Thomas Merke
| Thomas Merke | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Carlisle | |
| Church | Catholic |
| Appointed | before 23 April 1397 |
| Term ended | 1409 |
| Predecessor | Robert Reed |
| Successor | William Strickland |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 23 April 1397 |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 1409 |
Thomas Merke (or Merks; died 1409) was an English priest and Bishop of Carlisle from 1397 to 1400.
Educated at Oxford University, Merke became a Benedictine monk at Westminster Abbey[citation needed] and was consecrated bishop about 23 April 1397.[1] He served Richard II as ambassador to various German princes in 1397, was one of the commissioners who negotiated the dowry of Isabella of Valois in 1398, and accompanied the king to Ireland in 1399.
Merke supported Richard against the usurper Henry IV and in 1400 was imprisoned in the Tower of London and deprived of his bishopric as a result. Although released and conditionally pardoned the following year, he was not restored to the bishopric, instead serving as a deputy and acting bishop in the Diocese of Winchester several times. He was one of those churchmen who sided against Pope Gregory XII at Lucca in 1408.[citation needed] He died in 1409.[1]
Merke's role in supporting his King is represented in William Shakespeare's play Richard II.
Citations
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| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Carlisle 1397–1400 |
Succeeded by William Strickland |
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010
- Pages using S-rel template with ca parameter
- Use dmy dates from October 2010
- Bishops of Carlisle
- English Benedictines
- 1409 deaths
- 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops
- 14th-century English people
- 15th-century English people
- Male Shakespearean characters
