William Fitz-Herbert’s transformation after suspension
Upon William himself the papal sentence had the opposite effect, transforming the idle, showy, self-indulgent young ecclesiastic into an humble saint; when he returned home the ne…
Opposition in York and Hugh of Puiset’s defiance
Henry of Winchester took William to live in his own house and ostentatiously treated him with full archiepiscopal honours; when the new archbishop Murdac returned in summer 1148 a…
The Council of Reims and Theobald’s defiance of the king
Early in 1148 the Pope summoned the English bishops to a council at Reims on Mid-Lent Sunday; Stephen sent three—Hereford, Chichester, and Norwich—but when Theobald of Canterbury…
Theobald’s daring crossing of the Channel
Defying the king, Theobald slipped away in a broken boat with only Roger of Pont-l’Evêque and Thomas of London, reached Reims safely, and was triumphantly presented by the Pope as…
Suspension of bishops and the count of Blois’s intercession
The absent English bishops were all suspended, Henry of Winchester being named specifically; however, his brother the count of Blois—esteemed by both Eugene and Bernard as peacema…
Stephen’s threatened excommunication and Theobald’s banishment
Eugene would have excommunicated Stephen at once, but the archbishop mediated as Anselm had once done and secured a three-month respite; on his return to Canterbury, the threatene…
The bishops’ failure to enforce the interdict
Eugene wrote to the English bishops individually and collectively, ordering them to summon the king to restore the primate, lay all his dominions under interdict if he refused, an…
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