Robert of Shrewsbury
Encyclopedia
Robert of Shrewsbury was Bishop of Bangor
from 1197 to his death.
Robert appears to have been Dean of Shrewsbury
and prebendary of Wolverhampton
. He was appointed Bishop of Bangor by Hubert
, Archbishop of Canterbury
, apparently without being elected, and was consecrated by the Archbishop on 16 March 1197. Giraldus Cambrensis
records the efforts of a person named only as "R.", subprior of Aberconwy Abbey
, to be recognised as the true bishop-elect of Bangor.
In 1211, King John of England
invaded Gwynedd
in an attempt to subdue Llywelyn the Great
. John was excommunicated at the time, and consequently Robert refused to meet him. John retaliated by sending a troop of soldiers from Brabant
who burnt the city of Bangor and seized the Bishop from the high altar of the cathedral. Robert had to pay a fine of two hundred hawks to recover his liberty. Robert died the following year (though some sources say 1213) and was buried at Shrewsbury.
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
from 1197 to his death.
Robert appears to have been Dean of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and prebendary of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. He was appointed Bishop of Bangor by Hubert
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...
, Archbishop 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...
, apparently without being elected, and was consecrated by the Archbishop on 16 March 1197. Giraldus Cambrensis
Giraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales , also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times...
records the efforts of a person named only as "R.", subprior of Aberconwy Abbey
Aberconwy Abbey
Aberconwy Abbey was a Cistercian foundation at Conwy, later transferred to Maenan near Llanrwst and in the 13th century was the most important abbey in North Wales....
, to be recognised as the true bishop-elect of Bangor.
In 1211, King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
invaded Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
in an attempt to subdue Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
. John was excommunicated at the time, and consequently Robert refused to meet him. John retaliated by sending a troop of soldiers from Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
who burnt the city of Bangor and seized the Bishop from the high altar of the cathedral. Robert had to pay a fine of two hundred hawks to recover his liberty. Robert died the following year (though some sources say 1213) and was buried at Shrewsbury.