Savaric Fitz Money win

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Savaric FitzGeldewin († August 8, 1205 ) was an English clergyman. From 1191 he was Bishop of Bath and Wells .

origin

Savaric was a son of Geldwin and his wife Estrangia (also Extranea ), who probably came from Burgundy . Through his father he was a grandson of Savaric Fitzcana , Lord of Midhurst in Sussex . Savaric Fitzcana's wife Muriel was a daughter of Richard de Meri and granddaughter of Humphrey I de Bohun , so Savaric was a second cousin of his predecessor as bishop, Reginald fitz Jocelin . About his mother he was probably with the Roman-German Emperor Heinrich VI. related, whose mother Beatrix also came from Burgundy. Both Savaric's kinship with his predecessor Reginald and kinship with the emperor played a role in his appointment as bishop.

Rise to Bishop of Bath and Wells

Savaric was already Archdeacon of Canterbury and perhaps Salisbury when he exchanged office as Archdeacon of Canterbury with Herbert Poor , Archdeacon of Northampton, in 1175 . Little is known about his activities in these offices. Instead, King Henry II , to whom Savaric was heavily in debt, complained to Pope Urban III. about him. This was believed to be related to Savaric's suspension from office between 1182 and 1184. Undoubtedly, Savaric wanted to be raised to bishop. He took a crusade vow and took part in the Third Crusade under King Richard I from 1190 . During the trip to the Holy Land , during a stopover in Sicily in April 1191, he was able to obtain approval from the king to be elected bishop of a vacant diocese. The King sent this approval in writing to Reginald Fitz Jocelin with the instruction to forward this to the Justiciar . Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury died in November 1190 during the Crusade in the Holy Land. Both Emperor Heinrich VI. Like the French King Philip II , they now turned to the monks of the Cathedral Priory of Canterbury and supported the election of Reginald Fitz Jocelin as the new Archbishop, while also praising Savaric's virtues. On November 27, 1191 Reginald was elected as the new archbishop. Before he was enthroned , he traveled to Bath , where he recommended that the Cathedral Priory elect Savaric as his successor. On the way back he fell ill and died. Before his death he gave the prior Walter of Bath accompanying him the letter of the king, in which the king agreed to the election of Savaric as bishop. In view of this letter, Justiciar Walter de Coutances confirmed the choice. The cathedral chapter of Wells , which also claimed the right to the election of bishops, protested in vain against the election, which took place without his consent. Savaric broke off the crusade. He was ordained a priest and bishop on September 19, 1192 in Rome. He spent most of 1193 in Germany, where he and Emperor Heinrich VI. negotiated the release of Richard I, who was captured on the way back. He only returned to England towards the end of the year. At that time, the emperor was considering enfeoffing Richard with the kingdom of Arelat , and Savaric was already appointed Arch Chancellor of Burgundy. In this office, however, he did not appear before 1197. In 1194 he returned as one of the hostages held for the release of Richard until the ransom was paid in full.

Bishop of Bath

The union of the Diocese of Bath with Glastonbury Abbey

Savaric had also used the negotiations with the emperor to his own advantage. In addition to demanding the enormous ransom for Richard's release, the emperor also stipulated that the previously independent Glastonbury Abbey be placed under the diocese of Bath and Wells . In return, the Bishop of Bath and Wells had to hand over the city of Bath to the King. At the same time Savaric defeated Pope Celestine III. the union of the Diocese of Bath with Glastonbury Abbey. With the support of King Richard, the previous Abbot of Glastonbury, Henry de Sully , became Bishop of Worcester. On December 5, 1193, Savaric invited the prior and two monks of the monastery to Bath and announced to them that he was the new abbot. On the same day, with the approval of the King, his officials took over the administration of Glastonbury.

The monks protested against the loss of their independent position with King Richard. After his release in 1194, he relieved Savaric from the office of abbot, but before Easter 1195 the Pope confirmed the union of Glastonbury with the diocese. Presumably from this time on, Savaric referred to himself as Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury . The monks also protested against the Pope's order, whereupon Savaric traveled back to Rome. There he received renewed confirmation of the association from the Pope in the summer of 1196, at the same time the Pope forbade the monks to choose their own abbot. Even the protest of the monks with the Archbishop of Canterbury was unsuccessful, so that the representatives of Savarics were able to take possession of the monastery again in November 1197. In 1198 they made an inventory of the wealth of the monastery, but with the death of Celestine III. in January 1198 Savaric lost his most important supporter. On August 29, 1198, the king placed Glastonbury under his administration and in October allowed the monks to elect a new abbot. In a letter to the Curia , he stated that he would leave the monastery to Savaric under duress during his imprisonment. On November 25, 1198, the monks elected William Pica as the new abbot, whom Savaric immediately excommunicated . When King Richard died in April 1199, however, Savaric is said to have bought his successor Johann Ohneland 's approval to return Glastonbury to his diocese. On June 6th, Savaric entered the monastery by force and reappointed himself abbot. All but eight monks protested against Savaric's enthronement, whereupon Savaric had her locked up for a day. The next day he convened a chapter meeting allegedly mistreating some monks. Most of the monks then recognized him as abbot. Those who continued to oppose him were first brought to Wells and then assigned to other monasteries. Nevertheless, both parties turned to the new Pope Innocent III. This revoked the excommunication of William Pica, but Savaric managed to get Glastonbury under his control. A little later, in September 1200, William Pica died in Rome. The monks are convinced that he had been poisoned on behalf of Savaric. In August 1202, the Pope finally appointed ecclesiastical judges who were to regulate the union of the monastery with the diocese. Then Savaric received a quarter of the monastery goods, part of the patronage rights and other rights. Despite numerous protests, this regulation also applied to his successors until the monastery was able to regain its independence in 1219.

Further work as a bishop

Like other English bishops of his time, Savaric managed to improve the administration of his diocese. His lengthy absences induced him, as the first Bishop of Bath and Wells, to appoint an official as permanent representative. In contrast to previous bishops, he took care of the parishes in his diocese, which enabled him to improve the financial support of the parish priests. He particularly favored Wells, at whose cathedral several members of his household received benefices. He continued the new construction of the cathedral that his predecessor had begun and created further new benefices, which he assigned mainly to abbots from the area of ​​his diocese. Because of the dispute over Glastonbury, he went again to Rome in 1205. He was accompanied by Peter des Roches , the elected but not yet enthroned Bishop of Winchester. The two had agreed that they would support each other's concerns in Rome. Before they reached Rome, however, Savaric died in Scienes la vielle , a previously unidentified place in Italy. His body was transferred to England and buried in Bath.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nicholas Vincent: Peter des Roches. An alien in English politics, 1205 - 1238 . Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge 2002. ISBN 0-521-52215-3 , p. 75
predecessor Office successor
Reginald Fitz Jocelin Bishop of Bath and Wells
1191–1205 		Jocelin of Wells
personal data
SURNAME Savaric Fitz Money win
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English clergyman
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH August 8, 1205