Berhtwald

Berhtwald (also known as Brihtwald, Beorhtweald, Bertwald, Berthwald, Beorhtwald, or Beretuald) (died 731) was the ninth Archbishop of Canterbury (693–731) in England. He had previously served as the Abbot of Glastonbury, the first Anglo-Saxon to hold the position.

Biography

Early life

Although of royal lineage, little is known of his early life. According to Bede he was well acquainted with Holy Scripture and with ecclesiastical and monastic science. He corresponded with Saints Boniface, Aldhelm and Wilfrid.^[1]

Abbot

Cenwalh, King of Wessex appointed Berhtwald as the first Anglo-Saxon Abbot of Glastonbury in 667, on the advice of his friend, Saint Benedict Biscop. He received a generous land grant, around Meare, from the king some four years later. About 676, he was made abbot of the monastery at Reculver in Kent.^[2]

Archbishop of Canterbury

The see of Canterbury was vacant for two years after the death of Theodore before Berhtwald was elected to the see of Canterbury on 1 July 692.^[3] The long vacancy resulted from the disturbed conditions in the kingdom of Kent at the time, as various kings fought for control.^[4] The succession to the kingdom was disputed between rival claimants Oswine and Wihtred, and various outside kings, including Caedwalla and Swaefheard raided and plundered Kent. Eventually, Wihtred secured the throne, around 691 or early 692, as Bede names Wihtred as king of Kent, along with Swaefheard, at the time of Berhtwald's election. Swaerfheard, however, is not named as king of Kent after this date.^[5]

The vacancy may also have occurred because Wilfrid, who was at that point having problems in Northumbria, desired to become Archbishop of Canterbury. Wilfrid's biographer says that Theodore had wished for Wilfrid to succeed Theodore at Canterbury. Æthelred of Mercia may have supported Wilfrid's translation to Canterbury also, but this did not happen.^[4] Berhtwald was consecrated on 29 June 693,^[6] having travelled to France for his consecration as archbishop of Canterbury by Godwin, Archbishop of Lyon.^[2] Berhtwald went to the continent for consecration probably because he feared that his election was not supported by all of the kings and bishops. After his consecration, Berhtwald traveled to Rome to obtain the support of Pope Sergius I, who wrote to a number of Anglo-Saxon kings and bishops in support of the archbishop.^[4]

He appears to have been an able governor of the English Church, establishing the bishopric of Sherborne in Wessex and it was during his tenure that Sussex, the last pagan kingdom, was converted to Christianity. He also consecrated the first Bishop of Selsey. During his time in office, King Wihtred of Kent exempted the church from taxation.^[7] Berhtwald was a proponent of his predecessor's view of the archbishops of Canterbury as primates of the entire island of Britain.^[8] Berhtwald co-operated closely with Wihtred in the kingdom, and secured the freedom of the Church from taxation under Wihtred's laws issued in 695. The law code also dealt with other ecclesiastical matters, including marriage, Sunday observance, and pagan worship.^[9]

Much of Berhtwald's time in office coincided with the efforts of Wilfrid to regain the see of York, and to reverse the division of York into smaller dioceses, and Berhtwald was opposed to Wilfrid's position.^[7] Berhtwald presided at the Council of Easterfield in 702, at which Wilfrid's biographer relates the story that King Aldfrith of Northumbria, Berhtwald, and the other enemies of Wilfrid conspired to deprived Wilfrid of all his offices and possessions. A more likely story is that Berhtwald managed to secure concessions from the Northumbrians, and tried to broker a compromise. The offer in the end was that Wilfrid would retire to Ripon and cease acting as a bishop. Wilfrid rejected this compromise and once more appealed to the pope. Three years later, at a further Council, it was arranged that Wilfrid should receive the Bishopric of Hexham in place of that of York.^[4]

Death and afterward

Berhtwald died on 13 January 731.^[6] An epitaph to him in verse survives, and may have been placed over his tomb.^[10] Subsequently he was canonized with a feast day of 9 January.^[11][12]

Notes

References

• Beda Venerablis; translated by Leo Sherley-Price (1988). A History of the English Church and People. Penguin Classics. ISBN 0-14-044042-9. 
• Brooks, Nicholas (1984). The Early History of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. London: Leicester University Press. ISBN 0-7185-0041-5. 
• Delaney, John P. (1980). Dictionary of Saints (Second ed.). Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-13594-7. 
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
• Kirby, D. P. (2000). The Earliest English Kings. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24211-8. 
• Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Berhtwald". in Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald. The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 63. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1. 
• Stenton, F. M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (Third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5.