William Courtenay

William Courtenay (* 1342 near Exminster , Devon ; † July 31, 1396 in Maidstone , Kent ) was Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England . He was also Bishop of Hereford and London .

All Saints Church in Maidstone , built under Archbishop Courtenay, 14th century.

William Courtenay came from the noble Courtenay family . His parents were Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon and Margaret Bohun . His great grandfather was King Edward I. He studied at Stapledon Hall College at Oxford University . When William Courtenay was appointed chancellor of the university in 1367, his political and ecclesiastical ascent began. On March 17, 1370 he was ordained Bishop of Hereford. In this capacity he supported the Lord Chancellor William von Wykeham in his dispute with John of Gaunt . On September 12, 1375 he was appointed Bishop of London. The following years were marked by his arguments with John of Gaunt and the church critic John Wyclif . On July 30, 1381, he was elected Archbishop of Canterbury to succeed Simon Sudbury . His first official act was the marriage of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia . As archbishop he devoted all his energy to fighting the lollards . Courtenay died on July 31, 1396 at Maidstone.

literature

Ronny Baier: Courtenay, William. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 28, Bautz, Nordhausen 2007, ISBN 978-3-88309-413-7 , Sp. 343-351. ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )

predecessor	Office	successor
Lewis Cherleton	Bishop of Hereford 1370-1375	John Gilbert
Simon Sudbury	Bishop of London 1375–1381	Robert Braybrooke
Simon Sudbury	Archbishop of Canterbury 1381–1396	Thomas Arundel
Hugh Seagrave	Lord Chancellor of England 1381	Richard Scorpe

personal data
SURNAME	Courtenay, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor
DATE OF BIRTH	1342
PLACE OF BIRTH	at Exminster , Devon
DATE OF DEATH	July 31, 1396
Place of death	Maidstone , Kent