Ethelred, Archbishop of Canterbury
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Ethelred was Archbishop of Canterbury between 870 and 889.
| Ethelred | |
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Enthroned | {{{began}}} |
|---|---|
| Ended | June 30, 888 |
| Predecessor | Ceolnoth |
| Successor | Plegmund |
| Consecration | 870 |
| Died | June 30, 888 |
[edit] Biography
Some sources, including the Anglo Saxon Chronicle in the F version state that Ethelred was transferred in 870 from the Bishopric of Wiltshire to the see of Canterbury, however the transfer has now been proven to be taken from the life of Ælfric of Abingdon, who was archbishop from 995 to 1005. Ethelred, however, was consecrated in 870 as archbishop.[1] Why he was elected is unknown, as there is no contemporary information on his election.[2]
Most of his time as archbishop was spent dealing with the effects of Viking raids, but he also had a conflict with King Alfred the Great over ecclesiatical matters. It was during Ethelred's archbishopric that the Golden Gospels were ransomed from a raiding army and donated to Canterbury.[1] He also was urged, along with Archbishop Wulfhere of York, by Pope John VIII to reform the dress of the English clergy. The Anglo-Saxon clergy wore the short tunic that was the normal costume of the laypeople of Britain. The Roman custom, however, was to wear long clerical robes or habits, and the Anglo-Saxon custom was opposed by the popes and other continental clergy. Whether Ethelred and Wulfred took steps to try to change the dress of their clergy is unknown, but the clothing customs of the Anglo-Saxon clergy did not change.[2]
Around 877, Ethelred wrote to Pope John VIII to complain about King Alfred the Great's conduct towards Canterbury. The exact nature of the dispute is not clear, but the reply from the pope to the archbishop still exists. The pope told the archbishop that Canterbury had papal support and that the pope had written to the king urging the king to respect the rights of the archbishop.[3]
The biggest concern of Ethelred would have been the Viking raids on England. Canterbury had been sacked by the Vikings around 850, and there were raids in Kent in 855 and 865 also. Ethelred also reached an agreement with Ealdorman Ælfred where Ælfred was granted the life use of a Canterbury estate in return for bequeathing one of the Ealdorman's estates to Canterbury after Ælfred's death. The document that records this agreement is not datesd, however, so it is unknown when exactly during Ethelred's episcopate the document was drawn up.[2] Another problem for the archbishop was a decline in the abilities of the scribes at Canterbury, which are dramatically illustrated by the document, which has a number of errors and duplications. Other documents of the period show that some at least of the scribes had little knowledge of Latin.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Wareham, A. F. "Æthelred (d. 888)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 7, 2007
- ^ a b c Brooks, Nicholas (1984). The Early History of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. London: Leicester University Press, p. 149-152. ISBN 0-7185-0041-5.
- ^ Abels, Richard Philip (1998). Alfred the Great: War, Kingship, and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England. New York: Longman, p. 244. ISBN 0-582-04047-7.
- ^ Brooks, Nicholas (1984). The Early History of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. London: Leicester University Press, p. 172-173. ISBN 0-7185-0041-5.
- ^ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 214. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
[edit] External links
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ceolnoth |
Archbishop of Canterbury 870–888 |
Succeeded by Plegmund |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ethelred |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 30, 888 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
