Robert of Jumièges

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Robert of Jumièges
Modern ruins of the Abbey of Jumièges
Installedunknown
Term ended1052
PredecessorEdsige
SuccessorStigand
Orders
Consecration1051
Personal details
Died26 May 1055

Robert of Jumièges (sometimes Robert Chambert or Robert Champart) (died 26 May 1052 or 1055) was the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury.[1] He also served as prior of the church of St Ouen (St Ouen Abbey ) at Rouen, abbot of Jumièges Abbey, both Benedictine abbeys, and as Bishop of London. He was a good friend and advisor to the king of England, Edward the Confessor, appointed him first as Bishop of London, then later as archbishop. His time as archbishop was short, however, as his conflict with the powerful Earl Godwin of Wessex resulted in his exile and deposition in 1052.

HIs deposition played into later Norman justifications for the Norman conquest of England. William of Jumièges, a Norman medieval chronicler,[notes 1] claimed that Robert in 1051 or 1052 went to Normandy and told Duke William, the future William the Conqueror, that Edward wished William to be his heir. The archbishop died in exile at Jumièges either between 1053 and 1055 or shortly before 1070. The treatment of Robert by the English was put forward by William the Conqueror as one of the reasons for his conquest of England.

Background and early life

Robert was a Norman who was prior of the church of St Ouen at Rouen before he was abbot of Jumièges Abbey,[4][5] in 1037.[2] His alternate surname "Champart" or "Chambert" probably derived from champart, a term for the part of the crop that was paid as rent to a landlord. His origin and family background are unknown, except that the preceding abbot at Jumieges was a relative. While abbot, he started construction on the abbey church in the new Romanesque style.[2]

Robert was a friend of the exiled Edward the Confessor while Edward was still in exile in Normandy.[1] Edward was a claimant to the English throne, as he was the son of Ethelred the Unready, king of England, who had been replaced as king by Canute the Great in 1016. Canute then married Ethelred's widow Emma of Normandy, who was Edward's mother, and had a son with her, Harthacanute. Edward and his brother Alfred were sent to safekeeping to Normandy with Emma's relatives.[6][notes 2] After Canute's death, his elder son Harald Harefoot by his first wife succeeded him, but after Harald's death, Harthacanute succeeded for a short time. Neither Harald or Harthacanute left offspring, so the throne was offered to Edward after Harthacanute's death in 1042.[8]

Bishop and Archbishop

View of the interior ruins of Jumièges

When Edward was recalled to England in 1042 Robert went with him.[1] Edward returned to England to become king after Harthacanute's death,[2] and it was owing to Edward that in August 1044 Robert became bishop of London,[9] one of the first vacancies that occurred in Edward's reign.[10] Robert remained close to the king and was the leader of the party opposed to Earl Godwin.[2] Godwin, for his part, was attempting to expand the influence of his family, which had already acquired much land, Godwin's daughter was Edward's queen, and two of his sons were named to earldoms.[11] The Life of Saint Edward, a haigographical work on King Edward's life, claimed that Robert "was always the most powerful confidential adviser of the king."[12] Robert seems to have favoured closer relations with Normandy, and its duke.[10] Edward himself had grown up in the duchy, and spent 25 years in exile there before returning to England. The evidence shows that Edward brought many Normans with him to England, and seems to have spent much time in their company.[13]

In October 1050,[14] Archbishop Eadsige of Canterbury died and a five month vacancy occurred.[2] The cathedral chapter elected Æthelric, a kinsman of Godwin and monk and Canterbury,[15][16] but were overruled when Edward appointed Robert archbishop of Canterbury,[17] at a royal council held at Lent in 1051.[2] Although the monks of Canterbury opposed his appointment, the king's appointment stood.[18] Robert went to Rome to receive his pallium and returned to England in June 1051.[19] He was ceremonially enthroned at Canterbury on 29 June 1051.[2] Some Norman chroniclers state that he visited Normandy on this trip and informed Duke William that he was King Edward's heir, Edward having no children.[10] According to these chroniclers, the decision to make William the heir had been decided at the same Lentan council in 1051 that had declared Robert archbishop.[2]

After returning from Rome, Robert refused to consecrate the Abbot of Abingdon Spearhafoc, the king's goldsmith,[20] as Robert's successor as Bishop of London, claiming that Pope Leo IX had forbidden the consecration. Almost certainly the grounds were simony,[21] or the buying of ecclesiastical office,[22] as Leo had recently issued proclamations against that sin. In refusing to consecrate Spearhafoc, Robert was following his own interests and going against the wishes of both the King and Godwin.[21] In the end, William the Norman was consecrated instead of Spearhafoc.[20] William was the candidate favoured by Robert.[2] Robert also discovered that some lands that belonged to Canterbury had fallen into the hands of Godwin, but his attempts to recover the lands through the shire courts were unsuccessful.[21] Canterbury had also lost control of some revenues of the shire of Kent to Godwin while Edsige was archbishop, and Robert attempted to reclaim the revenues from Godwin without much luck.[23] These disputes over the estates and revenues of the archbishopric contributed to the friction between Robert and Godwin.[23][24] Events culminated at a council held at Gloucester in September 1051, when Robert accused Earl Godwin of plotting to kill King Edward.[25][notes 3] Godwin and his family were exiled and Robert probably claimed the shire of Kent on the strength of Archbishop Edsige having held the shire.[27]

Although Robert refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, there is little evidence that he was interested in the growing movement towards Church reform being promulgated by the papacy.[28] Pope Leo IX was beginning a reform movement later known as the Gregorian Reform. Leo first focused on improving the clergy and prohibiting simony – the buying and selling of clerical and ecclesiastical offices. In 1049 Leo IX publicly pronounced that he would take more interest in English church matters and would investigate episcopal candidates more strictly before confirming them. It may have been partly to appease Leo that Edward appointed Robert instead of Æthelric, hoping to signal to the papacy that the English crown was not totally opposed to the growing reform movement.[29] It was against this backdrop that Robert refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, although there is no other evidence that Robert embraced the reform position, and his claiming that the pope forbade the consecration probably had more to do with finding an easy excuse, than any true reforming desire.[28] There are also some indications that Spearhafoc was an ally of Godwin, and his appointment was meant as a quid pro quo for the non-appointment of Æthelric.[30][14] If this was so, Robert's refusal to consecrate Spearhafoc would have contributed to the growing rift between the archbishop and the earl.[14]

Godwin in exile

Statue of William the Conqueror at Lichfield, England.

While Godwin was in exile, the Life of Saint Edward claims that Robert tried to get King Edward to divorce Queen Edith, Godwin's daughter and Edward's wife, but Edward refused and instead she was sent to a nunnery.[27] However, the Life of Saint Edward is a hagiography and written to show Edward as a saint. Thus, it stresses that Edward voluntarily remained celibate, sometime unlikely to have actually been the case, as the only evidence for this is from the Life. More likely, Edward, at the urging of Robert, wished to divorce Edith at this time and remarry in order to have children to succeed him on the English throne,[31] although it is possible that he merely wished to be rid of her without necessarily wanting to divorce her.[2]

During Godwin's exile, Robert is said to have been sent by the king on an errand to Duke William of Normandy.[32] The reason for the embassy is somewhat uncertain. William of Jumièges says that Robert went to tell Duke William that Edward wished William to be Edward's heir. William of Poitiers gives the same reason, but also includes the fact that Robert took with him Godwin's son Wulfnoth and grandson Hakon (son of Sweyn), as hostages. Combined with the fact that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions no such visit, it is clear that no certain statements can be made on whether or not Robert visited Normandy or why he did so.[33] However, the whole history of the various missions that Robert is alleged to have made is confused, and further complicated by the post-Norman Conquest propaganda claims made by Norman chroniclers.[34][29]

Outlawing, death, and legacy

After Godwin left England, he went to Flanders, and gathered a fleet and mercenaries in order to force the king to allow his return. In the summer of 1052, Godwin returned to England and was met by his sons who invaded from Ireland. By September, they were advancing on London, where negotiations between the king and the earl were conducted with the help of Stigand, the bishop of Winchester.[35] When it became apparent that Godwin would be returning, Robert left England quickly,[36] in company with Bishop Ulf of Dorcester and Bishop William of London. He likely took the aforementioned hostages, Wulfnoth and Hakon, with him, whether with the permission of King Edward or not.[37][notes 4] Robert was declared an outlaw and deposed from his archbishopric on 14 September 1052, mainly because the returning Godwin felt that he, along with a number of other Normans, had been the driving force behind Godwin's exile.[36][17][notes 5] He did journey to Rome to complain to the pope about his exile,[40] where Leo IX and successive popes condemned Stigand,[41] who was appointed by Edward to Canterbury.[42] Robert's personal property was divided between Earl Godwin, Harold Godwinson, and the queen, who had returned to court.[43]

He died at Jumièges either between 1053 and 1055,[33] or on 26 May in either 1052 or 1055.[2] Robert's treatment was used by William the Conqueror as one of the reasons for invading England, the other being that Edward had named William his heir. Ian Walker, who wrote the most recent scholarly biography of Harold Godwinson, puts forth the theory that it was Robert, while in exile after the return of Godwin, who testified that King Edward had nominated Duke William to be Edward's heir.[41] This view is contradicted by David Douglas, a historian and biographer of William the Conqueror, however, who held that Robert merely relayed the decision of Edward, probably while Robert was on his way to Rome to receive his pallium.[4] Several medieval chroniclers, including the author of the Life of Saint Edward, felt that the blame for Edward and Godwin's conflict in 1051-1052 was solely Robert's fault,[44] and modern historians tend to see him as a ambitious man, with little political skill.[2]

While abbot, Robert had started the building of a new abbey church at Jumièges, in the new Romanesque style which was becoming popular.[45][notes 6] Although the choir there has been torn down, the nave and transepts still survive.[47] It has been argued by several historians, including Frank Barlow and Emma Mason that Robert brought the style with him to England and that this influenced Edward the Confessor's new church at Westminster Abbey. Westminster was rebuilt by Edward in the new Romanesque style, which was previously unknown in England, so it is possible that Robert did bring the Romanesque style of architecture to England,[45][48] although it is possible that Westminster also inspired the building at Jumièges, as the arcade there closely resembles Westminster's arcade, both in a style that never became common in Normandy.[49] Another legacy was his gift to his old monastery, while he was bishop of London, of a illuminated manuscript Missal. This missal was subsequently known as The Missal of Robert of Jumieges, and is still extant.[50][2][notes 7]

Notes

  1. ^ William of Jumieges does not appear to be a relation to Robert. Both gained the surname by being monks at Jumieges.[2][3]
  2. ^ Both Alfred and Edward returned to England in 1036, but after Alfred was murdered, apparently on Harold's orders.[7]
  3. ^ Godwin was especially vulnerable to this charge, as he had been invovled in the death of Edward's brother Alfred during Harthacanute's reign.[26]
  4. ^ Ulf never returned to England, but William was allowed to return eventually.[38]
  5. ^ Edith, after her father's restoration to power, was returned to court and reinstated as queen.[39]
  6. ^ The abbey church was only finished in 1067.[46]
  7. ^ It is known now as Rouen, Bibliothèque Municipale, Manuscript Y.6[2]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 50
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cowdrey "Robert of Jumièges (d. 1052/1055) (subscription required)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  3. ^ van Houts, Elizabeth "William of Jumieges (subscription required)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  4. ^ a b Douglas William the Conqueror p. 167-170
  5. ^ Barlow The English Church 1000-1066 p. 44
  6. ^ Hindley A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons pp. 306-310
  7. ^ Hindley A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons pp. 316-317
  8. ^ Hindley A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons pp. 315-318
  9. ^ Fryde, et. al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 230
  10. ^ a b c Barlow The English Church 1000-1066 pp. 46-50
  11. ^ Mason House of Godwine pp. 51-53
  12. ^ Quoted in Huscroft Ruling England p. 50
  13. ^ Potts "Normandy" Companion to the Anglo-Norman World p. 33
  14. ^ a b c Higham Death of Anglo-Saxon England pp. 128-129
  15. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 104
  16. ^ Walker Harold p. 27
  17. ^ a b Fryde Handbook of British Chronlogy p. 214
  18. ^ Barlow The English Church 1000-1066 p. 209
  19. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 106
  20. ^ a b Huscroft Ruling England p. 52
  21. ^ a b c Walker Harold p. 29-30
  22. ^ Coredon Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases p. 260
  23. ^ a b Red Harold II pp. 42-43
  24. ^ Campbell "A Pre-Conquest Norman Occupation of England" Speculum p. 22
  25. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 111
  26. ^ Barlow The Godwins p. 42
  27. ^ a b Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 115
  28. ^ a b Rex Harold II p. 46
  29. ^ a b Stafford Unification and Conquest pp. 89-92
  30. ^ John Reassessing Anglo-Saxon England p. 177
  31. ^ Walker Harold p. 35-36
  32. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 107
  33. ^ a b Walker Harold p. 37-38
  34. ^ Bates William the Conqueror p. 73
  35. ^ Mason The House of Godwine pp. 69-75
  36. ^ a b Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 124
  37. ^ Walker Harold p. 47
  38. ^ Red Harold II p. 12
  39. ^ Mason The House of Godwine p. 75
  40. ^ Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 126
  41. ^ a b Walker Harold p. 50-51
  42. ^ Stafford Unification and Conquest p. 94
  43. ^ Stenton Anglo-Saxon England p. 568
  44. ^ Stafford Queen Emma and Queen Edith p. 11
  45. ^ a b Mason The House of Godwine p. 83
  46. ^ Higham Death of Anglo-Saxon England p. 148
  47. ^ Plant "Ecclesiastical Architecture" Companion to the Anglo-Norman World pp. 219-222
  48. ^ Barlow The English Church 1000-1066 p. 51 footnote 2
  49. ^ Breese "Early Normandy and the emergence of Norman Romanesque architecture" Journal of Medieval History p. 212
  50. ^ Barlow The English Church 1000-1066 p. 85 and footnote 3

References

  • Barlow, Frank (1970). Edward the Confessor. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-01671-8.
  • Barlow, Frank (1979). The English Church 1000-1066: A History of the Later Anglo-Saxon Church (Second Edition ed.). New York: Longman. ISBN 0-582-49049-9. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  • Bates, David (2001). William the Conqueror. Stroud, UK: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-1980-3.
  • Breese, Lauren Wood (1988). "Early Normandy and the emergence of Norman Romanesque architecture". Journal of Medieval History. 14: 203–216.
  • Campbell, Miles W. (1971). "A Pre-Conquest Norman Occupation of England". Speculum. 46 (1): 21–31. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • Coredon, Christopher (2007). A Dictionary of Medieval Terms & Phrases (Reprint ed.). Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer. ISBN 978-1-74384-138-8. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  • Cowdrey, H. E. J. (2004). "Robert of Jumièges (d. 1052/1055) (subscription required)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |title= (help)
  • Douglas, David C. (1964). William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Fryde, E. B. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Higham, Nick (2000). The Death of Anglo-Saxon England. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-2469-1. {{cite book}}: Text "ocl" ignored (help)
  • Hindley, Geoffrey (2006). A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The Beginnings of the English Nation. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 978-0-78671-738-5.
  • Huscroft, Richard (2005). Ruling England 1042-1217. London: Pearson/Longman. ISBN 0-582-84882-2.
  • John, Eric (1996). Reassessing Anglo-Saxon England. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-5053-7.
  • Mason, Emma (2004). House of Godwine: The History of Dynasty. London: Hambledon & London. ISBN 1-85285-389-1.
  • Plant, Richard (2002). "Ecclesiastical Architecture c.1050 to c.1200". In Christopher Harper-Bill and Elizabeth van Houts (ed.). A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. pp. pp. 215-253. ISBN 978-184383-341-3. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  • Potts, Cassandra (2002). "Normandy, 911-1144". In Christopher Harper-Bill and Elizabeth van Houts (ed.). A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. pp. pp. 19-42. ISBN 978-184383-341-3. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  • Rex, Peter (2005). Harold II: The Doomed Saxon King. Stroud, UK: Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7394-7185-2.
  • Stafford, Pauline (1997). Queen Emma and Queen Edith: Queenship and Women's Power in Eleventh-century England. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0-631-22738-5.
  • Stafford, Pauline (1989). Unification and Conquest: A Political and Social History of England in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. London: Edward Arnold. ISBN 0-7131-6532-4.
  • Stenton, F. M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (Third Edition ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  • van Houts, Elizabeth (2004). "Jumièges, William of (fl. 1026–1070) (subscription required)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  • Walker, Ian (2000). Harold the Last Anglo-Saxon King. Gloucestershire: Wrens Park. ISBN 0-905-778-464.

Further reading

  • Gem, R. D. H. (1980). "The Romanesque rebuilding of Westminster Abbey". Anglo-Norman Studies. Vol. 3. pp. pp. 33–60. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of London
1044–1051 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Canterbury
1051–1052 		Succeeded by

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