Michael Tregury facts for kids

The tomb of Michael Tregury

Quick facts for kids Styles of Michael Tregury
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Grace
Religious style	Archbishop

Michael Tregury, also known as Michel Trégore in French, was an important church leader. He served as the Archbishop of Dublin from 1450 until he passed away in 1471.

Early Life and Education

Michael Tregury was born in a place called St Wenn in Cornwall, England. He went to the University of Oxford, which is a very famous school. He was known as a very smart student there. He even became a Fellow at Exeter College, Oxford.

Becoming Archbishop

Michael Tregury was a chaplain to Henry VI of England, who was the King at that time. He was also the first leader, or rector, of the University of Caen starting in 1439. Before becoming Archbishop, he was an Archdeacon of Barnstaple from 1445 to 1449.

In 1450, he became the Archbishop of Dublin. His special ceremony took place at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. On his way to Ireland, his ship was caught in a storm and wrecked. He lost many of his valuable belongings.

Challenges and Leadership

Being an Archbishop in those days was not always easy. Michael Tregury faced some tough times. He said that wars and other problems had made the church's income in Dublin very low. To help with this, he was allowed to keep money from several monasteries.

He was part of the Privy Council of Ireland, which was like a group of advisors to the government. However, he mostly focused on leading his church area, called a diocese. He had some disagreements with local groups, including the O'Byrnes. In 1461, he was even kidnapped by them!

News from Far Away

In 1451, many people from his church area traveled to Rome for a special event called a jubilee. When they returned in 1453, they brought sad news. The city of Constantinople had been taken over by the Turks, and its Emperor, Palaiologos, had died.

Archbishop Michael was very upset by this news. He asked everyone in his diocese to fast strictly for three days. He also offered special blessings to those who followed the fast. He even walked in a procession with his clergy to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, wearing sackcloth and ashes to show his sadness.

Captured by Pirates

In 1453, Archbishop Tregury had another scary experience. He was captured by pirates in Dublin Bay. These pirates were stealing ships from Dublin's harbor. People chased the pirates to a place called Ardglass. There, many pirates were defeated, and the Archbishop was set free.

A Lover of Music

Archbishop Tregury was known to love music. He owned a pair of organs. When he passed away, he gave these organs to St Patrick's Cathedral.

Burial

Michael Tregury was buried in Dublin. His tomb has a special message written on it in Latin. It says:

Preasul Metropolis Michael hic Dublinenus
Marmore tumbatus, pro me Christum flagitetis

This means:

Here's Michael the Prelate of Dublin See,
In Marble intomb'd, invoke Christ for me.