William Zouche (Archbishop)

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William Zouche (* after 1292; † July 19, 1352 in Cawood Manor ) was Lord Seal Keeper and Treasurer of the Exchequer of England and from 1340 Archbishop of York .

Origin and early spiritual career

Zouche came from the noble family Zouche , but his exact ancestry is unclear. He was probably a son of Roger la Zouche († 1302), the Lord of Lubbesthorpe in Leicestershire , then he would have been born after 1292/1293 as the younger brother of Roger la Zouche the Younger . Together with William, Roger founded a priesthood in Lubbesthorpe and in Clipsham in Rutland in 1337 . So he was a relative, but not a younger son of William Zouche, 1st Baron Zouche of Haryngworth , who helped the young William in 1315 to his first ecclesiastical office, the rectorate of Clipsham. At that time he was still unconsecrated, and the following year he became a subdeacon . After that, his further ascent was initially slow. In 1324 he was still a subdeacon, and in 1330 Bishop John Grandisson of Exeter allowed him to move to other dioceses. His benefice from Clipsham seemed sufficient to finance his studies. He obtained a Masters degree in 1320 , presumably at Oxford , but whether he studied in England or abroad is not known. After graduating, he stayed at college, where he earned a Bachelor of Law degree and apparently spent a total of twelve years.

Rise in the royal household

After his studies, Zouche entered royal services before 1328. Initially employed in the royal household, he was appointed administrator of the royal cloakroom in January 1329 due to his ability. By the favor of the young King Edward III. he received another benefice in Exeter in July 1328 , and in December 1329 the Archdeaconate of Barnstaple . This he exchanged six months later for the archdeaconate of Exeter, which he exchanged in June 1331 for the lucrative office of rector of Yaxley in Huntingdonshire . He was likely to have alternates in all of these offices, but received the income and continued to serve the King at Westminster. In 1332 and 1333 he traveled to Flanders to buy robes for the king. From 1333 to 1335 the royal wardrobe was relocated to York with other court offices due to the war with Scotland .

At court, Zouche rose quickly further. On July 31, 1334 he was promoted to head of the royal wardrobe and eight months later, on April 1, 1335, to keeper of the lord seal . As holder of this office he took part in the campaign against Scotland in the summer of 1335. In November 1335 he received a benefice and a year later the office of Dean of York Minster . The high point of his secular career was his appointment as Treasurer of the Exchequer in March 1337. He assumed this office when the royal finances were extremely tense due to the impending war with France and because of negotiations with potential allies in the Netherlands. The holders of the office therefore changed frequently. One year after taking office, Zouche was replaced by Robert Wodehouse , only to take over the office again nine months later. Even for the able administrator Zouche, however, it was impossible to satisfy the king's demands for money and equipment for the war. As a result, he fell in the king's favor, especially as he increasingly collaborated with Archbishop John Stratford of Canterbury, whom Edward met with growing resentment.

Elected Archbishop of York

Archbishop William Melton of York died on April 4, 1340 . Three days later, Zouche took over the administration of the Temporalien as treasurer , and after handing over his office to his deputy, he traveled to York to preside over the election of a new archbishop as dean. Allegedly, Archbishop Stratford preferred Zouche as the new Archbishop of York while the King tried to get his closest confidante, William Kilsby , to vote. Kilsby traveled to York, where he became a member of the cathedral chapter, while Zouche was relieved of his office as treasurer on May 2nd. Against the will of the king, the cathedral chapter elected him that day as the new archbishop of York.

Zouche knew that this election would cause him problems and immediately took the archiepiscopal chair on the same day. Kilsby actually refused to give up his claim, so both Zouche and he turned to Pope Benedict XII. turned in Avignon . In a letter to the Pope, the king advocated his candidate Kilsby and made arrangements to prevent Zouche from leaving England. Nevertheless, the Pope recognized the election of Zouche and on August 13, 1340 threatened to excommunicate anyone who wanted to keep Zouche from his office . Since the direct route was blocked to him because of the war with France, Zouche traveled to Avignon via the Netherlands and Germany. Behind Geneva , however, he was attacked by three knights and arrested in a secluded place on the north bank of Lake Geneva . After paying a ransom and pledging not to reveal the identity of his kidnappers, he was released. This kidnapping was most likely an attempt Kilsby initiated to keep him away from Avignon. Upon his arrival in Avignon, the Pope released Zouche from the oath he had taken on his kidnappers. Zouche revealed the identity of his kidnappers, whereupon the Pope tried to have them captured. Despite this support from the Pope, it took more than two years before the election of Zouche on June 26, 1342 by the new Pope Clement VI. recognized and Zouche was ordained archbishop on July 7th. In September 1342 Zouche returned to England, where he was formally installed as archbishop on December 8th. Reluctantly, the king also had to accept the election and on September 19, 1342 again handed over the temporalities to him. Now there was a protracted dispute over the choice of a successor for Zouche as dean of York Minster, in which Zouche rejected the papal candidate and was excommunicated by Pope Clement. It was not until July 1352, three months before Zouche's death, that the Pope lifted the excommunication again.

War against Scotland

Although Zouche's relationship with the king had cooled, Edward III acted. pragmatic, as he now needed the archbishop's support. Since the king and most of his forces were tied up in France during the war, the English border with Scotland, which was allied with France, was in danger. Zouche, who had gained military experience against the Scots during the war from 1333 to 1335, was assigned to defend the border as Warden of the Scottish March . After the English victory against France at Crécy , the Scots under King David II tried in autumn 1346 to relieve their allies with a campaign to England. With a hastily assembled contingent, Zouche, along with Henry Percy and Ralph Neville, formed the Scottish army west of Durham . He himself commanded one of the three army divisions that inflicted a decisive defeat on the Scots on October 17th in the Battle of Neville's Cross .

Archbishop of York

Most of his time, however, Zouche stayed in his archdiocese and took care of its administration. He had to cope with the plague epidemic of 1349 , to avert it he ordered processions and prayers on July 28, 1348. Of course, these measures did not prevent the plague from reaching Yorkshire in May 1349 . It is estimated that around 40% of the clergy in the diocese died between July and August. Zouche tried to escape the epidemic and changed his residence between his residences Cawood , Ripon and Bishop Burton during this time . As archbishop, however, he was visited by numerous clergymen who applied for offices vacated by the plague, and it happened once that a new incumbent, to whom Zouche had given the office that morning, died of the plague on the same day. Zouche's suffragan bishop Hugh, titular bishop of Damascus , was commissioned by Zouche to undertake additional priestly ordinations and consecrate new cemeteries. Zouche himself wrote his will on June 28, 1349, but survived the plague. However, he was probably seriously ill and died three years later.

In his will he donated a burial chapel for himself in York Minster, in which he wanted to be buried. The construction of the chapel, which was added to the south side of the choir, began in April 1351 and was unfinished when he died. Zouche was buried in York Minster, but not in his burial chapel as he wished. His executors did not erect a funerary monument for him either.

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Robert Tawton Lord
Seal Keeper 1335-1337
Richard Bintworth
Henry Burghersh Lord High Treasurer
1337
Robert Wodehouse
Robert Wodehouse Lord High Treasurer
1338
Robert Sadington
William Melton Archbishop of York
1340–1352
John of Thoresy