Æthelhard
- For his royal homonym, see Æthelheard of Wessex
| Æthelhard | |
|---|---|
|
Archbishop of Canterbury |
|
| Enthroned | July 21, 793 |
| Ended | 805 |
| Predecessor | Jaenbert |
| Successor | Wulfred |
| Died | 805 |
|
Sainthood |
|
|---|---|
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Commemorated | May 12 |
 |
|
Saint Æthelhard (also Aethelheard or Ethelhard) was Bishop of Winchester then Archbishop of Canterbury from 793 to 12 May 805.
Biography
Early life
Æthelhard was an abbott before being named to the diocese of Winchester, but the exact location of the monastery he was the head of is unknown.[1]
Bishop of Winchester
He was consecrated Bishop of Winchester sometime after 759 and before 778.[2]
Archbishop of Canterbury
He was translated from the episcopal see of Winchester to the Archbishopric of Canterbury in 793[3] and was enthroned archbishop on July 21, 793.[3] This enthronement was presided over by the then-senior bishop of the land: Higbert, Archbishop of Lichfield. This enthronement required King Offa of Mercia to consult Alcuin of York over proper procedure, the archbishopric of Lichfield being new to the ecclesiastical landscape of England.[1] Around 797, Æthelhard was deposed by the Kentish king Eadbert II Praen because of Æthelhard's bias towards Mercia.[4] However, Pope Leo III gave encouragement to the new Mercian king Cenwulf to depose Eadbert and restore Æthelhard to the archiepiscopal see in 798.[5] After his restoration to the see, Æthelhard and Cenwulf clashed, leading Cenwulf to attempt to move the primary archiepsicopal see from Canterbury to London, but by 803 Cenwulf and Æthelhard were reconciled enough for Cenwulf to drop this plan.[5] After his exile, Æthelhard resolved to go to Rome and consult with Pope Leo III about the decline in power of the Archbishopric. Leo sided with Canterbury and demoted Lichfield back down to a bishopric. Higbert was deprived of his pallium at the Council of Clovesho on October 12, 803.[1]
Death and afterward
Æthelhard died in 805, possibly on May 12th.[3] He was later revered as a saint, with a feast day of May 12.[6]
Notes
- ^ a b c Catholic Encyclopedia Entry for Ethelhard retrieved on July 5, 2007
- ^ Powicke The Handbook of British Chronology p. 257
- ^ a b c Powicke The Handbook of British Chronology p. 209
- ^ Ashley British Kings & Queens p. 225
- ^ a b Ashley British Kings & Queens p. 259-260
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Ethelhard accessed on September 6, 2007
References
- Ethelhard - Article from the Catholic Encyclopedia accessed on July 5, 2007
- Ashely, Mike The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens New York: Carroll & Graff 1998 ISBN 0-7967-0692-9
- Patron Saints Index: Ethelhard accessed on September 6, 2007
- Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
See Also
List of Archbishops of Canterbury
External Links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Æthelhard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Bishop of Winchester, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | 805 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cyneheard |
Bishop of
Winchester c.765–793 |
Succeeded by Ecgbald |
| Preceded by Jaenbert |
Archbishop of
Canterbury 793–805 |
Succeeded by Wulfred |
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