Walter de Cantilupe | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Worcester | |
 | |
| Elected | 30 August 1236 |
| Term ended | 12 February 1266 |
| Predecessor | William de Blois |
| Successor | Nicholas of Ely |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 18 April 1237 |
| Consecration | 3 May 1237 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1195 |
| Died | 12 February 1266 |
| Denomination | Catholic |
Walter de Cantilupe [lower-alpha 1] (died 1266) was a medieval Bishop of Worcester.
Cantilupe came from a family that had risen by devoted service to the crown. His father, William I de Cantilupe, [1] and his elder brother William II de Cantilupe were named by Roger of Wendover among the evil counsellors of King John of England, apparently for no better reason than that they were consistently loyal to an unpopular master. [2]
Cantilupe at first followed in his father's footsteps, entering the service of the Exchequer and acting as an itinerant Justice in the early years of Henry III. [2] [1]
But Cantilupe also took minor holy orders, and, in 1236, although not yet a deacon, received the see of Worcester. [2] He was elected on 30 August 1236 and was consecrated on 3 May 1237. [3] He was ordained a deacon on 4 April 1237 and a priest on 18 April 1237. [1]
As bishop, Cantilupe identified himself with the party of ecclesiastical reform, which was then led by Edmund Rich and Robert Grosseteste. Like his leaders he was sorely divided between his theoretical belief in the papacy as a divine institution and his instinctive condemnation of the policy which Pope Gregory IX and Pope Innocent IV pursued in their dealings with the English church. At first a court favorite, Cantilupe came at length to the belief that the evils of the time arose from the unprincipled alliance of crown and papacy. [2]
In 1240 Cantilupe conducted the significant Synod of Worcester, advancing many reforms for the church.[ citation needed ]
Cantilupe raised his voice against papal demands for money, and after the death of Grosseteste in 1253 was the chief spokesman of the nationalist clergy. At the parliament of Oxford in 1258 he was elected by the popular party as one of their representatives on the committee of twenty-four which undertook to reform the administration; from that time until the outbreak of civil war he was a man of mark in the councils of the baronial party. During the war he sided with Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and, through his nephew, Thomas de Cantilupe, who was then Chancellor of Oxford University, brought over the university to the popular side. [2]
Cantilupe was present at the Battle of Lewes and blessed the Montfortians before they joined battle with the army of the king; he entertained de Montfort on the night before the final rout and defeat of the Battle of Evesham. During Montfort's rule Cantilupe appeared only as a mediating influence; in the triumvirate of electors who controlled the administration, the clergy were represented by the Bishop of Chichester. [2]
Cantilupe died on 12 February 1266. [3] He was respected by all parties, and, though far inferior in versatility and force of will to Grosseteste, fully merits the admiration which his moral character inspired. He is one of the few constitutionalists of his day whom it is impossible to accuse of interested motives. [2]
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the baronial opposition to the rule of King Henry III of England, culminating in the Second Barons' War. Following his initial victories over royal forces, he became de facto ruler of the country, and played a major role in the constitutional development of England.
Boniface of Savoy was a medieval Bishop of Belley in Savoy and Archbishop of Canterbury in England. He was the son of Thomas, Count of Savoy, and owed his initial ecclesiastical posts to his father. Other members of his family were also clergymen, and a brother succeeded his father as count. One niece was married to King Henry III of England and another was married to King Louis IX of France. It was Henry who secured Boniface's election as Archbishop, and throughout his tenure of that office he spent much time on the continent. He clashed with his bishops, with his nephew-by-marriage, and with the papacy, but managed to eliminate the archiepiscopal debt which he had inherited on taking office. During Simon de Montfort's struggle with King Henry, Boniface initially helped Montfort's cause, but later supported the king. After his death in Savoy, his tomb became the object of a cult, and he was eventually beatified in 1839.
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Richard Poore or Poor was a medieval English bishop best known for his role in the establishment of Salisbury Cathedral and the City of Salisbury, moved from the nearby fortress of Old Sarum. He served as Bishop of Chichester, Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham.
Nicholas of Ely was Lord Chancellor of England, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of Winchester, and Lord High Treasurer in the 13th century.
Thomas de Cantilupe was Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Hereford. He was canonised in 1320 by Pope John XXII.
Walter Giffard was Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York.
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John Crakehall was an English clergyman and Treasurer of England from 1258 to 1260. Possibly the younger son of a minor noble family in Yorkshire, Crakehall served two successive bishops of Lincoln from around 1231 to the 1250s. He then became an archdeacon in the diocese of Lincoln before being named as treasurer, where he served until his death in 1260. He owed his appointment to the treasurership to a number of factors, including his reputation for administrative ability and his relationship with the leader of the baronial effort to reform royal government. While in office, he strove to improve the administration of the exchequer as well as collect outstanding debts to the government and improve royal revenues.
