Adam Orleton | |
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Bishop of Winchester | |
Appointed | 1 December 1333 |
Term ended | 18 July 1345 |
Predecessor | John de Stratford |
Successor | William Edington |
Orders | |
Consecration | 22 May 1317 |
Personal details | |
Died | 18 July 1345 |
Denomination | Catholic |
Previous post | Bishop of Hereford Bishop of Worcester |
Adam Orleton [lower-alpha 1] (died 1345) was an English churchman and royal administrator.
Orleton was born into a Herefordshire family, possibly in Orleton, possibly in Hereford. The lord of the manor was Roger Mortimer, to whose interests Orleton was loyal. [1] His nephews were John Trilleck, Bishop of Hereford and Thomas Trilleck, Bishop of Rochester. [2]
From the accession of Edward II Orleton was employed as a diplomat to the papal court, at Avignon from 1309, of Clement V and John XXII. A favourite of the latter, Orleton was nominated bishop of Hereford by the pope [3] on 15 May 1317, and consecrated on 22 May 1317, [4] despite the protests of the king. During his episcopate the great central tower at Hereford, a wonder of its day, was built, but there is no reason to think him responsible for a matter under the jurisdiction of the dean and chapter. Despite his increasing political involvement with Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer against Edward II, playing a significant role in the events of 1326, [5] Orleton was an effective bishop in Hereford diocese, and reformed the scandalous Wigmore Abbey and also the priory at Abergavenny and St. Guthlac's priory in Hereford. [6]
Orleton was translated to be bishop of Worcester on 25 September 1327, [7] and lastly to be bishop of Winchester on 1 December 1333. [8]
British historian Ian Mortimer has recently argued that Orleton's sodomy accusations against Edward II in 1326-1327 may have been false, and that they may have been related to contemporary smear campaigns against one's political adversaries, such as previous similar aspersions cast against Pope Boniface VIII by Guillaume de Nogaret, Chancellor to King Philip IV of France, as well as those involved in dispossession of the Knights Templar, during which Orleton was a primary antagonist of the order [9]
One assessment stated that:
Bishop Adam, wary, unscrupulous, but at the same time vigorous and of unusual ability, played a great part in politics to the end of the wretched King's life. Some historians still believe that he recommended the murder; he certainly supported the deposition in Parliament, and went to Kenilworth as one of the commissioners to force the King's resignation. If thus interested in secular politics, he was no less watchful and vigilant in the affairs of his bishopric and the cathedral. [10]
In 1327 Orleton briefly held the office of Lord High Treasurer, from January to March. [11]
Orleton died on 18 July 1345. [8]
In Christopher Marlowe's play Edward II , Orleton is given a role in Edward's death. This traditional story is not given credence by contemporary historians.
Orleton is a supporting character in Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings), a series of French historical novels by Maurice Druon. He was portrayed by Jean Lanier in the 1972 French miniseries adaptation of the series, and by Serge Maillat in the 2005 adaptation.
Edward III, also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. Edward III transformed the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe. His fifty-year reign was the second-longest in medieval English history, and saw vital developments in legislation and government, in particular the evolution of the English Parliament, as well as the ravages of the Black Death. He outlived his eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, and the throne passed to his grandson, Richard II.
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Hugh le Despenser, 2nd Lord le Despenser, also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. He rose to national prominence as royal chamberlain and a favorite of Edward II of England. Despenser made many enemies amongst the nobility of England. After the overthrow of Edward, this eventually led to his being charged with high treason and, ultimately, hanged, drawn and quartered.
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John Hotham was a medieval Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord High Treasurer, Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Ely.
John Trilleck or Trillick was a medieval Bishop of Hereford.
William Ayermin was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.
Thomas Trilleck was a medieval Bishop of Rochester.
Roy Martin Haines, was a British historian.
The invasion of England in 1326 by the country's queen, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, led to the capture of Hugh Despenser the Younger and the abdication of Isabella's husband, King Edward II. It brought an end to the insurrection and civil war.
The Parliament of 1327, the Parliament of England that sat at the Palace of Westminster between 7 January and 9 March 1327, was instrumental in the transfer of the English crown from King Edward II to his son, Edward III. Edward II had become increasingly unpopular with the English nobility due to the excessive influence of unpopular court favourites, the patronage he accorded them, and his perceived ill-treatment of the nobility. By 1325, even his wife, Queen Isabella, despised him. Towards the end of the year, she took the young Edward to her native France, where she entered into an alliance with the powerful and wealthy nobleman Roger Mortimer, who her husband previously had exiled. The following year, they invaded England to depose Edward II. Almost immediately, the King's resistance was beset by betrayal, and he eventually abandoned London and fled west, probably to raise an army in Wales or Ireland. He was soon captured and imprisoned.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by John de Stratford | Lord High Treasurer 1327 | Succeeded by Henry Burghersh |
Catholic Church titles | ||
Preceded by Richard Swinefield | Bishop of Hereford 1317–1327 | Succeeded by Thomas Charlton |
Preceded by Wulstan Bransford | Bishop of Worcester 1327–1333 | Succeeded by Simon Montacute |
Preceded by John de Stratford | Bishop of Winchester 1333–1345 | Succeeded by William Edington |