Thomas Bek (Lincoln)

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Thomas Bek ( February 22, 1283 , † February 15, 1347 ) was a bishop of the English diocese of Lincoln .

Origin and career as a clergyman

Thomas Bek was the third son of Walter Bek , a country nobleman from Lusby in Lincolnshire . His second oldest brother was Antony Bek , who later became Bishop of Norwich. His father died in 1291, and Bek grew up with his related Bishop Antony Bek of Durham. Thomas was also destined for a spiritual career. He probably studied at Oxford , where he graduated with a master's degree before 1317 . On 26 August 1317 he was given a sinecure at the Salisbury Cathedral , which he in 1339 against the Rector of Brompton inYorkshire traded. In 1322 he was rector of St Peter's Church in Ingoldmells in Lincolnshire. Bishop Henry Burghersh of Lincoln allowed him to study for three more years and at the same time to draw the income from his benefices. In 1327, Bek was a canon in Lincoln, and he had also earned the degree of doctor of canon law. In 1336 he was appointed rector of Clayworth , Nottinghamshire . In these offices he was represented by chaplains, because on May 7, 1329 he had been appointed by Archbishop William Melton of York as the leading official of the Archdiocese of York .

Bishop of Lincoln

Unusually for the time, in early January 1341, after the death of Bishop Burghersh , Bek was elected the new bishop of Lincoln by the cathedral chapter without the protection of the king or the pope . This makes him the last English bishop to be elected by the cathedral chapter before the Reformation under Henry VIII . On March 1, his election was confirmed by the king, but since Bek feared that the Pope might have reservations about his election, he himself traveled to Avignon . There, in fact, his election was not immediately confirmed, and the death of Pope Benedict XII. in April 1342 the confirmation was further delayed. First the new Pope Clement VI. finally confirmed the election on June 26, 1342 and consecrated him on July 7th as bishop.

As bishop he was granted the right by the king to tax his clergy in 1342. To convey this to them, he invited the clergy of his diocese to a meeting at St Mary's Church in Stamford . However, his announcement of the taxation aroused great protest there. In 1343, however, Bek began a two-year dispute with the royal government. Bek complained about the granting of benefits in his diocese by the king, including against the granting of a benefice in Lincoln to the royal official Thomas Hatfield . He refused to confirm the award, whereupon he was sharply pointed out by the Privy Council that he, as a clergyman, had to obey the king. When Bek continued to oppose the award, the king had the administration of his administrator investigated and arrested him. This was then forcibly freed and turned to Pope Clement VI. who thereupon condemned the attack on the administrator and excommunicated the attackers . Only the death of the administrator in 1344 prevented a further escalation, and in 1345 Bek had to give up his resistance to the royal government. Still, the argument continued. When a benefice was awarded in Stamford, there was renewed conflict between the king and the Diocese of Lincoln, which was supported by a papal administrator. Ultimately, on June 18, 1346 , the Vicar General John le Taillour excommunicated the Lord Chancellor , the Lord Treasurer and even the King and Queen. Taillour was immediately arrested. Bek's position on this issue is unclear, as he presumably only exercised his influence indirectly through his officials. Ultimately, the king was able to prevail, as he set off on his campaign to France shortly after the excommunication and returned as a celebrated war hero after his victory at Crécy . Given his popularity, he could therefore ignore the existing excommunication. In 1343, Bek had new church rules promulgated by Archbishop John de Stratford through his archdeacons , but over the long-standing dispute with the royal government, he neglected his supervision of the clergy in his diocese, which led to grievances. Another long-standing legal dispute between the University of Oxford and Cardinal Gaillard de la Mothe , the archdeacon of Oxford, was settled through Beck's mediation in 1345.

On November 18, 1346 he wrote his will in Nettleham in Lincolnshire, which he added on February 11, 1347. Therefore, February 2nd, occasionally cited as the date of his death, is unlikely. At his request, he was buried in Lincoln Cathedral. He left considerable debts, which is why parts of his property had to be sold, his other property fell to his sisters and to the sons of his eldest brother John.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Katherine Harvey: Episcopal appointments in England, c. 1214-1344. From episcopal election to papal provison . Ashgate, Burlington 2014. ISBN 978-1-4094-5615-5 , p. 129
  2. ^ Robert C. Palmer: English law in the age of the Black Death, 1348-1381. A transformation of governance and law. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 1993. ISBN 0-585-02897-4 , p. 42
  3. ^ Robert C. Palmer: English law in the age of the Black Death, 1348-1381. A transformation of governance and law. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 1993. ISBN 0-585-02897-4 , p. 43
  4. ^ Robert C. Palmer: English law in the age of the Black Death, 1348-1381. A transformation of governance and law. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 1993. ISBN 0-585-02897-4 , p. 41
predecessor Office successor
Henry Burghersh Bishop of Lincoln
1341–1347
John Gynwell