William de St-Calais facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William de St-Calais
Bishop of Durham
William of St Calais, from an 11th-century manuscript of St Augustine's Commentary on the Psalms
Appointed	9 November 1080
Predecessor	Walcher
Successor	Ranulf Flambard
Other posts	Abbot of St-Vincent, Le Mans
Orders
Consecration	either 27 December 1080 or 3 January 1081 by Thomas of Bayeux
Personal details
Died	2 January 1096
Buried	16 January 1096 Durham Cathedral in the chapter house

William de St-Calais (died 2 January 1096) was an important Norman monk and leader in the Middle Ages. He was the abbot of a monastery in France called Saint-Vincent in Le Mans. In 1080, King William I of England chose him to be the Bishop of Durham in England.

As bishop, William made big changes. He replaced the priests at his church with monks. He also started building the famous Durham Cathedral. Besides his church work, he helped King William I and his son, King William II (also known as William Rufus). He even helped create the Domesday Book in 1086, which was a huge survey of England.

After William Rufus became king in 1087, William de St-Calais became his main advisor. However, in 1088, the king's uncle, Odo of Bayeux, started a rebellion. William de St-Calais was thought to be involved. King William Rufus surrounded William de St-Calais at Durham Castle. Later, William de St-Calais was put on trial for going against the king.

A record of this trial, called De Iniusta Vexacione Willelmi Episcopi Primi, is the oldest detailed report of a state trial in England. William de St-Calais was held for a short time. He was allowed to leave the country after he gave up his castle. He went to Normandy and became an advisor to Robert Curthose, the Duke of Normandy and King William Rufus's older brother. By 1091, William de St-Calais returned to England and was back in the king's good graces.

Once back in England, he again became a key advisor to the king. In 1093, he talked with Anselm, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1095, William de St-Calais argued against Anselm in a royal court case. During his time as bishop, he filled the cathedral library with many books, especially about church law. He also helped protect northern England from attacks by the Scots. Before he died, he made peace with Anselm, who comforted him.

Becoming Bishop of Durham

William de St-Calais was from Bayeux in Normandy. His mother's name was Ascelina or Anselma. His father became a monk at the monastery of Saint-Calais in France. Some people think his father might have been a knight before becoming a monk.

William de St-Calais studied under Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux. Odo was the half-brother of William the Conqueror. William de St-Calais was known for being very smart. He knew a lot about old stories and the Bible. He also learned about church law. He became a Benedictine monk at Saint-Calais. Then, around 1078, he became the abbot of St Vincent-des-Prés near Le Mans.

King William the Conqueror chose him to be the Bishop of Durham on November 9, 1080. He became bishop on December 27, 1080, or January 3, 1081. He was likely chosen because he was a very good administrator. A writer named Symeon of Durham said William de St-Calais was "very well versed in sacred and secular learning." He was also described as "very conscientious in matters of divine and worldly business."

Changes at Durham Cathedral

After becoming bishop, William de St-Calais wanted to change his church. He decided to replace the regular priests with monks. He talked to the king and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, about this idea. Then he went to Rome to get permission from Pope Gregory VII.

In 1083, he removed the married priests from the cathedral. He brought a small group of monks from Jarrow to Durham. These monks formed the new church leadership. William de St-Calais made one of the monks, Eadwine, the leader of the group. He also set aside land to support the monks. The priests who were removed could join the monks, but only one did.

William de St-Calais got along well with the monks. They supported him when he started building a new church in 1093. He tore down an old Saxon church. On August 11, 1093, he and the monk leader Turgot of Durham laid the first stone for what is now Durham Cathedral.

He also gave the monks a set of rules for how they should live. These rules were based on the rules Lanfranc had given to the monks at Canterbury. Symeon of Durham said that William de St-Calais treated the monks like a "loving father." The monks felt the same way about him.

Working for the King

During the reign of William the Conqueror, William de St-Calais often signed important documents for the king. His name was usually listed right after the royal family and archbishops. This shows he was very important.

The king sent William de St-Calais on special trips to the French royal court and to Rome. For example, when the Pope was upset about the king putting Odo of Bayeux in prison, William de St-Calais went to Rome to explain things.

William de St-Calais also helped with the Domesday Book. This was a huge survey that recorded who owned land all over England. Some historians believe he was the main person who organized this entire survey.

The Rebellion of 1088

When William Rufus became king, William de St-Calais became one of his most trusted helpers. But in 1088, Odo of Bayeux and many powerful nobles rebelled against the king. They wanted to put the king's older brother, Robert Curthose, on the throne.

William de St-Calais suddenly left the king's side and went to Durham Castle. It's not clear why he joined the rebellion. Some historians think he believed it was better for England and Normandy to be ruled by one person.

The rebellion failed by the end of the summer. But William de St-Calais stayed in Durham Castle. He claimed he had not actually rebelled. When the king's army arrived, William de St-Calais agreed to come out. He was given a promise of safety to attend a trial.

The Trial of William de St-Calais

William de St-Calais was put on trial on November 2, 1088, in Salisbury. Before the trial, the king took away his lands. At the trial, William de St-Calais argued that as a bishop, he could not be tried in a normal court. He refused to answer the accusations.

Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury, argued for the king. He said that William de St-Calais held his lands from the king. So, he could be tried like any other noble who held land. William de St-Calais still refused to answer. He asked to appeal his case to Rome, but the king and judges said no.

The court decided that because William de St-Calais did not answer the charges and tried to appeal to Rome, he lost his lands. His fellow bishops did not support him. They thought he was trying to avoid answering charges he knew were true. William de St-Calais never actually went to Rome to appeal.

During the trial, Lanfranc said they were judging him about his lands, not as a bishop. The king eventually got angry and said William de St-Calais would not go free until he gave up his castle. The detailed record of this trial, De Iniusta Vexacione Willelmi Episcopi Primi, is very important. It is the earliest detailed report of a state trial in England.

Back in Favor

After the trial, William de St-Calais was held at Wilton Abbey. He was released and sent away to Normandy once his followers gave up Durham Castle. The Pope did ask the king to let William de St-Calais return, but nothing happened right away.

In Normandy, William de St-Calais quickly became a main advisor to Duke Robert. On November 14, 1091, he got back into King William Rufus's good graces. Duke Robert helped convince the king to let him return. William de St-Calais came back to Durham on September 11, 1091. He brought a lot of money and gifts for his church.

For the rest of his life, William de St-Calais was a frequent advisor to the king. In 1093, he helped talk with Anselm, the abbot of Bec, about him becoming Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1095, William de St-Calais managed the king's case against Anselm at Rockingham. Anselm wanted to go to Rome to get his special scarf (pallium) from Pope Urban II. William de St-Calais argued against Anselm's wish to appeal to Rome. He strongly supported the king's side. He even suggested that Anselm should lose his lands and be sent away.

Diocesan Work and Challenges

Durham was in the north of England, which was not always safe. Malcolm Canmore, the King of Scots, often attacked northern England. Malcolm claimed the area where Durham was located. William de St-Calais became friends with Malcolm. Malcolm and his wife even helped lay the first stone of the new cathedral.

However, Malcolm still raided the north. He was killed in 1093 while attacking Northumbria. Both the English king and William de St-Calais supported Malcolm's sons, who had been raised in England, in their efforts to become the Scottish king.

Later, in 1095, a noble named Robert de Mowbray challenged the bishop's power in the north. When Mowbray rebelled again, William de St-Calais helped the king stop the rebellion. Mowbray was captured. The death of Malcolm and the capture of Mowbray made the north much safer.

During William de St-Calais's time as bishop, a disagreement started between the monks and future bishops. William de St-Calais did not formally divide the church's money between the bishop and the monks. He also did not allow the monks to freely choose their own leader. He might have promised these things, but nothing was written down. Later, when a non-monk became bishop, the monks fought to get what they felt was promised. They even created fake documents from William de St-Calais to support their case.

William de St-Calais also ordered the old cathedral to be torn down. This made way for the new, larger Romanesque-style Durham Cathedral. Building started on July 29, 1093. William de St-Calais's time in exile and his work for the king meant he was often away from Durham. This might be why the writer Symeon of Durham wrote about him in a neutral way. There is no record of William de St-Calais performing normal bishop duties like consecrating priests.

It is likely that during William de St-Calais's time, a special friendship began between the monks of Durham and the monks of the monastery of Saint Calais in France.

Death and Lasting Impact

Just before Christmas in 1095, one of William de St-Calais's knights had a strange dream. He dreamed he saw William de St-Calais coming out of a large house with iron gates. A guide in the dream told the knight this was a sign that William de St-Calais would soon die. The knight recovered and warned William de St-Calais.

William de St-Calais became very sick on Christmas Day and died on January 2, 1096. Before he died, Anselm, his former opponent, comforted and blessed him. He was buried on January 16, 1096, in the chapter house at Durham. The king had called William de St-Calais to answer a charge just before Christmas. The stress of this might have caused his death.

In 1796, his grave was supposedly found during the demolition of the chapter house. Inside, they found a pair of sandals, which still exist, and pieces of a gold embroidered robe.

As bishop, William de St-Calais gave many books to his cathedral library. These included a copy of the False Decretals, which was a collection of church laws. He might have used this book during his trial. He also gave copies of Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, Augustine of Hippo's De Civitae Dei and Confessions, and other important religious works.

People who knew William de St-Calais thought he was very smart and capable. He had an excellent memory. Historian Frank Barlow described him as a "good scholar and a monk of blameless life." When he died, he left over fifty books to the monks of Durham.

His most famous legacy is the building of Durham Cathedral. The main part of the church was not finished until 1130. The way it was built, using pointed arches and ribs, allowed the building to be much taller than earlier churches. This meant bigger windows, letting in more light. This building technique spread to other churches and influenced the development of early Gothic architecture in France. The rib vaulting in the choir was the first time this technique was used in Europe. Frank Barlow called Durham Cathedral "one of the architectural jewels of western Christendom."

Images for kids

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  The keep of Durham Castle, where St-Calais shut himself up in 1088

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  The west façade of Durham Cathedral, which was started by William de St-Calais in 1093

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  A plan of Durham Cathedral, 1913