Ealdred (Archbishop of York)
Ealdred (or Aldred ; died September 11, 1069 ) was Abbot of Tavistock, Bishop of Worcester, and Archbishop of York in Anglo-Saxon England. He was associated with a number of other clergymen of the time. After becoming a monk at Winchester Monastery, he was made abbot of Tavistock Abbey around 1027. In 1046 he was called to the Diocese of Worcester. In addition to his episcopal duties, Ealdred served Eduard the Confessor , the King of England, as a diplomat and military leader. He was working to bring a relative of the king, Eduard the Exile, back to England from Hungary in order to find an heir to the childless king. In 1058 he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as the first bishop from England to do so. As administrator of the Diocese of Hereford, he was involved in the fight against the Welsh people and suffered two defeats before reaching an agreement with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn , a Welsh ruler.
In 1060, Ealdred was elected to the Archdiocese of York but had difficulty getting papal approval for his appointment and could only do so if he promised not to keep the bishoprics of York and Worcester at the same time. He helped secure the election of Wulfstan as his successor at Worcester. During his tenure as archbishop he built and beautified churches in his diocese and worked to improve the skills of his clergy by holding a synod that published prescriptions for the priesthood.
Some sources report that after the death of King Edward the Confessor in 1066, it was Ealdred who crowned Harald II King of England. Ealdred supported Harald as king, but when he was defeated at the Battle of Hastings, Ealdred stood up for Edgar Ætheling and then supported William the Conqueror , the Duke of Normandy and a distant relative of King Edward. Ealdred crowned William on Christmas Day 1066. King William never entirely trusted Ealdred or the other English leaders, and Ealdred had to accompany him back to Normandy in 1067, but he had returned to York before his death in 1069. Ealdred supported the churches and monasteries in his diocese with donations and building projects.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Barlow, Edward the Confessor , pp. 208-9
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Leofgar |
Bishop of Hereford 1056-1060 |
Walter of Lorraine |
| Lyfing |
Bishop of Worcester 1046-1062 |
Wulfstan |
| Cynesige |
Archbishop of York 1060-1069 |
Thomas I. |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ealdred |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Aldred |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Abbot of Tavistock, Bishop of Worcester and Archbishop of York |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1000 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 11, 1069 |