Robert de Chaury

Robert de Chaury (also Robert de Chauncy ) († uncertain: October 3, 1278 ) was an English clergyman. From 1257 he was Bishop of Carlisle .

Origin and advancement as a courtier

Little is known about Robert's origins. He was an illegitimate son and probably named himself after Chawreth in Essex . In 1243, because of his illegitimate origin, he received a papal dispensation so that he could take on spiritual offices. In 1244 he belonged to the household of Queen Eleanor of Provence . In 1249 he rose to Comptroller of the Queen's Wardrobe , making him responsible for the finances of the royal household. In 1255 he became Chamberlain of the Exchequer , thus holding a high office in the treasury. For his services he received numerous benefices , especially in Wiltshire and Somerset , including the office of Archdeacon of Bath before January 1257 . As a favorite of King Heinrich III. he was a candidate as bishop for a vacant diocese, but his appointment as bishop of the northern English diocese of Carlisle came as a surprise.

Bishop of Carlisle

Election to bishop

After the death of Bishop Thomas de Vipont in October 1256, the cathedral chapter of Carlisle had initially elected Robert de St Agatha , the archdeacon of Northumberland, to be bishop. However, he refused the election at the end of 1256, whereupon Robert de Chaury was elected bishop under pressure from King Robert de Chaury. Sewal de Bovill , the Archbishop of York tried to prevent Chaury's election and instead proposed his Chancellor John Gervase as bishop. Chaury then turned to Pope Alexander IV , who confirmed his choice. On September 29, 1257, Chaury was given the temporalities and on April 14, 1258 he was ordained bishop in Bermondsey .

Relationship with the English kings

As a bishop, Chaury continued to enjoy the favor of the king, against whom a noble opposition had risen in 1258. Chaury accompanied the king to France at the end of 1259, where he signed the Treaty of Paris . Chaury then traveled on to Rome, where he managed affairs in his diocese. In October 1263 he was in London, where he probably took part in Parliament , and when it came to the open Second War of the Barons in 1264 , he was part of the king's entourage when he was in the power of the rebellious barons after the Battle of Lewes . After the royal party's victory at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265, Chaury continued to maintain the king's favor. On October 13, 1269 he took part in the consecration of Westminster Abbey . In 1270 he took over the office of sheriff of Cumberland , which he held until May 1272. He was one of the few bishops of the late 13th century who exercised a sheriff's office. The king thanked him for his services by providing Chaury with game and wood from the royal forests. To this end, the rights of the Diocese of Carlisle were confirmed in January 1271. To the new King Edward I , who after the death of Heinrich III. Chaury succeeded his father in 1272, but had a worse relationship. Richard de Crepping , his successor as sheriff, accused him of preventing his vassals from swearing allegiance to the new king. Perhaps that is why Chaury never enjoyed the favor of Edward I, who in 1278 stripped him of the rights to the Church of Rothbury in Northumberland. As a result, Chaury lost about a fifth of his income.

Act as a bishop

Chaury upheld the old but futile claim of the Diocese of Carlisle to have sovereignty over the Diocese of Glasgow . As bishop he administered his diocese conscientiously. He tried to implement further church reforms in accordance with the resolutions of the fourth Lateran Council of 1215 and, following the example of the Diocese of Bath and Wells, issued the first known diocesan statutes of Carlisle. These regulated marriages, tithes, and estates. In addition, Chaury was careful to safeguard his rights and the preservation of the possessions of the diocese. In 1258 he made a visitation to the cathedral chapter of Carlisle, whereupon the prior resigned. When the mighty Thomas of Multon, Lord of Gilsland occupied Lanercost Priory , Chaury protested vigorously, and also when 1275 mills of the Wetheral Priory were damaged. After twenty years in office, he died in early October 1278. He was buried in Carlisle Cathedral.

literature

• Henry Summerson: Fearing God, honoring the king: the episcopate of Robert de Chaury, bishop of Carlisle, 1258-1278. In: Michael Prestwich, Richard Britnell, Robin Frame: Thirteenth century England 10: proceedings of the Durham conference, 2003 Boydell, Woodbridge 2005, ISBN 1-84383-122-8 , pp. 147-154

Web links

• Henry Summerson: Chaury, Robert de (d. 1278). 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
Robert de St Agatha (elect)	Bishop of Carlisle 1257–1278	Ralph of Irton