Fulk of Sandford

Fulk of Sandford (also Fulk Basset ) (* before 1225; † before June 1271 ) was an archbishop of the Irish Archdiocese of Dublin .

origin

Fulk of Sandford came from the English noble Basset family . Its exact origin is unclear, however. He was a nephew of Sir Philip Basset , presumably he was either an illegitimate son of Fulk Basset , the Bishop of London, or of his brother Gilbert Basset . As a rule, however, he is called the Fulk of Sandford , and his brother John also carried this name .

Spiritual career

In 1244, Fulk was appointed Archdeacon of Middlesex by Bishop Fulk Basset . According to canon law , he had to be at least 19 years old for this office , which is why he was probably born before 1225. He also held a benefice at St Paul's Cathedral in London, whose treasurer he was no later than 1252. In 1256 Fulk stayed at the papal curia in Rome. There Pope Alexander IV rejected the election of Ralph de Norwich as the new Archbishop of Dublin, who had been elected from two cathedral chapters. Instead, on July 19, 1256, the Pope appointed Fulk as the new archbishop. In contrast to his predecessors, who owed their appointment to the English kings, Fulk became Archbishop of Dublin through the influence of the Pope.

Served as Archbishop of Dublin

Irish clergy reform

With the acceptance of his new office, Fulk gave up his previous offices in England. In late October or early November 1256, Fulk arrived in Dublin , where he was presumably ordained archbishop shortly afterwards. Fulk proved to be an active clergyman who took his duties seriously. His first measure as a measure was a visit to the ecclesiastical province of Dublin . This was possibly the first visitation made by an archbishop as it resulted in a deluge of complaints and lawsuits. In contrast to his English predecessors, who were only occasionally present in Dublin, Fulk devoted himself entirely to his ministry. He proved to be a militant clergyman who continued to maintain good relations with the papal curia and represented the interests of the Roman Church vis-à-vis the Irish Church, which was still strongly influenced by the Irish Scottish Church . Presumably during his term of office, most of the rules and diocesan statutes for the archdiocese were issued, with which he wanted to instruct the lower clergy and thus bring the level of pastoral care to the general standards of the Roman Church. Fulk quickly realized that he was making many enemies with his strict exercise of office. He therefore asked Pope Alexander IV that he could choose a confessor who could give him absolution for any excommunication that might have been imposed . This privilege was granted to Fulk in July 1257.

Conflicts with the English officials in Dublin

In 1259 Fulk had to return to Rome, where he led a trial with the monks of the Cistercian monastery of Baltinglass who resisted his visitation. In Rome, Fulk also complained about the English officials, particularly William Dean , the royal justiciar of Ireland , who would interfere with his ministry. Alexander IV then turned to the Irish clergy and urged them to defend the rights of the Archbishop of Dublin. Alexander's successor Urban IV turned to the English King Heinrich III in November 1261 . and to the heir to the throne, Lord Edward , repeating Fulk's complaints. To this end, the Pope turned to leading English clergy and asked them to intervene on behalf of Fulk in Ireland. However, disputes between Fulk and the royal officials in Dublin continued, leading to further complaints from the Pope.

Despite his tense relationship with the English officials, Fulk was asked by the English government in 1265 to take over the management of Ireland after the capture of the then Justiciar Ralph de la Rochelle by Irish barons. He may have assumed this role for a short time, but it was the only secular office he held in Ireland.

Dispute with the city of Dublin

Shortly thereafter, Fulk became embroiled in a serious argument with the Mayor and the citizens of Dublin, who complained about the amount of their dues to the Archbishop. In addition, the citizens demanded that the Archbishop's competence in spiritual matters for Dublin should be limited. Thereupon Fulk excommunicated the mayor and the citizens in 1266, imposed the interdict on the city and traveled to London to discuss the case with the papal legate Ottobono . The legate supported Fulk's stance and confirmed the ban. The interdict is believed to have been overturned when, in November 1267, John of Sandford, the lawyer and brother of Fulks, and the townspeople reached an agreement settling a number of issues. Among other things, the archbishop's right to impose a public fine on the citizens was restricted, which had been one of the main demands of the citizens.

Before being elected archbishop, Fulk had probably incurred considerable debts during his long stay with the Curia in Rome or for his return trip to Rome in 1259. To repay the loans, he had to lease or even sell properties of the archdiocese; in 1266 he paid an Italian merchant £ 100, another 550 marks .

Last years and death

After April 1267, Fulk made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela . During his absence, John of Sandfort took his place. In August 1270 at the latest, Fulk was back in Ireland. He probably died in early 1271, at the latest before June 1271, and was buried in St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. Inside the cathedral is a late 13th century funerary monument made for either Fulk or his brother John, who was also Archbishop of Dublin from 1286 to 1294.

Web links

• Margaret Murphy: Sandford, Fulk of (d. 1271). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

predecessor	Office	successor
hatch	Archbishop of Dublin 1256–1271	John de Derlington