John and the Church
Interdict in England 1208
Interdict 1208-1214 (Deeds of Pope Innocent)
Excommunication 1209-1213
Initial relationship between John and the Church
- The Angevins had traditionally exerted a strong influence over the Church and
the quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket had ultimately re-
emphasised this
- There are various damning accusations against John – Adam of Eynsham
says that John never received communion after he reached the age of 21,
John also once supposedly ordered the preacher, Hugh of Lincoln, to reduce
the length of his sermon as he was keen to commence dinner
- Despite being needed in Normandy, John visited the shrine of St Thomas at
Canterbury and that of St Alban in the period just after his coronation
- John made conventional gifts to monasteries and to the poor – he paid for
food for as many as 3500 beggars each year and he gave money for prayers
to be said for his dead brother, Richard. Records from 1203 show that he
gave about 6% of his income to religious houses and hospitals. He borrowed
some religious books, including a six-volume copy of the Bible, from the
monks at Reading and he bought new vestments for the royal chapels
- John was on friendly terms with Hugh of Lincoln
- He had reverence for St Wulfstan and asked to be buried in Worcester
Cathedral as a result
- John founded his monasteries, though not on a large scale – his only
endowment was a Cistercian Abbey at Beaulieu in Hampshire. This came
after some Cistercian abbots had refused to pay the carucage of 1200 and
John had threatened to confiscate all the grazing for their sheep and royal
forests – but, supported, by Hubert Walter, they soon made peace with John
Quarrels with the Church prior to 1205
1) Taxation – the carucage in 1200 was resisted by some churchmen
2) Appointments
a. In 1201, the Bishop of Sées in Normandy died and some of the canons
set off to Rome to get papal confirmation of their choice Sylvester, the
Archdeacon of Sées. Meanwhile, John pressured the remaining
canons to elect his preferred candidate. In the end he had to accept the
papal decision and Sylvester became the new bishop.
b. There were 8 vacant bishoprics up to 1207 and, of these, 5 were filled
by John’s nominees, mainly from his ‘curiales’ (members of the royal
household) and two went to members of baronial families
i. The only cause of dissent came at Winchester in 1205 – here
there were rival groups among the monks. One faction chose
Peter des Roches, the royal candidate and a key member of
John’s administration, while others preferred Richard Poor, the
Dean of Salisbury.
ii. Papal letters indicate that John imprisoned some of Poor’s
supporters and kept them in chains while other were exiled
