Theobald of Étampes facts for kids
Theobald of Étampes (also known as Theobaldus Stampensis in Latin, or Thibaud/Thibault d'Étampes in French) was an important teacher and thinker from the Middle Ages. He was born before 1080 and died after 1120. He is known for being against the rule that priests should not marry. Theobald is the first scholar we know of who gave lectures in Oxford. Because of this, many people see him as an early founder of Oxford University.
Theobald's Life Story
We know about Theobald's life thanks to a historian named Bernard Gineste. Theobald was a "canon," which was a type of priest, and his father was also a canon in Étampes, France.
As a child, Theobald knew many priests who were married. This was at a time when the Church, through a big change called the Gregorian reform, was trying to make sure all priests stayed unmarried. This rule was called "clerical celibacy."
Theobald probably studied at the famous Chartres Cathedral School. Later, he became the head teacher (called scholaster) at a school in Étampes. He also taught Hugh III, a young nobleman who was the viscount of Chartres.
When King Philip I of France took control of Étampes, he started to prefer monks over local priests. In 1113, Hugh III was captured by the king's soldiers. After this, Theobald left Étampes and went to the Duchy of Normandy.
In Normandy, he became a teacher in Caen. He thought about going to Denmark, but instead he traveled to England. At that time, the Duke of Normandy, Henry I of England, was also the King of England. Theobald went to Oxford and gave public lectures. Between 60 and 100 church leaders would come to listen to him speak.
His Writings and Ideas
Six letters written by Theobald of Étampes have been saved over time.
Two of these letters were written when he was in Caen. One of them was sent to Queen Margaret. For a long time, people thought this was Saint Margaret of Scotland, but now we know it was Margaret Fredkulla, the Queen of Denmark. She was still alive in 1116. In the letter, Theobald thanked the Queen for her kindness to the Abbey of Saint-Étienne in Caen.
Four of his letters were written from Oxford. It's hard to know the exact order they were written in.
- One letter was sent to Faritius, the Abbot of Abingdon. Theobald wrote it to defend himself against being called a heretic (someone with beliefs against official church teachings). He explained that his teachings were correct.
- The second letter was sent to the Bishop of Lincoln, England. This is his longest letter. In it, he used the Bible and the writings of early Church leaders to show that even people who have sinned a lot can still be saved if they truly say they are sorry before they die.
- The third letter was sent to Roscellinus of Compiègne, who had some different ideas about the Trinity (God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). However, Theobald wasn't interested in Roscellinus's ideas about the Trinity. Instead, he criticized Roscellinus for speaking badly about the children of priests. Theobald defended these children, pointing out that Saint John the Baptist was also the son of a priest. He even suggested that the Virgin Mary might have been the daughter of a priest, which was a very unusual idea at the time.
- The last of these four letters from Oxford talks about monks. Theobald argued that monks should not take over the roles of regular priests. He believed monks should not collect "tithes" (church taxes) or other benefits that had always belonged to priests and canons.
This last short letter led to a very long reply from an unknown monk. The monk's reply strongly supported the priests and canons of the time, while praising the monks for their good qualities.
His Place in History
Theobald of Étampes was not one of the most famous writers of his time, but he was an important early thinker. He helped prepare the way for the big burst of learning and new ideas known as the 12th century Renaissance. His main teaching ideas were about respecting and explaining Catholic beliefs in a clear, reasoned way.
His ideas were part of a big discussion happening at the time: whether to support or oppose the Gregorian reform. This reform was about monks gaining more power within the Church. At that time, many Popes were former monks who wanted to make all clergy follow strict rules.
Historians from Oxford often saw Theobald as the founder of their university. In 1907, a play was even created and performed that showed him bringing new ideas to Oxford. In the play, he was shown fighting against the "forces of darkness," which were represented by the monks of Abingdon.
Theobald's dislike of priestly celibacy made him popular with the Anglican Church later on. The idea of priests being unmarried faced resistance in Northern Europe until the end of the Middle Ages. However, in Catholic France, Theobald's work was slowly forgotten.
Images for kids
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Theobald's arrival at Oxford, opposed by a pair of monks from Abingdon. A postcard by C. Bowley from 1907, treating Theobald's arrival as the beginning of the university. The date in the top right corner, however, is wrong.
