Geoffrey (Archbishop)

Geoffrey ( German  Gottfried , * around 1151; † around December 18, 1212 ) was an Anglo-Norman clergyman. He was an illegitimate descendant of the Plantagenet family . From 1173 to 1181 he was bishop of the English diocese of Lincoln , then he served as royal chancellor until 1189 . From 1189 he was Archbishop of York .

Origin and youth

Geoffrey was probably born in 1151 as the illegitimate son of Heinrich von Anjou . Little is known about his mother. It is said that she was a prostitute by the name of Ykenai , who managed to put her son on the gullible young Heinrich when he became King of England in 1154. This information is doubtful, however, as it only comes from the chronicler Walter Map , who disapproves of Geoffrey . In any case, Geoffrey was recognized by his father and probably named after his grandfather, Heinrich's father, Geoffrey of Anjou . Heinrich had him raised together with the children of his wife Eleonore . With Eleonore, Heinrich had a son who was also called Geoffrey , but later became Duke of Brittany.

The king made sure that his illegitimate son embarked on an ecclesiastical career. Geoffrey was already Archdeacon of Lincoln before 1170 , and he held a benefice at St Paul's Cathedral in London until 1173 . Occasionally the Pope commissioned him to investigate church disputes, but otherwise Geoffrey hardly appears at first. He may also have received extensive training, as Gerald of Wales connects him with a law school in Northampton and Egasse Du Boulay counted him among the scholars at the University of Paris in the 17th century .

Bishop of Lincoln

Delayed recognition as bishop and role during the revolt from 1173 to 1174

By order of Henry II, Geoffrey was elected bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in May 1173 , but in view of his youth, Pope Alexander III confirmed . the choice is not initially. Therefore, Geoffrey was able to immediately assist as a military during the revolt from 1173 to 1174 . He led an army in northern England with great skill, while his father took action against Geoffrey's half-brothers in France. Geoffrey crowned his campaign with the capture of the Scottish King William I , who had invaded northern England. He then forced Hugh du Puiset , who was wavering in his loyalty , to swear allegiance to the Bishop of Durham, Henry II. When Henry II and Geoffrey met in 1174 after the suppression of the revolt in Huntingdon , the king is said to have hugged Geoffrey warmly and called him his only rightful son, because his half-brothers had revolted against their father. In October 1174 Geoffrey accompanied his father to Normandy , and it was not until July 1175, perhaps after the king's visit to Pope Alexander III, that Richard of Dover , Archbishop of Canterbury, confirmed the election of Geoffrey as bishop. On August 1, 1175, Geoffrey ceremoniously entered Lincoln.

Activity as bishop

Presumably because his father then sent Geoffrey to Tours for spiritual training , only a few documents have survived from Geoffrey's tenure in Lincoln. It was not until Christmas 1178 that Geoffrey returned to Lincoln as a deacon and took over the administration of the diocese's temporalities . He filled the offices of the diocese with studied clergy and also counted Peter von Blois among his personal friends. To this end, he donated two bells for Lincoln Cathedral , redeemed pledged furnishings for the cathedral for £ 300 and bought back lands from the diocese. However, around 1180 he raised a high tax in his diocese, for which his father strongly reprimanded him. Nevertheless, he kept in good contact with Henry II. In March 1178 he and his half-brother Johann Ohneland sailed from Southampton to Normandy and Christmas 1178 he spent with his father in Winchester . When Geoffrey was in Argentan with his father in early 1181 , the Pope vigorously protested the fact that Geoffrey had still not been ordained a bishop and that Lincoln had been without an ordained bishop for fifteen years. Geoffrey should either resign or finally be ordained. Although the Pope ultimately tolerated further delay, Geoffrey renounced his office as bishop when his father appointed him royal chancellor. In February 1181 Geoffrey publicly resigned his office as bishop in France. He repeated this on January 6, 1182 before the assembled English bishops in Marlborough .

Service as royal chancellor

First years as Chancellor

From his predecessor as Chancellor, Ralph de Warneville , Geoffrey also took over the office of Archdeacon of Rouen and that of Treasurer of the Archdiocese of York . In addition, his father gave him the castles of Baugé in Anjou and Langeais in Touraine as well as possessions in England and Normandy, from which he had an annual income of 500 marks . Despite this considerable endowment with possessions, Geoffrey made little appearance as Chancellor, while Walter de Coutances, as his keeper of the seals, apparently performed most of the duties of the office. It is not clear which services Geoffrey took on for the king, because Geoffrey is only mentioned sporadically in 1182 and 1185 in the king's entourage. Perhaps he was temporarily in Italy or even in Palestine , because barons from the Kingdom of Jerusalem offered Henry II the crown of the kingdom for one of his sons. According to a letter from Peter von Blois, Geoffrey was a possible candidate for the Crown of Jerusalem. The Italian-born Simon of Apulia , who later became Chancellor of the Archdiocese of York and Dean of York Minster and first appeared in the service of Geoffrey in England in 1189, speaks for Geoffrey's stay in France .

Role in the war with France from 1187 to 1189

When the war between France and England broke out in the spring of 1187, Henry II appointed Geoffrey to one of the commanders of his army in May 1187, to whom he subordinated about a quarter of his troops. Together with his father he had to evacuate Le Mans from the French in June 1189 . They couldn't hold Tours either. When the sick Henry II had to surrender to the French King Philip II in Colombiers , Geoffrey was not present at this humiliation of his father. He then accompanied him to Chinon Castle , where he tended him until his death. Before his death, the king gave Geoffrey two of his rings and declared in his last will that Geoffrey should be either Bishop of Winchester or Archbishop of York. Geoffrey apparently preferred the office of archbishop, because after the king's death on July 6, 1189, he illegally used the royal seal to seal three appointments in York. He then transferred his father's body to the Fontevrault family grave . There he met his half-brother Richard , to whom he gave the royal seal. Eleven days later, Richard, who was now King of England as heir to Henry II, nominated him as a candidate for the office of Archbishop of York. On August 10, 1189, Geoffrey was elected to the Cathedral Chapter.

York Minster's crypt is the only part of the church that has survived from the time of Geoffreys of York

Archbishop of York

First disputes in York

The reports of Geoffrey's next steps are contradicting. After Gerald of Wales he hesitated to accept the office of Archbishop, while Benedict of Peterborough writes that he immediately sent his officials to York to take over the Archbishop's holdings. A minority of the canons of the Cathedral Chapter of York who were not present at the election turned to Pope Clement III. with the request not to recognize the election of Geoffrey because several canons, but also the dean Hubert Walter and Bishop Hugh de Puiset of Durham were not present at the election. Richard I only half-heartedly supported his half-brother's ambitions in York. On August 30th, he handed the administration of the archbishopric back to Hubert Walter in Windsor , withdrew the temporalities and delayed the confirmation of Geoffrey's election. It was not until the Council of Pipewell on September 16, 1189 that the king confirmed the election. He also claimed his right to appoint the Dean of York and appointed Henry Marshal to succeed Hubert Walter, who was elected Bishop of Salisbury. He also appointed Burchard du Puiset , a nephew of Hugh de Puiset, treasurer and Roger of London abbot of Selby Abbey . These three officials all became bitter opponents of Geoffrey. When Geoffrey objected to the appointments, the king confiscated both the archiepiscopal lands and Geoffrey's possessions in France, so that he was forced to submit to his brother and be ordained a priest. Geoffrey quickly implemented this by being ordained a priest in Southwell on September 23rd by his newly ordained suffragan Bishop John , Bishop of Whithorn . Geoffrey snubbed Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury , who claimed the right to ordain the Archbishop of York for himself. Geoffrey now traveled to York, where, with the support of numerous members of the cathedral chapter, he refused to appoint Burchard du Puiset, treasurer nominated by his brother, until his own election had been confirmed by the Pope.

Conflict with Richard I before he left for the crusade

The king was annoyed that the officials he appointed were not appointed by Geoffrey, thus putting Geoffrey into question his authority. He had Geoffrey's urgent letters to the Pope intercepted and first sent him to northern England in November. From there Geoffrey escorted the Scottish King William I to Canterbury , where he paid homage to the English king for his English possessions. In Canterbury, Geoffrey met his opponents Archbishop Baldwin, the former Dean of York and current Bishop Hubert Walter and Bishop Hugh de Puiset. Walter and Hugh Puiset made numerous accusations against Geoffrey before the papal legate Giovanni di Anagni . However, Giovanni di Anagni confirmed the election of Geoffrey as archbishop, but left the final decision to the Pope. Before the King returned Geoffrey, he had to promise to pay him £ 2,000 to finance the Third Crusade , confirm the King's appointments in York, confirm the privileges of the Diocese of Durham and the ordination of Abbot Roger of Selby accept. Geoffrey had more trouble in York. After an unworthy argument had broken out during Vespers on the eve of Epiphany in 1190, Geoffrey dismissed several clergymen from their offices the next day. He excommunicated the instigators of the dispute, Henry Marshal and Burchard du Puiset .

At the beginning of 1190 Richard I called his half-brother to Normandy and demanded the payment of the agreed £ 2,000. Hugh de Puiset, whom the king had in the meantime appointed his legal advisor, had prevented Geoffrey from collecting the money. When Geoffrey could not pay the money, the king, before embarking on his crusade, ruthlessly had Geoffrey's possessions confiscated, increased the fee and made Geoffrey promise not to return to England within three years during his absence. On March 7, the Pope confirmed the election of Geoffrey as Archbishop, but it was not until June that the two half-brothers officially reconciled in Tours. It was not until July 1190 that Richard, when he was already in Vézelay , gave Geoffrey his land back after he had paid his brother 800 marks.

Confrontation with the Justiciar William de Longchamp

Geoffrey initially stayed in France after Richard I's departure and waited for the Pope to confirm his election. After the Queen Mother Eleanor of Aquitaine had stood up for Geoffrey, the new Pope Celestine III allowed. in May 1191 his episcopal ordination by Archbishop Barthelemy of Tours. Geoffrey's next steps were predictable. After receiving the pallium from Abbot Gottfried von Marmoutier on August 18, 1191 , he ignored his brother's ban and landed in Dover, England, on September 14 . The royal chancellor and justiciar William de Longchamp , who was also the papal legate, then ordered Geoffrey's arrest. Geoffrey, however, had been warned and fled to the sanctuary at St Martin's Priory near Dover. After a five-day siege, Longchamp's followers invaded the church. They forcibly dragged Geoffrey, who was wearing the robes of an archbishop, from the altar during Mass and locked him in Dover Castle . This attack on the archbishop, reminiscent of the assassination of Thomas Becket over twenty years ago, outraged the English bishops, although they had previously felt ignored in Tours rather than Canterbury because of the ordination of Geoffrey. Bishops Richard Fitz Nigel of London and John of Oxford of Norwich intervened on behalf of Geoffrey, who was released after eight days in prison. Bishop Hugo of Lincoln excommunicated the Longchamp followers who violated the sanctuary, and the incident resulted in the overthrow of Longchamp, who had to go into exile. However, Geoffrey entered London on October 2, 1191 via Canterbury, where he visited the grave of Thomas Becket, to great acclaim.

Conflict with Bishop Hugh de Puiset

Since Archbishop Baldwin had died during the crusade, Geoffrey was now the most senior prelate in England. On All Saints' Day in 1191 he was enthroned in York . He soon began a personal argument with Hugh de Puiset over the question of obedience . Puiset, who had been Bishop of Durham for almost 40 years, replied that he had already pledged obedience to the former Archbishop Roger de Pont l'Évêque and refused a new pledge. Then Geoffrey excommunicated before Christmas 1191 Puiset and before 2 February 1192 he imposed the excommunication of all followers Puisets. Both parties turned to the Pope in Rome several times, including Alice of Clementhorpe , the prioress of Godstow , who feared that Geoffrey might appropriate her monastery because of family claims that probably stemmed from his mother. Pope Celestine III, Queen Eleonore, Walter de Coutances and Hugo von Lincoln intervened in the conflict between Geoffrey and Puiset. Geoffrey exacerbated the situation when, as Archbishop of York, he had a cross carried forward in the area of ​​the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury . With this gesture he violated the rights of the Archbishop of Canterbury and angered the bishops of the ecclesiastical province. In October 1192 the dispute between Geoffrey and Puiset was resolved when the papal envoy released Puiset as bishop from his obligation to obey Geoffrey. When Johann Ohneland rebelled against his brother King Richard in the spring of 1193 , Geoffrey and Puiset even allied themselves against Johann, who was also Geoffrey's half-brother. Geoffrey had Doncaster fortified and assisted Puiset in the siege of Tickhill Castle , a castle owned by Johann Ohneland, until a truce was signed.

Another conflict with the cathedral chapter of York and with Archbishop Hubert Walter

When Geoffrey sold a large part of the church treasure of York in 1193 to raise with the ransom for the captive King Richard, he again turned the cathedral chapter of York against him. The cathedral chapter was annoyed by Geoffrey's attempts to get his half-brother Peter a benefice in York. First, Geoffrey had tried to make Peter Dean of York Minster. When this failed, Geoffrey wanted to appoint Peter Chancellor of the Archdiocese and the previous Chancellor Simon of Apulia as Dean. Simon of Apulia did not want to give up his previous office, whereupon Geoffrey nominated the royal official Philip of Poitou as a candidate for the office of dean. The angry cathedral chapter then elected Simon of Apulia himself as dean, who then accepted the election. Geoffrey then turned to the Roman Curia, while Simon went there himself. When the king, who was in captivity in Germany, learned of the controversial election, he forbade Geoffrey's objections to the election and summoned him to his home. However, Geoffrey was prevented from traveling to Germany by his unruly canons. They refused to serve and denied Geoffrey access to York Minster. With his characteristic energy, Geoffrey reacted to this refusal by removing and excommunicating the leaders of the rebellious canons on January 1, 1194. To this end, he appointed new officials. However, Simon of Apulia was already on the way to Rome, where he was on May 17, 1194 by Pope Celestine III. was appointed as dean. Encouraged by this, the canons accused Geoffrey of simony , extortion, violence and neglect of his duties. These accusations were corroborated by Abbot Roger of Selby and eleven other English abbots. The Pope then ordered Geoffrey to reverse his unlawful impeachments within forty days. On June 16, he placed the entire Church of York under his protection. Meanwhile, in March 1194, Geoffrey and Hubert Walter, who had meanwhile become Archbishop of Canterbury, met Richard, who had been ransomed from captivity, in Nottingham . Although Nottingham was in the ecclesiastical province of York , Walter, the primate of all England, had a cross carried forward there. In Nottingham, Geoffrey offered the king a one-time fee of 3000 marks and 100 marks annually for the office of sheriff of Yorkshire . The king needed the money and installed Geoffrey as sheriff despite his spiritual status. In order not to snub Geoffrey, he did not intervene when Geoffrey had a cross carried forward in April 1194 in Waltham within the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury. To this end, he returned his confiscated property in France and reconciled him with his adversary Longchamp. However, when the king left England again on May 12, 1194 and traveled to his French possessions, he left Geoffrey's opponent Hubert Walter as royal justiciar . In the summer of 1194 he sent a judicial commission to York to investigate the controversial activities of Geoffrey as sheriff. The judges imprisoned Geoffrey's servants, and when Geoffrey refused to appear before the judges, they confiscated all of his property except his residence in Ripon . To this end, they appointed two officers who should take the place of Geoffrey as sheriff. On the orders of the Pope, Bishop Puiset reinstated the canons in York who had been excommunicated and deposed by Geoffrey. Geoffrey appealed against this papal judgment. He was now trying to raise his brother Peter Archdeacon of the West Riding of Yorkshire . However, this failed, as did the attempt to give the office to Peter de Dinan instead of Peter . Then Geoffrey traveled to France in the autumn of 1194. There he met the king in Maine , gave him 1,000 marks and promised to give him another 1,000 marks. The king then confirmed the possession of his goods in France and forgave him the illegal use of the great seal of Henry II after his death. However, he allowed the three incumbents appointed by Geoffrey in 1189, who were now Geoffrey's opponents in York, that they could buy back their offices for £ 100 each. In January 1195 a papal commission chaired by Bishop Hugo von Lincoln decided that Geoffrey had to answer for his offenses on June 1, 1195 before the Pope in Rome. Otherwise he would be suspended as archbishop .

Conflict with Richard I.

In York the situation worsened to such an extent that Geoffrey's servants were accused of having attacked Simon of Apulia when he returned to York with his certificate of appointment as dean. On Maundy Thursday 1195, the canons of York tossed the chrism consecrated by Bishop John de Whithorn on the dung heap and turned in vain to Bishop Hugo of Lincoln for assistance. King Richard forbade Geoffrey to go to Rome so he would not appear before the Pope in June. When Geoffrey presented his complaints about his adversaries to King Richard, the latter accused him of his insolence. Geoffrey had to watch as the triumphant Hubert Walter held a council from June 14th to 15th in York . Geoffrey's lawyers at least managed to get the curia to extend the deadline by which he was supposed to appear in Rome to November 1, 1195. But when Geoffrey did not appear in Rome, the Pope instructed Bishop Hugo von Lincoln to suspend Geoffrey. Hugo von Lincoln protested against this order and said he would rather be suspended than suspend Geoffrey. However, on December 23, the Pope personally confirmed the judgment, strengthening the authority of Simon of Apulia in York. Geoffrey was then forced to submit. In 1196 he traveled to Rome, where he had to face the accusations of his opponents. In a dramatic process, he was able to refute the allegations, so that he was reinstated as archbishop by the Pope. On his way back to England he met King Richard in France , who, however, no longer accepted him as archbishop because of his misconduct. Thereupon Geoffrey returned to Rome, where he was presumably until the death of Pope Celestine III. Remained in early 1198. His officials, Master Honorius and Master Ralph of Kyme, administered the Archdiocese of York during his absence. Probably only when King Richard found out about the rumor after the new Pope Innocent III. Geoffrey had appointed papal legate , the king received Geoffrey again in 1198. However, when Simon of Apulia came to the meeting of Geoffrey and Richard in Normandy in May 1198, there was again an open dispute. Geoffrey refused to acknowledge the granting of spiritual benefices Richard had made while he was away in Rome. The king then revoked the award of the Archdeaconate of Richmond to Master Honorius. Instead, he appointed Roger of St Edmund’s , one of his own officials, as archdeacon, who was promptly installed in office by Simon of Apulia in York. When Pope Innocent III. urged the king to be reconciled with Geoffrey under threat of papal reprimand, the king asked the bishops Philip of Poitou of Durham, Eustace of Ely , Godfrey de Lucy of Winchester, John de Coutances of Worcester and Savaric FitzGeldewin of Bath to find a compromise Negotiate Geoffrey. He insisted that Geoffrey confirm the benefices he had given before recognizing him again as archbishop. Geoffrey agreed on the condition that the bishops represented this compromise before the Pope. When they refused, Geoffrey traveled back to Rome. There, on April 28, 1199, the Pope announced that Geoffrey would receive the York Templates again if he had paid his debts to the King. Royal officials who received spiritual benefices from Richard should either waive them or seek confirmation of their benefices from the archbishop within six months. Otherwise they face the imposition of the interdict . To this end, the Pope decided that he would decide himself in future disputes in the Archdiocese of York. Before he could tell Richard this in a letter, however, Richard died.

Another argument in York

The new king was Johann Ohneland, the youngest brother of Richard and Geoffrey. Since Geoffrey was still in Rome, he could not attend his coronation. Johann gave the temporalities of the Archdiocese of York to Geoffrey's officials, while numerous clergymen who had received their offices from King Richard resigned them. Although the Pope advised against it, Geoffrey met with Johann on June 24, 1199 in Rouen, and the meeting is said to have taken place in a friendly atmosphere. The Pope now sent Geoffrey several counselors, including Master Pierre de Corbeil and Master Columbus . Master Stephen Langton , who later became Archbishop of Canterbury, also testified to several documents from Geoffrey during this period. Both the Archbishop and the Cathedral Chapter promised to abide by the judgments of the judges appointed by the Pope. Geoffrey was threatened with a fine of 200 marks if he failed to keep this promise. However, when the cathedral chapter demanded payment of the fine because of the presumptuous behavior of Geoffrey's officials, the king summoned Geoffrey to his court. After August 1199, Geoffrey is therefore regularly mentioned in the King’s entourage, and in March 1200 both were in York together. The papal commissioners succeeded again in reconciling Geoffrey with the cathedral chapter of York.

Conflict with King Johann Ohneland

On the other hand, there was soon another dispute between Geoffrey and Johann Ohneland over money and the sovereignty of the king over the church. Possibly because of this dispute, the king made several trips to northern England during this time. In October 1200, the king expropriated the archbishop when he refused to allow royal officials in his diocese to levy the carucage , a tax on arable land. Johann deposed Geoffrey as sheriff of Yorkshire and gave the office to his confidante Geoffrey fitz Peter . This put James of Poterne as his representative, whereupon Geoffrey Poterne excommunicated. It was only when Geoffrey met Johann in Dover in October and at the funeral of Hugo von Lincoln in November that his brother gave him back his possessions, while Geoffrey lifted the excommunication of Poterne. However, when Geoffrey stayed away from the king's negotiations with France and again hindered the elevation of the Carucage, there was another dispute with the king. Johann now asked Geoffrey to pay the debt of 3,000 marks still outstanding from Richard's rule. When he visited Beverley in January 1201 , he ordered the arrest of Geoffrey's officials. Geoffrey then reconciled with his opponents in March, whereupon he was pardoned by the king in May. In return for a promise to pay the king £ 1000, Geoffrey's officials were released.

Another argument in York

The balance reached in 1200 between Geoffrey and the Cathedral Chapter of York did not last long. The dispute arose when the Dean and the Cathedral Chapter of York, with the approval of the King, appointed Canon Hugh Murdac , rather than Geoffrey's candidate Master Ralph of Kyme, as Archdeacon of Cleveland . This inevitably led to objections to the Curia and litigation, and Geoffrey excommunicated Hugh, who had previously been one of his few supporters in York. Eventually an agreement was reached whereby Murdac remained archdeacon while Ralph of Kyme became precentor of York Minster. Another dispute broke out when Geoffrey could not get his half-brother Morgan the office of provost of Beverley Minster . In addition, he got into an argument with Master Honorius about the Archdeaconate of Richmond. In contrast, in 1201 he reverently received Abbot Eustace of Saint-Germer-de-Fly , who vigorously preached for a new crusade. Other disputes were sometimes more successful for Geoffrey. In October 1201 the Pope supported him in a dispute with Philip of Poitou, Bishop of Durham. From 1201 onwards, there was a protracted dispute with the cathedral chapter over the position of master at St Peter's Hospital in York, in which numerous judges commissioned by the Pope were involved. Eventually, Geoffrey's candidate Ralph of Nottingham took office in 1204. There were further conflicts with several monasteries in the Archdiocese of York, including from March 1202 with Guisborough Priory . By May 1202, Pope Innocent received so many complaints about Geoffrey that he ordered an investigation into whether Geoffrey was still up to his duties as archbishop. For this he ordered both Geoffrey and Dean Simon of Apulia and members of the cathedral chapter to Rome. In June 1202 the Pope placed the parish of Scarborough under his protection against attacks by Geoffrey, and in December 1202 ordered an investigation into the complaints made by the prior and monks of the Durham Cathedral Convention. They complained that Geoffrey was deliberately delaying the appointment of new positions in order to receive the income from those positions during the vacancy . The Pope thereupon awarded the income from the vacant positions no longer to the Archbishop of York, but to the Cathedral Convention of Durham, and he ordered that all positions that had been vacant for more than four months had to be filled immediately with the designated candidates . Geoffrey led further conflicts with Meaux Abbey over their exemption from church tithing , with Peter Thebert, who was a nephew of Philip of Poitou and who did not want to use Geoffrey as pastor of Howden in 1203 , and with the canons of the collegiate church of Kirkham . In November 1203, on the orders of the Pope, Geoffrey supported Fountains Abbey with Philip of Poitou in a dispute .

The dispute with Johann Ohneland and exile came to a head

In the spring of 1204 the king was again at Geoffrey's guest in York, but a little later there was another dispute between the two half-brothers. The king suspected Geoffrey of improperly paying the requested shield money . He confiscated Geoffrey's property and had two of his followers arrested. King Johann continued his harassment against Johann at least until May 29, 1205. Geoffrey retired to Southwell, but before April 1205 Dean Simon and the Treasurer of York imposed an interdict on Southwell after Geoffrey failed to repay his debts. Geoffrey also had a dispute with Thurgarton Priory near Southwell . On the other hand, his documents prove that he was not inactive during this time, but assigned vicariates as bishop, confirmed offices and successfully installed his chaplain Alan as provost of Beverley Minster. Finally he submitted to the king again, whereupon he received his goods back in early January 1206. The king forgave him on January 25, 1206, and on February 12 the king was again his guest in York. On February 14, 1206, Geoffrey paid 700 marks to Johann in Knaresborough , who then returned the forest sovereignty over Nottingham Forest to him on February 16 . However, Geoffrey had to accept that the king gave several benefices in York to his officials. When the king imposed a tax on the thirteenth part of all church income and on the movable property of the clergy in 1207, Geoffrey resisted as best he could. He excommunicated all tax collectors in the ecclesiastical province of York and tried, together with the Bishop of Durham, to change the king's mind. But Johann only mocked him and had Geoffrey's possessions occupied. He kept the income from the diocese for himself. Geoffrey then turned to the Pope, who then threatened the imposition of the interdict on the ecclesiastical province of York as long as Geoffrey was not compensated by the king. The king ignored this threat, so that on May 27, 1208, the Pope renewed his threat in a letter. The king did not respond to this letter either, whereupon Geoffrey fled to France because of his powerlessness. The king immediately had the temporalities of York confiscated. According to the chronicler Geoffrey of Coldingham , Geoffrey was then considered a martyr in England.

Little is known about the time of Geoffrey's exile. He was no longer reconciled with his brother Johann Ohneland and did not return to England either. He died in Normandy, but the exact date of his death is unknown. Geoffrey was in the Grand Mont Waldensian branch Notre Dame du Parc buried that his father set up to 1156 outside the city walls of Rouen and was perhaps occurred as a monk in the Geoffrey. Allegedly his grave inscription was still preserved there in 1767.

Other activity as archbishop

Though Geoffrey endeavored to fulfill his duties as Archbishop, conditions in the Archdiocese of York were difficult and confused due to the numerous and violent conflicts Geoffrey had with the Dean Simon of Apulia, with the Cathedral Chapter and with the Archdeacons of York, Cleveland and Richmond. Geoffrey's frequent absence from York also interfered with the proper administration of the diocese. During his absence civil servants took over the administration of the diocese, in addition the dean, the chancellor Simon of Apulia, who later rose to dean, and the precentor Hamo, who later became treasurer, took over the administration. Their administration became increasingly better organized, all of which did not testify to any of the archbishop's later documents. Since Geoffrey found little support in York, canons from Southwell, Ripon and Beverley were among his entourage. According to his documents, he was able to build an experienced household around himself, especially since Pope Innocent III. supported since 1199. His household also included personal friends whom he presumably knew as scholars from his time in Northampton and Tours. Because of the conflicts in York, he tried to administer his diocese from Southwell or Ripon. He had his documents attested by more than 50 members of his household. Due to the conflicts within the archdiocese, he was only able to reward his entourage with a few and mostly insignificant offices. Exceptions included his chaplain Alan, who was canon in Ripon and in 1205 provost of Beverley Minster. On the other hand, Geoffrey also successfully introduced innovations in the administration of the diocese. In 1189 he created the office of chancellor, whose first incumbent his later opponent was Simon of Apulia. In addition, after 1191 he insisted on his rightful status as a Primate of England. Faced with hostility to Bishop Puiset of Durham, Geoffrey worked with his suffragan bishop John of Whithorn until about 1194. In 1201 he claimed that the Isle of Man bishopric was one of his suffragan bishops, and its bishop Michael was indeed occasionally among his entourage. On the other hand, in 1203 Pope Innocent installed Bishop Bernard as bishop of the Carlisle diocese , which had previously had no bishop for decades. In the last few years of Geoffrey's tenure, York has seen a notable slump in vicar re-filling.

A richly illuminated psalter was made for Geoffrey , which later came into the possession of the French King Louis the Saint . In 1741 it was bought by the Leiden University Library .

The Expulsion from Paradise, scene from the Leiden Psalter made for Geoffrey of York

rating

Most notable from Geoffrey's time as archbishop is his ability to spark disputes. This was probably due to his temperament, but also to his position as the king's illegitimate favorite son. Few bishops had such formidable opponents as Geoffrey and his half-brothers Richard and Johann, and few archbishops had suffragan bishops as persistent and assertive as Hugh de Puiset. Geoffrey himself was able to show affection and willful loyalty, especially to his father, but also to his illegitimate half-brothers and his officials. Noteworthy is his support from students and scholars. He showed his personal courage during the rebellion from 1173 to 1174 and as leader of the English bishops against John in 1207. Despite his frequent absence and his conflicts, his documents show that he had considerable interest in the administration of his diocese. However, he did not make any noteworthy foundations. His faults were primarily his impetuosity and his inability to properly assess the political situation. The hostility of Walter Map and Simon of Apulia is his long friendship with Hugo von Lincoln and the patient support of Innocent III. across from.

literature

• Marie Lovatt: The career and administration of Geoffrey Archbishop of York, 1151–1212 University of Cambridge, dissertation, Cambridge 1974
• Decima L. Douie: Archbishop Geoffrey Plantagenet and the chapter of York , St. Anthony's Press, York 1960

Web links

• Geoffrey Longespée on thepeerage.com , accessed July 26, 2015.
• Geoffrey Plantagenet. Edited from Richard John King's "Handbook to the Cathedrals of England: Northern Division" (1903)
• Kate Norgate: Geoffrey (d.1212) , in: Dictionary of National Biography . Volume XXI . Macmillan, Smith, Elder & Co., London and New York 1890
• Marie Lovatt: Geoffrey (1151? –1212). 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

Individual evidence

1. ^ John T. Appleby: Johann "Ohneland". King of England . Riederer, Stuttgart 1965, p. 49
2. ^ John T. Appleby: Johann "Ohneland". King of England . Riederer, Stuttgart 1965, p. 93
3. ^ The Courtauld Institute of Art: The Leiden Psalter: Production, Patronage and Ownership. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; accessed on March 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

predecessor	Office	successor
Robert de Chesney	Bishop of Lincoln 1173–1181	Walter de Coutances
Roger de Pont l'Évêque	Archbishop of York 1191–1212	Walter de Gray
Ralph de Warneville	Lord Chancellor of England 1181–1189	William de Longchamp