Stigand (died 1072) was an Anglo-Saxon churchman in pre-Norman Conquest England who became Archbishop of Canterbury. His birth date is unknown, but by 1020, he was serving as a royal chaplain and advisor. He was named Bishop of Elmham in 1043, and was later Bishop of Winchester and Archbishop of Canterbury. Stigand was an advisor to several members of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman English royal dynasties, serving six successive kings. Excommunicated by several popes for his pluralism in holding the two sees, or bishoprics, of Winchester and Canterbury concurrently, he was finally deposed in 1070, and his estates and personal wealth were confiscated by William the Conqueror. Stigand was imprisoned at Winchester, where he died.
Stigand served King Cnut as a chaplain at a royal foundation at Ashingdon in 1020 and as an advisor thereafter. He continued in his role of advisor during the reigns of Cnut's sons, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut. When Cnut's stepson Edward the Confessor succeeded Harthacnut, Stigand in all probability became England's main administrator. Monastic writers of the time accused Stigand of extorting money and lands from the church, and by 1066, the only estates richer than Stigand's were the royal estates and those of Harold Godwinson.
In 1043, Edward appointed Stigand to the see of Elmham. Four years later, he was appointed to the see of Winchester, and then in 1052 to the archdiocese of Canterbury, which Stigand held jointly with Winchester. It was later claimed that five successive popes, including Nicholas II and Alexander II, excommunicated Stigand for holding both Winchester and Canterbury, but there is no evidence for this.Cowdrey Lanfranc: Scholar, Monk, and Archbishop p. 82 Stigand was present at the deathbed of King Edward and at the coronation of Harold Godwinson as king of England in 1066. After Harold's death, Stigand submitted to William the Conqueror. On Christmas Day 1066 Ealdred, the Archbishop of York, crowned William King of England. Stigand's excommunication meant that he could only assist at the coronation.
Despite growing pressure for his deposition, Stigand continued to attend the royal court and to consecrate bishops until, in 1070, he was deposed by papal legates and imprisoned at Winchester. His intransigence toward the papacy was used as propaganda by Norman advocates who argued that the English church was backward and needed reform.
Early life Neither the year nor the date of Stigand's birth is known. He was born in East Anglia, possibly in Norwich,Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 59 to an apparently prosperous family of mixed English and Scandinavian ancestry, as is shown by the fact that Stigand's name was Norse but his brother's was English. His brother Æthelmær, also a cleric, later succeeded Stigand as bishop of Elmham. His sister held land in Norwich,Williams English and the Norman Conquest p. 46 but her given name is unrecorded.
Stigand first appears in the historical record in 1020 as a royal chaplain to King Cnut of England (reigned 1016–1035). In that year he was appointed to Cnut's church at Ashingdon, or Assandun,Hill Road to Hastings p. 61Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 28Lawson Cnut p. 138 which was dedicated by the reforming bishop Wulfstan of York.Barlow English Church 1000–1066 p. 77 Little is known of Stigand's life during Cnut's reign, but he must have had a place at the royal court, as he witnessed occasional charters. Following Cnut's death, Stigand successively served Cnut's sons, Harold Harefoot (reigned 1035–1040) and Harthacnut (reigned 1040–1042).Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology pp. 28–29 After Harthacnut died Stigand became an advisor to Emma of Normandy, Cnut's widow and the mother of Harthacnut and his successor Edward the Confessor. He may have been Emma's chaplain,Stafford Queen Emma and Queen Edith pp. 112–113 and it is possible that Stigand was already one of her advisors while Cnut was alive, and that he owed his position at Ashingdon to Emma's influence and favour. Because little is known of Stigand's activities before his appointment as a bishop, it is difficult to determine to whom he owed his position.Smith "Archbishop Stigand" Anglo-Norman Studies 16 p. 200
Bishop of Elmham and Winchester Stigand was appointed to the see of Elmham shortly after Edward the Confessor's coronation on 3 April 1043,Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 29 probably on Emma's advice.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 76 This was the first episcopal appointment of Edward's reign.Higham Death of Anglo-Saxon England p. 122 The diocese of Elmham covered East Anglia in eastern England, and was one of the poorer episcopal sees at that time. He was consecrated bishop in 1043,Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 217 but later that year Edward deposed Stigand and deprived him of his wealth. During the next year, however, Edward returned Stigand to office.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 77 The reasons for the deposition are unknown, but it was probably connected to the simultaneous fall from power of the dowager queen, Emma.Stafford Queen Emma and Queen Edith pp. 248–250 Some sources state that Emma had invited King Magnus I of Norway, a rival claimant to the English throne, to invade England and had offered her personal wealth to aid Magnus.Stenton Anglo-Saxon England p. 426 Some suspected that Stigand had urged Emma to support Magnus, and claimed that his deposition was because of this.Mason House of Godwine p. 44 Contributing factors in Emma and Stigand's fall included Emma's wealth and dislike of her political influence, which was linked to the reign of the unpopular Harthacnut.Stafford Unification and Conquest p. 87
By 1046, Stigand had begun to witness charters of Edward the Confessor, showing that he was once again in royal favour.Smith "Archbishop Stigand" Anglo-Norman Studies 16 p. 201 In 1047 Stigand was translated to the see of Winchester,Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 223 but he retained Elmham until 1052.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 87 He may have owed the preferment to Earl Godwin of Wessex, the father-in-law of King Edward,Loyn English Church pp. 58–62 although that is disputed by some historians.Barlow English Church 1000–1066 p. 108 Emma, who had retired to Winchester after regaining Edward's favour, may also have influenced the appointment, either alone or in concert with Godwin. After his appointment to Winchester, Stigand was a witness to all the surviving charters of King Edward during the period 1047 to 1052.
Some historians, such as Frank Barlow and Emma Mason, state that Stigand supported Earl Godwin in his quarrel with Edward the Confessor in 1051–1052;Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 123Mason House of Godwine p. 65 others, including Ian Walker, hold that he was neutral.Walker Harold p. 49 Stigand, whether or not he was a supporter of Godwin's, did not go into exile with the earl.Brooks Early History pp. 305–306 The quarrel started over a fight between Eustace of Boulogne, brother-in-law of the king, and men of the town of Dover. The king ordered Godwin to punish the town, and the earl refused. Continued pressure from Edward undermined Godwin's position, and the earl and his family fled England in 1051.Stafford Unification and Conquest pp. 90–91 The earl returned in 1052 with a substantial armed force but eventually reached a peaceful accord with the king. Some medieval sources state that Stigand took part in the negotiations that reached a peace between the king and his earl;Mason House of Godwine p. 73 the Canterbury manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle calls Stigand the king's chaplain and advisor during the negotiations.Rex Harold II p. 61
Archbishop of Canterbury
Appointment to Canterbury and issues with the papacy The Archbishopric of Canterbury became drawn into the conflict between Edward and Godwin.Smith "Archbishop Stigand" Anglo-Norman Studies 16 pp. 201–203 Pope Leo IX was beginning a reform movement later known as the Gregorian Reform. Leo first focused on improving the clergy and prohibiting simony – the buying and selling of clerical and ecclesiastical offices. In 1049 Leo IX publicly pronounced that he would take more interest in English church matters and would investigate episcopal candidates more strictly before confirming them. When Archbishop Edsige of Canterbury died in 1051 the monks of the cathedral chapter elected Æthelric, a relative of Earl Godwin's, as archbishop.Huscroft Ruling England p. 6 King Edward opposed the election and instead appointed Robert of Jumièges, who was Norman and already Bishop of London. Besides furthering Edward's quarrel with Godwin, the appointment signalled there were limits to Edward's willingness to compromise on ecclesiastical reform.
Although not known as a reformer before his appointment, Robert returned in 1051 from Rome, where he had gone to be confirmed by the papacy, and opposed the king's choice for Bishop of London on the grounds that the candidate was not suitable. Robert's attempts to recover church property appropriated by Earl Godwin contributed to the quarrel between the earl and the king. When Godwin returned to England in 1052, Robert was outlawed and exiled,Stafford Unification and Conquest pp. 89–92 following which King Edward appointed Stigand to the archbishopric.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 214 The appointment was either a reward from Godwin for Stigand's support during the conflict with Edward or a reward from King Edward for successfully negotiating a peaceful conclusion to the crisis in 1052. Stigand was the first non-monk to be appointed to either English archbishopric since before the days of Dunstan (archbishop from 959 to 988).Knowles Monastic Order p. 66Brooks Early History p. 306
The papacy refused to recognise Stigand's elevation, as Robert was still alive and had not been deprived of office by a pope. Robert of Jumièges appealed to Leo IX, who summoned Stigand to Rome. When Stigand did not appear, he was excommunicated.Stenton Anglo-Saxon England pp. 465–466 Historian Nicholas Brooks holds the view that Stigand was not excommunicated at this time, but rather was ordered to refrain from any archiepiscopal functions, such as the consecration of bishops. He argues that in 1062 papal legates sat in council with Stigand, something they would not have done had he been excommunicated.Brooks Early History p. 307 The legates did nothing to alter Stigand's position either,Rex Harold II p. 184 although one of the legates later helped depose Stigand in 1070.Barlow English Church 1000–1066 p. 306 However Pope Leo IX and his successors, Victor II and Stephen IX, continued to regard Stigand as uncanonically elected.Blair Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England p. 108