The trial at Rome on Matilda’s legitimacy
Stephen consented in desperation to a trial at Rome on Matilda’s claims, where his envoys revived Anselm’s half-century-old doubts about the validity of her parents’ marriage; tho…
Gilbert Foliot’s appointment and consecration as bishop of Hereford
Gilbert Foliot himself—a Cluniac monk, abbot of Gloucester since 1139, renowned for learning and holiness—reluctantly obeyed Theobald’s summons and threw his energies into organiz…
KAPITEL VII.
Chapter VII continues the narrative of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his return to England after exile. The chapter covers Gilbert Foliot’s immediate breach of his promise to Theobald, Theobald’s journey back across the Channel, his reception by Hugh Bigod at Gosford,…
Gilbert’s Broken Promise
Gilbert Foliot, newly consecrated bishop, immediately broke the promise he had made to Theobald at his consecration.…
Theobald’s Return to England
After securing these arrangements, Theobald himself ventured to return to England from his continental exile.…
Landing at Gosford
Theobald landed at Gosford, which lay within the territories of Hugh Bigod. He was there hospitably received by Bigod, who offered him shelter and welcome on English soil.
Reception by Hugh Bigod
The bishops of London, Chichester, and Norwich, along with several barons, came to meet Theobald at Hugh Bigod’s castle of Framlingham.…
Meeting at Framlingham Castle
At Framlingham Castle, the assembled bishops and barons met with Theobald to address the outstanding issues arising from his exile and the papal legatine sentence against the Engl…
Reconciliation with Stephen
At Framlingham, the king was reconciled with Theobald, ending the estrangement that had marked Stephen’s reign during the primate’s exile.
Restoration of the Primate
Following the reconciliation with Stephen, the primate was restored to his position and authority as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Lifting of the Interdict
With the reconciliation accomplished, the interdict that had been imposed on England was lifted, and the suspended prelates were generally permitted to resume their ecclesiastical…
The Exception of Henry of Winchester
One prelate was excepted from this general restoration: Henry of Winchester. By neglecting to present himself at Rome within the prescribed six months, he had fallen under the sen…
Theobald’s Offer of Forgiveness
Even to the disgraced Henry of Winchester, Theobald was willing, at Stephen’s request, to extend the hand of fellowship and forgiveness.
End of Henry of Winchester’s Power
Despite Theobald’s offer, Henry of Winchester’s days of king-making were definitively over.…
A New Henry Emerges
With Henry of Winchester’s political power at an end, the stage was set for another Henry to emerge.…
KAPITEL VIII.
Chapter VIII covers the period 1149–1154 and traces the early life of Henry Fitz-Empress: his cosmopolitan inheritance and lack of a fixed homeland, his symbolic birth at Le Mans, his first contacts with Normandy, his education under successive masters, Geoffrey’s cession of the…
Henry’s National Identity and Lack of a Fixed Home
The chapter opens by contrasting the silence surrounding Henry’s boyhood with the rich stories preserved for his contemporary Thomas Becket.…
Le Mans as Henry’s Fitting Birthplace
Whether by chance or design, Le Mans was the most fitting birthplace for Henry’s first child.…
Henry’s First Journey to Normandy
Le Mans had a double claim on Henry: as his paternal grandmother’s home and as the scene of his own birth. Yet his earliest recollections were associated with Normandy.…
Education Under Peter of Saintes
With Geoffrey occupied by unsuccessful fighting abroad in Matilda’s interest, the boys’ training devolved chiefly on their mother until late 1138.…
Education at Bristol Under Master Matthew
In late 1142 Henry crossed to England with his uncle Robert of Gloucester and entered a third educational phase.…
Return to Geoffrey and the Cession of Normandy
Bristol in those years fully lived up to its reputation as the “stepmother of all England,” with soldiers sallying to ravage and captives rotting in dungeons.…
Henry’s Arrival in England and Knighting by King David
In mid-May 1149, while Stephen was suppressing a revolt of the earls of Chester and Pembroke, news arrived that Henry had landed in England.…
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