Artikelomschrijving

St. Anselms archiepiscopal career, 1093-1109, spanned the reigns of two kings: William Rufus (1087-1100) and the early years of Henry I (1100-1135). As the second archbishop of Canterbury after the Norman Conquest, Anselm strove to extend the reforms of his teacher and mentor at Bec, and his predecessor at Canterbury, Archbishop Lanfranc (1070-1089). Exploring Anselms thirty years as prior and abbot of the large, rich, Norman monastery of Bec, and teacher in its school, this book notes the wealth of experiences which prepared Anselm for his archiepiscopal career. Anselms intellectual strengths as a teacher, philosopher and theologian are examined; his highly regarded theological texts, including his popular Prayers and Meditations, influenced his statesmanship as he dealt with conflicts with the always antagonistic King William Rufus. Sally Vaughn argues that Rufus death influenced Anselms rivalry with King Henry I, and fostered a more subdued and civil conflict between Anselm and Henry, which ended with cooperation between king and archbishop at the end of Anselms life: king and archbishop yoked together as two oxen pulling the plow of the church through the land of England.