Wulfred facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wulfred
Archbishop of Canterbury
Penny of Wulfred, Archbishop of Canterbury (c.823-825)
Appointed	before August 805
Reign ended	24 March 832
Predecessor	Æthelhard
Successor	Feologild
Orders
Consecration	3 August 805
Personal details
Died	24 March 832

Wulfred was an important church leader in early medieval England. He served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 805 until his death in 832. Not much is known about his early life, but he was likely from a noble family in Middlesex.

Wulfred became archbishop in 805. During his time in office, he worked to improve the way the church was run, especially at his own cathedral. He also had big disagreements with two kings of Mercia, Coenwulf and Ceolwulf. Their arguments were about who should control monasteries: church leaders or regular people (called laymen).

At one point, Wulfred even went to Rome to talk to the Pope about these issues. He was removed from his job for a few years because of the conflict. After King Coenwulf died, things got a bit better with the new king, Ceolwulf. The dispute about who controlled the monasteries was finally settled in 838, after Wulfred had passed away. Wulfred was also the first archbishop to put his own picture on the coins that were made during his time.

Early Life and Becoming Archbishop

The main information we have about Wulfred comes from old documents called charters. We also learn about him from records of church meetings he led and the coins he made.

Wulfred is thought to have come from Middlesex. He was likely part of a rich and important family. This family owned a lot of land in Middlesex and nearby areas. Some of his relatives, like Werhard, also owned land close to where Wulfred later had property.

Before Wulfred became archbishop, he was an archdeacon at Christ Church, Canterbury. This was the main church in Canterbury. He first appears in historical records in 803, when he attended a church meeting. At this time, he was working for the previous archbishop, Æthelhard.

On July 26, 805, Wulfred attended another church meeting. Documents from this meeting called him "archbishop-elect." This meant he had been chosen to be the next archbishop. He was officially made archbishop on August 3, 805. Some think his rise to power was helped by the fact that the kingdom of Mercia was very powerful in Kent and Canterbury at that time.

Improving Christ Church

One of Wulfred's main goals as archbishop was to improve the cathedral chapter at Christ Church. This was the group of clergy (church officials) who lived and worked at the cathedral. He wanted them to live a more communal life, meaning they would live together and share things. This idea was inspired by Bishop Chrodegang of Metz.

By 813, Wulfred proudly stated that he had "revived the holy monastery of the church of Canterbury." He did this by "renewing, restoring, and rebuilding it." He might have based the rules for the clergy on Chrodegang's Regula canonicorum or on the rules of Benedict.

His efforts included making the clergy eat together. He also required them to give their personal belongings to the church. He made sure they followed the canonical hours, which are set times for prayer and worship. It's clear they lived a shared life, but it's not fully known if they became canons or stayed as monks. Wulfred later gave land to the church. These gifts would only be valid if the clergy kept up with the new standards. Wulfred also used his own money to build new parts of the cathedral.

Arguments with Kings

Wulfred had serious disagreements with King Coenwulf of Mercia. The main issue was whether regular people (laymen) could control religious houses like monasteries. The king believed laymen should have this control. In 808, the Pope was told that Coenwulf and Wulfred were still not getting along. However, by 809, they seemed to be on better terms. They were involved in some land deals together between 809 and 815.

In 814, Wulfred traveled to Rome to meet Pope Leo III. We don't know exactly what they discussed. But it was likely about the problem of lay people controlling monasteries. This had been a common practice for centuries. However, in the years before Wulfred became archbishop, the church started trying to take back control.

This effort to gain control was shown in rules made at church meetings. These meetings were held at Clofesho in 803 and especially at the synod of Chelsea in 816. The arguments over the Kentish monasteries of Reculver and Minster-in-Thanet became so bad that King Coenwulf took away Wulfred's power for several years. One document from 825 says it was six years, but four years is more likely.

Wulfred was still listed as archbishop on documents in 817. By September 822, he was back in his role. He even helped crown King Ceolwulf of Mercia. Wulfred was briefly sent away from his home during the time he was suspended. The dispute continued in Coenwulf's last years. At a meeting around 821, the king even threatened to send Wulfred away permanently if he didn't give in. Wulfred and the Canterbury church fought hard against Coenwulf. They sent messages to the Pope and even created fake documents to support their side.

Around 820, King Coenwulf forced Wulfred into a bad deal. Wulfred gained control over the disputed monasteries. But he had to pay a lot of gold and give up a very large estate to the king. Coenwulf and his supporters did not quickly give up control of Minster and Reculver.

In September 822, Wulfred reached an agreement with Coenwulf's successor, King Ceolwulf. This was shown by Wulfred crowning Ceolwulf as king. The crowning had been delayed for about a year because of the argument. After Ceolwulf was removed from power in 823, Wulfred's situation got better.

The new Mercian king, Beornwulf, held another meeting at Clofesho in 825. There, the conflict was finally settled in Wulfred's favor. A full account of the dispute was written down. Coenwulf's daughter, Cwenthryth, who was in charge of monasteries at Winchcombe and Minster, had to pay Wulfred money. She also lost control over the monasteries in Kent.

Later in 825, Kent was lost to Mercia after Egbert of Wessex defeated Beornwulf. Wulfred's relationship with the new rulers was not good. Coins with Wulfred's name on them seemed to stop being made for a while. However, they were being made again before Wulfred died in 832. The final agreement about who controlled the monasteries happened in 838 at Kingston. This was shortly before King Egbert died.

Death and What He Left Behind

Wulfred died in 832, most likely on March 24. He left most of his wealth to a relative named Werhard. Werhard was supposed to give these lands to Christ Church after his own death. Werhard was a member of the Christ Church monastery. He became a "priest-abbot" by the mid-830s. We know this from Wulfred's will, which is an old document that still exists. This will says Werhard was Wulfred's nephew and a priest.

The writing workshop (called a scriptorium) at Christ Church was very busy during Wulfred's time. The handwriting on the documents made then was very elegant. However, the actual words in the documents sometimes had bad grammar or other mistakes. This suggests that the clergy at the cathedral might not have been very good at writing in Latin. They probably couldn't write new Latin works on their own.

Wulfred was the first archbishop to put his own picture on the pennies made in his name. Unlike coins from earlier archbishops, Wulfred's coins never mentioned the ruling Mercian king. Wulfred also rebuilt some parts of Christ Church, Canterbury. We don't know if these were support buildings, like dormitories, or if he rebuilt the main cathedral itself.