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Henry of Blois
Henry of Blois (d. 1171). Prince-bishop of the English church. Nephew of Henry I, he was made abbot of Glastonbury in 1126 and bishop of Winchester in 1129; by holding on to both he remained for over 40 years the richest prelate in England. Although brought up as a monk at Cluny, he became a great builder of castles and palaces (notably Wolvesey palace) and an art connoisseur who brought back pagan statues from Rome. Not surprisingly the ascetic St Bernard of Clairvaux branded him ‘whore of Winchester’ and ‘old wizard’. In 1135 he helped his brother Stephen of Blois to obtain the throne and played a prominent political and military role throughout the reign. In 1139–43, when the conflict between Stephen and Matilda was at its height, he used his authority as papal legate to hold councils in unsuccessful but highly publicized attempts to settle the affairs of the realm. At Henry II's accession he withdrew for a while to Cluny, but returned as the elder statesman of the English church.
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JOHN CANNON. "Henry of Blois." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Henry of Blois." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-HenryofBlois.html JOHN CANNON. "Henry of Blois." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-HenryofBlois.html |
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Henry of Blois
Henry of Blois (d. 1171), Bp. of Winchester from 1129. He was the grandson of William I (‘the Conqueror’) and brother of King Stephen. On the death of William of Corbeil (1136) he hoped for the see of Canterbury, but after Theobald's consecration in 1139, Pope Innocent II gave Henry a legatine commission, which made him in some ways Theobald's superior. Henry then sought the elevation of Winchester into an archiepiscopal see. After Stephen's death (1154), his position under Henry II was insecure and in the Becket controversy he did what he could for the Archbishop. He was a great builder and founded the Hospital of St Cross at Winchester.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Henry of Blois." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Henry of Blois." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-HenryofBlois.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Henry of Blois." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-HenryofBlois.html |
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