rouen when the king was invested with the Duchy of Normandy, along with Coutances. Baldwin crowned Richard at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
on 13 September 1189, which is the first English coronation for which a detailed description survives.
Under Richard
With 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 AquitaineEleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
traveled to Canterbury to attempt to end the controversy before the papacy become involved. Richard finally settled the dispute by persuading Baldwin to abandon the church 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
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, and then to join Richard on Crusade. Both Richard and Baldwin agreed to appoint Norreys to Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
, as the previous abbot of Evesham
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
, Adam of Evesham had just recently died. This appointment eventually led, after the death of Baldwin, to the infamous Case of Evesham. It was in August 1189 that Baldwin objected to the marriage of Prince John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, later King John, to Isabel of Gloucester
Isabel of Gloucester
Isabel of Gloucester was the first wife of King John of England. This historical figure is known by an exceptionally large number of alternative names: Hadwisa, Hawisia, Hawise, Joan, Eleanor, Avise and Avisa....
, on the grounds of consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
. John promised to obtain a papal dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
, but never did so. Baldwin laid John's lands under interdict
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
, but it was lifted by a papal legate who declared the marriage legal. Richard also restored to the archbishops of Canterbury the right to have a mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
, with three moneyers to staff the operation.
Third Crusade
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter 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 began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...
and Ranulf de Glanvill sailing to Syria directly on 5 August 1190. Baldwin delegated the administration of his spiritualities
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...
and temporalities
Temporalities
Temporalities are the secular properties and possessions of the Christian Church. It is most often used to describe those properties that were used to support a bishop or other religious person or establishment. Its opposite description would be the spiritualities.In the Middle Ages, the...
to Gilbert Glanvill
Gilbert Glanvill
-Life:Glanvill was a clerk of Baldwin of Forde, the Archbishop of Canterbury and also archdeacon of the diocese of Lisieux.Glanvill was elected to the see of Rochester on 16 July 1185 and ordained a priest on 21 September 1185. He was consecrated on 29 September 1185. He died on 24 June...
, the Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
, but entrusted any metropolitan authority to Richard FitzNeal
Richard FitzNeal
Richard FitzNeal Richard FitzNeal Richard FitzNeal (or FitzNigel; circa (c. 1130 – 10 September 1198), sometimes called Richard of Ely, was a churchman and bureaucrat in the service of Henry II of England.-Life:...
, the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
. The custom of giving the archiepiscopal authority to London had originated in Archbishop Lanfranc
Lanfranc
Lanfranc was Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Lombard by birth.-Early life:Lanfranc was born in the early years of the 11th century at Pavia, where later tradition held that his father, Hanbald, held a rank broadly equivalent to magistrate...
's time. Baldwin continued to conduct some ecclesiastical business however, dealing with the suspended Hugh Nonant
Hugh Nonant
Hugh Nonant was a medieval Bishop of Coventry in England. A great-nephew and nephew of two Bishops of Lisieux, he held the office of archdeacon in that diocese before serving successively Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury and King Henry II of England...
, the Bishop of Coventry
Bishop of Coventry
The Bishop of Coventry is the Ordinary of the 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 Lichfield....
. Baldwin had suspended Nonant in March 1190 for holding secular office as sheriff, but Baldwin wrote to FitzNigel after his departure that Nonant had agreed to relinquish his secular offices.
Baldwin and his group arrived at Tyre on 16 September 1190. Richard did not arrive in Syria until 1191. It is unclear exactly why they were sent ahead of the king, perhaps to look out for the king's interests while Richard took a more leisurely route or perhaps it was 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 learning of the death of Frederick Barbarossa's death on the way to the Holy Land.
When Baldwin arrived at Acre on 12 October 1190, the city was under siege by the Frankish forces led by King Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan
Guy of Lusignan was a Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of the prominent Lusignan dynasty. He was king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194...
and Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem
Sibylla of Jerusalem
Sibylla of Jerusalem was the Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon from 1176 and Queen of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1190. She was the eldest daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, sister of Baldwin IV and half-sister of Isabella I of Jerusalem, and mother of Baldwin V of Jerusalem...
, who in turn were being besieged by Saladin. Soon after Baldwin's arrival, there was a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. Sibylla, a first cousin of Henry II, and her two young daughters died in July, leaving Guy without a legal claim as he had held the kingship through his wife. The heiress of the kingdom was Sibylla's half-sister Isabella; she was already married to Humphrey IV of Toron
Humphrey IV of Toron
Humphrey IV of Toron was the lord of Toron, Kerak, and Oultrejordain in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.-Biography:...
, 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
Conrad of Montferrat was a northern Italian nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto King of Jerusalem, by marriage, from 24 November 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death...
, uncle of the last undisputed king, Baldwin V
Baldwin V of Jerusalem
Baldwin V of Jerusalem was the son of Sibylla of Jerusalem and her first husband, William of Montferrat...
. Conrad had saved the kingdom from destruction by leading the successful defence of Tyre, and had the support of Isabella's mother Maria Comnena
Maria Komnene, Queen consort of Jerusalem
Maria Komnene or Comnena , , was the second wife of King Amalric I of Jerusalem and mother of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem. She was the daughter of John Komnenos, sometime Byzantine dux in Cyprus, and Maria Taronitissa, a descendant of the ancient Armenian kings...
and stepfather Balian of Ibelin
Balian of Ibelin
Balian of Ibelin was an important noble in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century.-Early life:Balian was the youngest son of Barisan of Ibelin, and brother of Hugh and Baldwin. His father, a knight in the County of Jaffa, had been rewarded with the lordship of Ibelin after 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. Since her marriage to Humphrey had been arranged by her half-brother Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem , called the Leper or the Leprous, the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his first wife, Agnes of Courtenay, was king of Jerusalem from 1174 to 1185. His full sister was Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem and his nephew through this sister was the child-king Baldwin V...
when she was eleven, having been betrothed to him when she was eight, they argued that she had not been able to give proper consent.
Baldwin supported Guy's claim, but Ubaldo Archbishop of Pisa, Philip of Dreux
Philip of Dreux
Philip of Dreux was a French nobleman, Bishop of Beauvais, and figure of the Third Crusade.He was an active soldier, an ally in the field of Philip Augustus, the French king and his cousin, making him an opponent in campaigns in France and elsewhere of Richard I of England. He was in also in...
, Bishop of Beauvais, and Eraclius
Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem
Heraclius or Eraclius , was archbishop of Caesarea and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.Heraclius was from the Gévaudan in Auvergne, France. Like his later rival William of Tyre he studied law at the University of Bologna: his contemporaries and friends included Stephen of Tournai and Gratian...
, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the title possessed by the Latin Rite Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem. The Archdiocese of Jerusalem has jurisdiction for all Latin Rite Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus...
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. After his death, Hubert Walter took over the leadership of the English forces, and also became Baldwin's executor. From Baldwin's funds, Walter paid the wages of some soldiers and knights and distributed the rest of the money to the poor.
Writings and studies
Baldwin wrote a work on the De sacramento altaris, which is his longest work that survives. This work was on the eucharistEucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
and on the passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, and survives in 12 manuscripts. It also includes a discussion of martyrdom that reads much like a vindication of Becket's status as a martyr. It was first printed in 1662, and has recently been edited and published in the series Sorces Chrétiennes volumes 93 and 94 in 1963. Others works include twenty-two sermons, and a work on faith. The work on faith, the De commendatione fidei, 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. The modern critical edition of De commendatione was published, along with the sermons, in 1991 as Balduini de Forda Opera: Sermones, De Commendatione Fidei. with the De commendatione fidei translated into English in 2000. The sermons were also first published in 1662, and the modern edition includes two more sermons (titled de obedientia and de sancta cruce) that were not originally published in 1662. 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. Baldwin was known for his preaching ability, and was considered a famous preacher.
Besides these works, Baldwin also collaborated with Bartholomew Iscanus on a Liber penitentialis, which is jointly ascribed to the both of them in a Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
manuscript, MS 235. Another work is often attributed to Baldwin, the Ad laudem Bartholomaei Exoniensis episcopi de coloribus rhetoricis, which 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
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
at Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
in the 16th century. Other lost works were a commentary on the biblical books of Samuel and Kings
Books of Kings
The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...
, 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 letters of Baldwin's also existed, although they never appear to have circulated as a collection. One letter of his is mentioned in a Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx , near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.It was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England and was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538...
catalogue, and Leland mentions others in his works.
Besides Baldwin's own writings, there is a decretal
Decretal
Decretals is the name that is given in Canon law to those letters of the pope which formulate decisions in ecclesiastical law.They are generally given in answer to consultations, but are sometimes due to the initiative of the popes...
collection known as the Collectio Wigorniensis, still extant in manuscript (MS) form. It know resides in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
as Royal MS 10.A.ii. This collection may have belonged to Baldwin. It was probably compiled at Worcester Cathedral prior to December 1184, when Baldwin went to Canterbury, and besides a basic collection of Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
'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 were not exceptional, the compiler of the work numbered the books and capitula into which the work was divided, a new 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. The manuscript itself was likely owned either by Baldwin himself or a member of his household.
The historian Frank Barlow
Frank Barlow (historian)
Frank Barlow CBE FBA FRSL was a British historian, known particularly for biographies of medieval figures.Barlow studied at St John's College, Oxford. He was Professor of History at the University of Exeter from 1953 until he retired in 1976 and became Emeritus Professor...
, 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. Besides the decretal collections, another group of writings connected with Baldwin was 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
Rolls Series
The Rolls Series, official title The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages, is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources, published in the second half of the 19th century. Some 255 volumes, representing 99 separate...
, and this volume was edited by Stubbs
William Stubbs
William Stubbs was an English historian and Bishop of Oxford.The son of William Morley Stubbs, a solicitor, he was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated in 1848, obtaining a first-class in classics and a third in...
.
Legacy
Baldwin's long-running dispute with his cathedral chapter caused the chronicler Gervase of Canterbury to regard the archbishop as "a greater enemy to Christianity than Saladin." Another contemporary, Gerald of Wales, praised Baldwin as "distinguished for his learning and religion", but also claimed that he was gloomy and nervous. Herbert of BoshamHerbert of Bosham
Herbert of Bosham was a twelfth century English biographer of Thomas Becket, dates of birth and death unknown.-Early life:He was probably born in Bosham, Sussex, from which he took his name.He studied theology in Paris as a pupil of Peter Lombard...
dedicated his History of Thomas, a story of Thomas Becket, to the archbishop in the late 1180s. When news of his death reached England in 1191, he was succeeded briefly by Reginald fitzJocelin, Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
; Reginald soon died and the seat remained vacant until 1193 when Hubert Walter, Bishop of Salisbury and a fellow crusader with Baldwin, was elected archbishop. The historian A. L. Poole
Austin Lane Poole
Austin Lane Poole was a British mediaevalist.Poole came from an academic lineage, being the son of Reginald Lane Poole , the nephew of Stanley Lane Poole , and the grandson of Reginald Stuart Poole .Austin Poole...
called Baldwin a "distinguished scholar and deeply religious man, [but] was injudicious and too austere to be a good leader." Baldwin was also known as a theologian, as well as being a canon lawyer. His clerk, Joseph of Exeter
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...
, who was also Baldwin's nephew, accompanied him on the crusade, and wrote two works after Joseph's return: Antiocheis
Antiocheis
Antiocheis is an epic poem by Joseph of Exeter, written in Latin soon after the year 1190, when Joseph returned to England from the Third Crusade on the death of his friend and fellow Crusader, Baldwin of Exeter, archbishop of Canterbury....
, an epic poem about King Richard on crusade, and De Bello Trojano
De bello Troiano
Daretis Phrygii Ilias De bello Troiano is an epic poem in Latin, written around 1183 by the English poet Joseph of Exeter. It tells the story of the ten year Trojan War as it was known in medieval western Europe...
, a rewriting of the Trojan War.