Ceolnoth facts for kids

Ceolnoth (died 870) was an important English Archbishop of Canterbury during the Middle Ages. He became archbishop in 833. Ceolnoth faced two big challenges during his time as archbishop. First, there were many attacks and invasions by the Vikings. Second, the political situation in England was changing. A new kingdom, Wessex, was taking control from the old kingdom of Mercia.

Ceolnoth tried to solve these problems. In 838, he made an important agreement with the new kings of Wessex. This deal gave his church protection from the Vikings. Later in his life, Viking raids continued. Monasteries in his area also faced tough times.

Becoming Archbishop

Ceolnoth became the Archbishop of Canterbury on July 27, 833. Some old stories say he was a "Dean" in Canterbury before this. But there is no clear proof of this from his own time. He was likely a young man when he was chosen for this important role.

When Ceolnoth became archbishop, he had two main issues to deal with:

• Viking Attacks: The Vikings were raiding Kent, the area around Canterbury.
• New Kings: The kings of Wessex had just taken control of Kent. Before this, the kings of Mercia ruled the area.

Working with Kings

In 836, Ceolnoth met with Wiglaf of Mercia, the Mercian king. They held a meeting with church leaders from southern Britain. This was the last time Ceolnoth worked closely with a Mercian king. After this, he started attending the royal court of Wessex instead.

In 838, a very important meeting took place. It was held at Kingston upon Thames. Here, Ceolnoth made a deal with the West Saxon kings, Egbert and his son Æthelwulf.

This agreement was a big step for Canterbury:

• What Canterbury gave up: Ceolnoth gave the kings control over some free churches. He also gave them the right to influence who became abbots in Kent.
• What Canterbury gained: In return, the kings promised to protect the church from Viking raids. King Egbert also agreed to support his son Æthelwulf as the next king.

Soon after this, Egbert died. Æthelwulf became king, following his father. This was rare for Wessex at the time. The agreement meant the kings of Wessex would now protect the churches and monasteries of Canterbury. Ceolnoth also got back some lands that Canterbury had lost.

Later Years and Legacy

During Ceolnoth's time as archbishop, life for monasteries became harder. This was due to the constant Viking attacks. The quality of books and other works made by church scribes also went down. Many monasteries struggled or even closed because of the raids. Vikings even stayed in Kent during the winters of 851 and 855.

Ceolnoth held other church meetings in 839 and 845. The second one was in London. In his later years, he had help from four church officials. They seemed to act like archdeacons, which was a new role in England. Ceolnoth also wrote letters to Pope Leo IV.

Archbishop Ceolnoth died on February 4, 870. Even though his later years were tough due to Viking attacks, his agreement with King Egbert was very important. It helped set up a way for the Archbishops of Canterbury and the kings of England to work together in the future.