Sudbury, Simon

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Sudbury, Simon (d.1381). Archbishop of Canterbury. An Oxford doctor of civil law by 1349, Sudbury was an auditor in the papal court at Avignon until he was promoted to the bishopric of London in 1362. He served Edward III in embassies to Flanders and was a member of his council. Appointed archbishop in 1375 he incurred odium for supporting John of Gaunt. In 1380 he was appointed chancellor and asked Parliament to grant the third poll tax. During the Peasants' Revolt, his reported hostility to the rebels caused them to hunt him down; he was captured in the Tower of London and beheaded.

R. L. Storey

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