William Sinclair (Bishop)

William Sinclair († June 27, 1337 ) was a Scottish clergyman. From 1309 he was Bishop of Dunkeld .

origin

William Sinclair came from the originally Anglo-Norman family Sinclair . He was the second son of Sir William Sinclair , Lord of the Scottish lord Roslin . As a younger son he became a clergyman, but like his father and older brother Henry he was an early opponent of English supremacy in Scotland. During the war with England in 1296 he was taken prisoner with other members of the family at Dunbar Castle and remained for a time in English captivity.

Election to bishop

Before 1309, Sinclair had a college degree and was a canon in Dunkeld . In addition, he owned the rights to the parish church of Kinross . After the death of Bishop Matthew Crambeth , he was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Dunkeld by the Cathedral Chapter in 1309 . The election was challenged by John Lech , whose candidacy was supported by the English King Edward II . Sinclair then traveled to Poitiers to confirm his election to the papal curia . The dispute was initially not resolved there, but when Lech was elected Archbishop of the Diocese of Dublin , the way was clear for Pope Clement V's election of Sinclair to be confirmed in May 1312. Although Sinclair then officially reconciled with the English king, he seemed to distrust him. Eduard II granted him safe conduct to Berwick for his return trip to Scotland in 1313 , but he stipulated that Sinclair should not ally himself with Edward's Scottish opponents, with whom England was still at war.

The remains of the funerary monument of William Sinclair in Dunkeld Cathedral

Political activity

After the victory of the Scottish King Robert I in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 over the English king, Sinclair openly supported the Scottish king. From 1314 he took part in several Scottish parliaments. He also served frequently as a witness for royal documents, so that he probably had the favor of Robert I and stayed frequently at the royal court. It is said that he reprimanded the reluctant knights in May or June 1317 and led a small armed force himself to repel English raiders who had landed with ships on the coast of Fife . Together with several other Scottish bishops, Pope John XXII called. Sinclair to the papal curia on November 18, 1319, as the Pope considered the Scottish king to be a peacemaker. When the bishops ignored this appeal, they were excommunicated on June 16, 1320. Although Sinclair had thus been one of the most loyal supporters of Robert I, he switched sides at the beginning of the Second Scottish War of Independence in 1332. After the victory of the disinherited under Edward Balliol in the Battle of Dupplin Moor, he supported his claim to the Scottish throne. On September 24th he crowned Balliol in Scone as King of Scotland. In February 1334 he took part in a parliament convened by Balliol. After that, however, he again aroused the suspicion of the English, who supported Balliol's claim to the throne. Presumably, by 1336 at the latest, he again supported the followers of David II , the underage son and heir of Robert I.

Activity as a clergyman

Despite his frequent political activities, Sinclair is said to have conscientiously taken care of his spiritual office. During his tenure, major sections of the construction of Dunkeld Cathedral were carried out , in which he was later buried.

Web links

Norman H. Reid: Sinclair, William (d. 1337). 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

Individual evidence

↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 110.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 375.
↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 178.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 340.
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 424.
^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 93
^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 94
^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 151.

predecessor	Office	successor
Matthew Crambeth	Bishop of Dunkeld 1309–1337	Richard de Pilmuir

personal data
SURNAME	Sinclair, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Scottish clergyman
DATE OF BIRTH	13th Century
DATE OF DEATH	June 27, 1337

[1] Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 110.

[2] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 375.

[3] Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 178.

[4] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 340.

[5] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 424.

[6] Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 93

[7] Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 94

[8] Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 151.