Thomas Bek (St Davids)

Thomas Bek (also Thomas Beck ) († May 12, 1293 ) was a bishop of the Welsh diocese of St David's .

Origin and studies

Thomas Bek was the second son of Walter Bek , a country nobleman from Eresby in Lincolnshire in England. His older brother was John Beke, 1st Baron Beke , and his younger brother was Antony Bek , who later became Bishop of Durham. Bek studied at Oxford, where he graduated with a Masters and Doctorate in Roman Law . From 1269 to 1271 he was chancellor of the University of Oxford , while he supported in 1269 the Franciscans in their dispute with the Dominicans in Oxford.

Rise in the service of the English kings

Before April 1264, Bek had contacts with the royal household, where his two brothers also served. In May 1267 Thomas received a benefice in the Church of All Saints in Pontefract and in September 1270 in Castleford . In contrast to his younger brother Antony, however, he never had a close relationship with the heir to the throne and later King Edward . On October 18, 1274, Bek was appointed administrator of the Royal Wardorbe , the royal apartments, this office he owed perhaps to the influence of his brother Antony. Like other officials in the service of the king, he received several spiritual benefices for his service, including lucrative positions as canon and archdeacon . In 1275 he became archdeacon of Dorset and in 1280 archdeacon of Berkshire . On April 19, 1278, he accompanied the King and Queen to Glastonbury Abbey , where they visited the alleged tomb of King Arthur . He was also present in 1278 when the Scottish King Alexander III. paid homage to the English king for his English possessions, and during the king's absence from France between May 8 and June 19, 1279, he served as depositary of the great seal . In 1279 he is also mentioned as Treasurer , but that probably meant his position as administrator of the Royal Wardrobe.

Bishop of St David's

Appointment and ordination as bishop

On May 17, 1280, Bek received a benefice at the Welsh Cathedral of St Davids . The local Bishop Richard of Carew had died in April, and on June 3, Bek was elected as the new Bishop of St Davids . On June 17th, the king confirmed the election. On October 6, 1280, Bek was ordained bishop by Archbishop John Pecham in Lincoln Cathedral. Since the relics of St. Hugo of Lincoln were also transferred to a new shrine that day , nine other bishops were present at the ceremony, including the bishops of the three other Welsh dioceses of Llandaff , Bangor and St Asaph , as well as the king and queen . The cost of the ceremony and the subsequent festivities were covered by Bek. After his episcopal ordination, Bek remained administrator of the royal cloakroom for six more weeks before he traveled to his diocese in western Wales in early 1281. On February 2, he celebrated a first mass at Strata Florida Abbey , and on March 1, the feast day of David of Menevia , he was enthroned in St David's Cathedral.

Role during the English conquest of Wales

Bek now devoted himself entirely to his duties as bishop. His new office meant a delicate task for the experienced royal official Bek, because the king had led a successful campaign against the Welsh princes in 1277 and forced Prince Llywelyn of Wales to recognize English suzerainty. Despite his previous closeness to the royal court, Bek criticized the English judges, who sometimes passed extremely severe judgments at the expense of the Welsh. But when it came to a new Welsh uprising against English domination in 1282, Bek offered troops to fight the Welsh princes . After the Welsh defeat and the conquest of Wales by the English, he brokered papal permission for the politically sensitive marriage of the Welsh Lord Rhys ap Maredudd to Ada Hastings, a sister of the English Baron John Hastings , through which the king secured the loyalty of the Welsh lords hoped for. In 1284 Archbishop Pecham, as Metropolitan of England, made a visit to the Welsh dioceses. While the other Welsh bishops accepted this visitation and with it the primacy of the English Archdiocese of Canterbury, the former royal confidante Bek, of all people, had objections. He only accepted the visit with the reservation that it should begin in the small village of Llanbadarn Fawr and not in St David's . The visit then went smoothly until on July 10, during a visit to St David's Cathedral, Bek questioned the Archbishop of Canterbury's jurisdiction as Metropolitan for Wales. Pecham reacted quickly and severely. He pointed out to Bek his duty of obedience, which he had vowed at his ordination, and to his previous renunciation of protests against the visitation. Then Archbishop Bek threatened excommunication if he continued his protest , whereupon Bek gave in. Despite this incident, Bek continued to be a close supporter of King Edward I. On June 1, 1284, King gave Bek the right to occupy 34 beneficiaries in his diocese, which he was allowed to fill according to his wishes, whereby Bek often resorted to royal officials from England . During the triumphant tour with which the king demonstrated his conquest of Wales, the king and queen visited St David's demonstratively as pilgrims on November 26, 1284, which was a clear sign of confidence in the bishop. Bek entertained his royal guests lavishly, for which he had to go into debt. Later the king asked him himself to take part in a crusade to the Holy Land , which Bek promised. However, this planned crusade never took place.

Act as a bishop

As a bishop, Bek supported the reform of the Welsh clergy called for by Archbishop Pecham. In 1287 he created the office of chancellor of the cathedral chapter, in addition he expanded the duties of the treasurer. In 1283 he founded a collegiate church in Llangadog , which he moved to Abergwili in 1287 , and also founded a monastery in Llanddewi Brefi . He had the bishop's residence Llawhaden Castle enlarged, and he also promoted the borough that was being built around the castle . In both Llawhaden and St David's he founded a hospital , and for St David's he granted market rights twice a week. He had the cathedral district walled, and the episcopal palace of St David's was probably significantly rebuilt under him. He was buried in St David's Cathedral.

Web links

• David Walker: Bek, Thomas (I) (d. 1293). 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
• John Edward Lloyd: BECK (or BEK), THOMAS . In: Dictionary of Welsh Biography , The National Library of Wales

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. 84
2. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 340
3. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 375

predecessor	Office	successor
Richard of Carew	Bishop of St. Davids 1280–1293	David Martin