Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury
Encyclopedia
Lyfing was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Wells and Archbishop of Canterbury
.
Lyfing was abbot
of Chertsey Abbey
from about 989. He became Bishop of Wells in 998 or 999, and in 1013 King Æthelred the Unready appointed him to the see of Canterbury. Lyfing was taken captive by Viking
s and held prisoner for a time, but he was released in time to attend the Witenagemot
in 1014, and he started repairs of the damage the Vikings had done to Canterbury Cathedral
.
Lyfing was unable to go to Rome for his pallium
during King Æthelred's reign, for every bishop that was consecrated during the remainder of the king's reign was consecrated by Archbishop Wulfstan
of York. By 1018, however, he was named as archbishop, having returned to England from Rome with letters from Pope Benedict VIII
. As Archbishop of Canterbury, Lyfing crowned two English kings: Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside in 1016 and Cnut the Great in 1017. He seems to have gone to Rome on behalf of Cnut at least once.
Lyfing died on 12 June 1020. He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, near the altar of St. Martin. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
called him "a sagacious man, both before God and before the world".
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...
.
Life
Lyfing was born "Ælfstan" and took his ecclesiastical name from leof-carus (= "darling").Lyfing was 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 Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.It was founded by Saint Erkenwald, later Bishop of London, in 666 AD and he became the first abbot. In the 9th century it was sacked by the Danes and refounded from Abingdon Abbey...
from about 989. He became Bishop of Wells in 998 or 999, and in 1013 King Æthelred the Unready appointed him to the see of Canterbury. Lyfing was taken captive by Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s and held prisoner for a time, but he was released in time to attend the Witenagemot
Witenagemot
The Witenagemot , also known as the Witan was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated from before the 7th century until the 11th century.The Witenagemot was an assembly of the ruling class whose primary function was to advise the king and whose membership was...
in 1014, and he started repairs of the damage the Vikings had done to Canterbury Cathedral
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....
.
Lyfing was unable to go to Rome for 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...
during King Æthelred's reign, for every bishop that was consecrated during the remainder of the king's reign was consecrated by Archbishop Wulfstan
Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York
Wulfstan was an English Bishop of London, Bishop of Worcester, and Archbishop of York. He should not be confused with Wulfstan I, Archbishop of York or Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester. He is thought to have begun his ecclesiastical career as a Benedictine monk. He became the Bishop of London in 996...
of York. By 1018, however, he was named as archbishop, having returned to England from Rome with letters from Pope Benedict VIII
Pope Benedict VIII
Pope Benedict VIII , born Theophylactus, Pope from 1012 to 1024, of the noble family of the counts of Tusculum , descended from Theophylact, Count of Tusculum like his predecessor Pope Benedict VI .Benedict VIII was opposed by an antipope, Gregory...
. As Archbishop of Canterbury, Lyfing crowned two English kings: Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside in 1016 and Cnut the Great in 1017. He seems to have gone to Rome on behalf of Cnut at least once.
Lyfing died on 12 June 1020. He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, near the altar of St. Martin. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
called him "a sagacious man, both before God and before the world".