Lyfing (Archbishop of Canterbury)
| Lyfing | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Appointed | 1013 |
| Term ended | 12 June 1020 |
| Predecessor | Ælfheah |
| Successor | Æthelnoth |
| Other posts | Abbot of Chertsey Abbey Bishop of Wells |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 1013 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Ælfstan |
| Died | 12 June 1020 |
| Buried | Canterbury Cathedral |
Lyfing (died 12 June 1020) was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Wells and Archbishop of Canterbury.
Contents
Life
Lyfing was born "Ælfstan" and took his ecclesiastical name from leof-carus (= "darling").
Lyfing was abbot of Chertsey Abbey from about 989.[1][2] He became Bishop of Wells in 998 or 999,[3] and in 1013 King Æthelred the Unready appointed him to the see of Canterbury.[4] Lyfing was taken captive by Vikings and held prisoner for a time, but he was released in time to attend the Witenagemot in 1014, and he started repairs of the damage the Vikings had done to Canterbury Cathedral.
Lyfing was unable to go to Rome for his pallium during King Æthelred's reign, for every bishop that was consecrated during the remainder of the king's reign was consecrated by Archbishop Wulfstan of York.[5] By 1018, however, he was named as archbishop, having returned to England from Rome with letters from Pope Benedict VIII.[6] As Archbishop of Canterbury, Lyfing crowned two English kings: Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside in 1016 and Cnut the Great in 1017.[1] He seems to have gone to Rome on behalf of Cnut at least once.[7]
Lyfing died on 12 June 1020.[4] He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, near the altar of St. Martin.[1] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle called him "a sagacious man, both before God and before the world".[8]
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mason "Lyfing" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ Knowles, et al. Heads of Religious Houses pp. 38, 244
- ↑ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 222
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 214
- ↑ Williams Æthelred the Unready p. 111
- ↑ Brooks Early History of the Church of Canterbury pp. 287–290
- ↑ O'Brien Queen Emma and the Vikings p. 122
- ↑ Quoted in Barlow English Church 1000–1066 p. 66
References
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External links
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Wells c. 999–1013 |
Succeeded by Æthelwine |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Canterbury 1013–1020 |
Succeeded by Æthelnoth |
