Wikipedia:
Walter de Gray |
| Walter de Gray | |
|---|---|
|
Archbishop of York |
|
| Birth name | Walter de Gray |
| Enthroned | November 10 1215 |
| Ended | May 1 1255 |
| Predecessor | Geoffrey Plantagenet |
| Successor | Sewal de Bovil |
| Died | May 1 1255 Fulham |
Walter de Gray (died 1 May 1255) was an English prelate and statesman who rose to be Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor.
Life
He was the son of John de Gray the Elder of Eaton in Norfolk and nephew of John de Gray (the Younger), Bishop of Norwich.[1] He was educated at the University of Oxford.
Walter owed his early and rapid preferment in church and state to the favor of King John, becoming the king's chancellor in 1205,[2] and being chosen bishop of Lichfield in 1210.[3] He was, however, not allowed to keep this bishopric, but he became bishop of Worcester on January 20 1214,[4] resigning his office as chancellor in the same year.[2] His consecration as bishop of Worcester took place on October 5 1214.[4] Gray was with John when the king signed the Magna Carta in June 1215; soon after this event he left England on the king's business, and it was during his absence that he was forced into the archbishopric of York, owing his election on November 10 1215[5] to the good offices of John and of Pope Innocent III. John had wanted Walter, but, the canons of York felt that Walter was uneducated, and selected Simon Langton, brother of Stephen Langton Archbishop of Canterbury instead. John objected, and wrote to Pope Innocent III complaining of the election of the brother of one of his staunchest enemies, and Innocent agreed.[6]
He took a leading part in public affairs during the minority of Henry III, and was regarded with much favour by this king, who employed him on important errands to foreign potentates, and left him as guardian of England when he went to France in 1242. Afterwards the archbishop seems to have been less favorably disposed towards Henry, and for a time he absented himself from public business; however, in 1255, he visited London to attend a meeting of parliament, and died at Fulham on the May 1 1255.[5][1] Gray was always anxious to assert his archiepiscopal authority over Scotland, and to maintain it against the archbishop of Canterbury, but in neither case was he very successful. He built the south transept of York Minster and bought for his see the village, afterwards called Bishopthorpe, which is still the residence of the archbishop of York. He was also generous to the church at Ripon. Gray was regarded by his contemporaries as an avaricious, but patriotic man.
His three nephews were William Langton (or Rotherfield) who was Dean of York and was elected archbishop of York but never consecrated, and Walter le Breton and Walter de Grey, who were canons of York.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 82
- ^ British History Online Bishops of Worcester accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 261
- ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 264
- ^ Bartlett England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings p. 406-407
References
- Bartlett, Robert England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings: 1075-1225 Oxford:Clarendon Press 2000 ISBN 0-19-822741-8
- British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- British History Online Bishops of Worcester accessed on September 15, 2007
- Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
See also
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hubert Walter |
Lord Chancellor 1205–1214 |
Succeeded by Richard Marsh |
| Religious titles | ||
| Preceded by Mauger of Worcester |
Bishop of
Worcester 1214–1216 |
Succeeded by Sylvester of Worcester |
| Preceded by Simon Langton |
Archbishop of
York 1216–1255 |
Succeeded by Sewal de Bovil |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gray, Walter de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Lord Chancellor, Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 1, 1255 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Fulham |
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
