Through the Ages - Normans

William I - 1072

Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury

The Bayeux Tapestry

Stigand, the last Anglo-Saxon archbishop of Canterbury, appeared to be a potential number-one victim in the Normanisation of England after the conquest in 1066. He had, after all, crowned the Normans' enemy, King Harold II. In actual fact, however, Stigand remained in place for several reasons, including the difficulty encountered by the new and not-yet-established King William I to remove this very rich, very influential figure.

Stigand was a prime example of how, within a few centuries, the more saintly founders of the Church in England had evolved into high officials with more interest in their own power than in their Christian duties. Stigand not only held the highest office that the English Church had to offer, he was also a feudal lord with his own private army and lands so extensive that they made him one of the richest magnates in late Anglo-Saxon England.

The life of Stigand, last Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury, should have been in great danger following the Norman invasion of 1066 (depicted above, right in the Bayeux Tapestry). His crime had been to crown the Norman's arch enemy. Harold II. Surprisingly, however, William I refrained from deposing the influential figure.

Advisor to Queen Emma

Stigand's Church career began in around 1020 when, aged 20, he served as priest to King Canute. By 1043 he was consecrated bishop of East Anglia and also acted as adviser to Queen Emma, the mother of King Edward the Confessor. Stigand held this post for only a few months. When Emma was disgraced later that year, Stigand fell from favour along with her.

Unlike Stigand, Emma never regained her former eminence; he, however, was reinstated in 1044. Three years later, he became bishop of Winchester. He retained that see when, in 1052, he was appointed archbishop of Canterbury.

Pluralism

In Church law, pluralism (holding more than one Church office at one time) was illegal. Consequently, Stigand was excommunicated by three successive popes until at last, in 1058, he received official sanction as archbishop from the antipope, Pope Benedict X. They were two of a kind. Benedict himself was an illegal pope and when Benedict was deposed in 1059 Stigand paid the price for his involvement. Subsequently Stigand was excommunicated for a fourth time.

Queen Emma in a fiery trial

Excommunicated, but Still Archbishop

Although now once more cut off from all communication or support from the Church, Stigand remained in place at Canterbury. This paradox was the result of the interplay between papal and Norman politics: it was a condition of papal support for the Norman invasion of England in 1066 that Stigand should stay on at Canterbury.

This meant that an Anglo-Saxon prelate in the most important position in the English Church was virtually forced on William I. Fortunately, this fit with William's early plans to work with the leaders of the conquered English. However, it soon became clear that, with only a few exceptions, the Anglo-Saxons were not going to co-operate, although some Church leaders were more amenable.

Stigand's luck ran out the same year that Queen Emma, widow of Canute, fell from favour. Stigand fell from grace at the same time as the queen as he had been her advisor. Emma was forced to prove her innocence in a fiery trial held at Winchester in Hampshire (left).

William's Policy of Patience

Stigand was in a category of his own. He had considerable influence in England and any Norman attempt to remove him was likely to set off fierce resistance. There was another way, though. William knew that Stigand had offended Church law by holding Winchester and Canterbury simultaneously. All the king had to do, therefore, was wait for the pope to deprive Stigand of his offices while he sat by, apparently disinterested. Meanwhile William allowed Stigand to retain his rank, the place he had been given on the royal council and the large amount of land and property he had accumulated over the years.

The End of Stigand

King William's patience was soon rewarded. In 1069 Archbishop Ealdred of Worcester, died, leaving the excommunicated, pluralist Stigand as the only remaining archbishop in England. This was not a situation that the pope could countenance for long. In April 1070 Stigand was formally deposed by a council held at Winchester under papal authority. The council was headed by Ermenfrid, Bishop of Sion, and two cardinal priests formally deposed Stigand.

Stigand was now completely defenceless and this was William's cue. He ordered Stigand to be seized and imprisoned. Stigand was never free again and died in prison in 1072.