| Walter Reynolds |
| Archbishop of Canterbury |
|
| Enthroned |
January 1314 |
| Ended |
16 November 1327 |
| Predecessor |
Thomas Cobham |
| Successor |
Simon Mepeham |
|
| Died |
15 November 1327
|
Walter Reynolds (died 1327) was Bishop of Worcester and then Archbishop of Canterbury (1313-1327) as well as Lord High Treasurer and Lord Chancellor.
Life
Walter was the son of a baker from Windsor in Berkshire,[1] and became a clerk, or chaplain, in the service of Edward I.
He held several livings and, owing perhaps to his acting skill, he became a prime favourite with the prince of Wales, afterwards Edward II, whom he served as Keeper of the Wardrobe.[1] Just after the prince became king, on 22 August 1307 Reynolds was appointed treasurer of England;[2] on 13 November 1307 he was elected bishop of Worcester and consecrated on 13 October 1308.[3] He was also on 6 July 1310 named Keeper of the Great Seal, or chancellor.[4][5] Amongst his duties as Bishop of Worcester was to act as the parton and appoint the Headmaster of the school that later became the Royal Grammar School Worcester.
Walter Reynolds was one of the godfathers of the future Edward III when the prince was christened on 17 November 1312.[6]
When Robert Winchelsea, Archbishop of Canterbury, died in May of 1313 Edward II prevailed upon Pope Clement V to appoint his favourite to the vacant archbishopric, and Walter was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral in January of 1314 as the 51st Archbishop.[7]
Although the private life of the new archbishop appears to have been the reverse of exemplary he attempted to carry out some very necessary reforms in his new official capacity; he also continued the struggle for precedence, which had been carried on for many years between the archbishops of Canterbury and of York. In this connection in 1317 he laid London under an interdict after William de Melton, archbishop of York, had passed through its streets with his cross borne erect before him.
Reynolds remained in general loyal to Edward II until 1324, when with all his suffragans he opposed the king in defence of the bishop of Hereford, Adam of Orlton.[8] He then fought with Edward II over liturgical issues, and sent sums of money to Queen Isabella in her rebellion against Edward II.[9] Having fled for safety into Kent he returned to London and declared for Edward III, whom he crowned on 1 February 1327.[10] He was appointed as a member of the Regency Council for Edward III that was formed in February of 1327.[11] He died at Mortlake on 16 November 1327.[7][12]
Notes
- ^ a b Weir Queen Isabella p. 21
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 104
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 279
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 86
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 52
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 71
- ^ a b Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 233
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 158-159
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 234
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 261
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 264
- ^ Weir Queen Isabella p. 305-306
References
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Weir, Alison Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery and Murder in Medieval England New York: Ballantine 2005 ISBN 0-345-45319-0
External links
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
| Persondata |
| NAME |
Reynolds, Walter |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES |
|
| SHORT DESCRIPTION |
Lord High Treasurer; Lord Chancellor; Bishop of Worcester; Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH |
|
| PLACE OF BIRTH |
|
| DATE OF DEATH |
16 November 1327 |
| PLACE OF DEATH |
|
|
