Through the Ages - Normans

William II - 1089

The Church Verses the State

Urban II, seen here preaching for the First Crusade

Long before William II came to the throne of England, Christian Europe had begun to resemble a federation in which the pope was overlord of all the kingdoms within it. This arrangement, essentially inserting a foreign influence into England, was never acceptable to the Norman or later kings. One of the early disputes that arose from the efforts to preserve royal independence was the struggle between William II and the Archbishop of Canterbury - the Italian-born Anselm, who had sworn obedience to Pope Urban II in Rome.

King William II never had much respect for the Church, the pope or the English clerics whom he continually shocked with the open immorality of his court. William's probable homosexuality was enough in itself to arouse stern disapproval in those times. Futhermore he mocked the concept of Christ as the saviour of mankind and regarded the Church as a fat cat to be exploited for as much money and taxes as he could get.

William II opposed the power Christian Europe and Pope Urban II tried to exert over his realm. Urban II, (above, right) preaching for the First Crusade, and his chosen Archbishop of Canturbury, Anselm, proved significant obstacles to the king's power.

The See of Canterbury

Nevertheless William II had to be discreet in the first two years of his reign since his father's Archbishop of Canterbury, the lustrous Lanfranc, was still alive. William I had commended the succession of his younger, favourite son, William, to Lanfranc, over and above the elder Robert's claim. However, after Lanfranc died in 1089 the king rampaged over Church sensibilities. The see of Canterbury remained vacant for four years giving the king a splendid source of revenue and, more importantly, freedom from the strictures of the Church.

Anselm for Archbishop

English churchmen made it known that they wanted Anselm to be the next archbishop and they could hardly have made a more distinguished choice. Anselm was a highly respected scholar and Christian philosopher; a man so fearless in his faith that he later became a saint. William, however, brushed off the suggestion and did nothing.

In 1093 the king fell ill and believed he was dying. His superstitious dread of divine wrath was so thoroughly stirred that he appointed Anselm as Archbishop of Canterbury. Such an appointment was validated only by the agreement of the pope which was given by Anselm's mentor, Pope Urban II. However, irritatingly for William, Anselm refused to be consecrated unless the king handed back the lands of Canterbury and recognised Urban II as pope. The need for this recognition arose from the fact that Urban had a rival, the so-called 'antipope' Clement III, and neither of them was universally recognised as rightful pontiff. When William recovered his health, he fully realised Anselm's nuisance value and hoped that this controversy would provide a loophole to remove the archbishop.

William Rufus

In 1095 William summoned a council to consider whether or not Urban's papacy was legitimate and therefore whether Anselm had the right to remain archbishop. Anselm hit back by claiming that a secular council had no right to judge an archbishop, only the pope could do that. The most vigorous dispute occurred, and lasted for two years, over the 'investiture question': whether the king or the pope had the superior right to invest an archbishop or bishop using the pallium -a robe signifying religious authority along with other symbols of his office.

William Rufus (left) wanted to keep the bishoprics and abbeys vacant so that he could comandeer the rich income they provided for his own uses. This met with real opposition from the Church when, following the death of his father's archbishop, Lanfranc, he kept the position empty so he could enjoy the revenue it provided.

Getting Rid of Anselm

Unfortunately for Anselm the English bishops sided with the king, or were persuaded to agree with him, at the Synod of Rockingham held on 11 March 1095. In protest Anselm refused to accept the pallium from William when it was brought to England from Rome by a papal legate. The dispute therefore rumbled on and the king even offered to recognise Urban II as rightful pope if only he would dismiss Anselm. Urban refused. It was stalemate, but William had it in his power to obstruct Anselm in his efforts to reform the English Church. William generally made life so difficult for Anselm that in the end he gave up and left England in 1097. The delighted king once more appropriated the rich lands of Canterbury and never appointed another archbishop.