William Allen (Cardinal)
William Allen (* 1532 in Rossall , Lancashire , † October 16, 1594 in Rome ) was an English cardinal and politician .
Life
In 1547 Allen began studying at Oriel College , Oxford (1554 Magister artium). From 1556/1557 he worked as procurator of the college and from 1558 was Canon of York . After Elizabeth I ascended the throne , Allen left England in 1561 and went to Leuven . Just one year later he returned to his homeland and organized the resistance against the Protestants.
In 1565 Allen had to flee again from England. In the same year he was ordained a priest . In 1568 he founded the Collège des Anglais in Douai . In 1578, Allen's seminary was expelled from the city and he had to move it to Reims by 1593. The college, which was originally devoted only to training the English clergy for mission in their home country, later expanded its area of responsibility to include the education of lay people. The St Edmund's College and the Ushaw College emerged from the Collège des Anglais. In 1579 William Allen founded the Collegium Anglicanum . In 1580 he convinced Pope Gregory XIII. to place the task of re-Catholicizing England in the hands of the Jesuits . Allen sent among others Robert Parsons and Edmund Campion on missions to England. He himself managed the project from the mainland.
All favored the violent recatholization of England and therefore allied themselves with the supporters of Maria Stuart and Philip II. He supported Spain in planning an invasion of England. For this he was elevated to cardinal by Pope Sixtus V on August 7, 1587 and shortly afterwards installed as cardinal priest of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti . Philip II gave him an abbey in Calabria in 1588 . A year later, Allen was appointed Archbishop of Mechelen and Metropolitan of Belgium by the King of Spain .
Under Pope Gregory XIV , William Allen was appointed librarian of the Vaticana and a member of the Vulgate Revision Commission .
literature
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz : Allen, William. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 120-121.
Web links
- Allen, William. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website, English)
- Entry for William Allen on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Catholic Encyclopedia
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Johannes Hauchin |
Archbishop of Mechelen 1589–1594 |
Mathias Hovius |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Allen, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English cardinal and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1532 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rossall , Lancashire |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 16, 1594 |
| Place of death | Rome |