Wulfstan (died 1023) facts for kids

Wulfstan (sometimes called Wulfstan II or Lupus) was an important English church leader who lived a long time ago. He was a Bishop of London, a Bishop of Worcester, and later the Archbishop of York. He was known for writing powerful sermons and helping kings create new laws.

Wulfstan probably started his church journey as a Benedictine monk. He became the Bishop of London in 996. In 1002, he was chosen to be both the Bishop of Worcester and the Archbishop of York at the same time. He held both jobs until 1016, when he gave up the Worcester role. He stayed as Archbishop of York until he died in 1023.

Wulfstan became famous for his sermons, also called homilies. These were speeches given in church. His most famous sermon, written in 1014, was called Sermo Lupi ad Anglos. This means Sermon of the Wolf to the English.

Besides his sermons, Wulfstan also helped write laws for two important kings: Æthelred the Unready and Cnut the Great. He is considered one of the two most important writers from the late Anglo-Saxon period in England. After he died, some people said miracles happened at his tomb. But he was never officially made a saint.

Wulfstan's Early Life and Roles

Wulfstan's early life is not very well known. We do know he was the uncle of two other important churchmen named Beorhtheah and Wulfstan of Worcester. He likely had family ties to the Fenlands area in England, especially around Peterborough. Even though there's no direct proof, many historians believe he was a Benedictine monk. He might have studied at Winchester.

Becoming a Bishop

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Wulfstan became the Bishop of London in 996. This was his first big church job. In some letters he wrote as Bishop of London, he called himself "Lupus episcopus." "Lupus" is Latin for "wolf," which is part of his Old English name, meaning "wolf-stone."

Leading Two Dioceses

In 1002, Wulfstan was chosen to be the Archbishop of York. At that time, the Archbishop of York also controlled the diocese of Worcester. This was a common practice to keep the northern church strong and connected to the south. Wulfstan held both York and Worcester until 1016. He then gave up Worcester but stayed as Archbishop of York. Even after he left Worcester, he still had a lot of influence there.

Working with Kings

Wulfstan quickly became a favorite of King Æthelred. From 1005 to 1016, Wulfstan helped write all the new laws for the king. He knew a lot about old English laws and even laws from other parts of Europe. This made him a great choice for the king's legal helper.

Wulfstan was also very important in the northern part of England. This made him a powerful friend for the king. When the Danish king Cnut took over England in 1016, Wulfstan continued to be a legal helper and advisor for him. This shows how important and smart Wulfstan was in politics.

Wulfstan the Writer: Sermons and Style

Wulfstan was one of the best and most effective writers of Old English prose. His writings covered many different topics. These included sermons (church speeches), laws for the country, church rules, and ideas about how society should be run. He and Ælfric of Eynsham were the two most important writers in England in the early 1000s.

The Benedictine Reform

During Wulfstan's time, there was a big movement called the Benedictine Reform. This movement wanted to make sure priests and church leaders followed strict rules, like monks. It also stressed that the Pope in Rome was the most important church leader. Wulfstan believed that for this reform to work in England, everyone, especially regular people, needed to understand the basic ideas of Christianity. He thought it was super important for people to know about Christ, say prayers like the Lord's Prayer, be properly baptized, and celebrate Easter correctly.

His Unique Writing Style

Wulfstan started writing sermons when he was Bishop of London. He became very good at using a special rhythmic style. He used words that made things more intense, unique vocabulary, and repeated phrases. These things made his sermons feel fast-paced and exciting, building up to powerful moments.

Here's an example from one of his early sermons, describing Hell. Notice how he uses words that start with the same sound (alliteration):

Woe then to him who has earned for himself the torments of Hell. There there is everlasting fire roiling painfully, and there there is everlasting filth. There there is groaning and moaning and always constant wailing. There there is every kind of misery, and the press of every kind of devil. Woe to him who dwells in torment: better it were for him that he were never born, than that he become thus.

This strong way of speaking made Wulfstan's sermons very popular in churches.

Reaching Everyone

People at the time really liked Wulfstan's style. One person even wrote him a letter saying they couldn't translate something for him because they couldn't copy his amazing writing style. The Chronicle of Ely said that when he spoke, it was like people were hearing God's own wisdom!

Even though his sermons were fancy, Wulfstan made sure they were easy for everyone to understand. He didn't use confusing ideas or long stories that might bore regular churchgoers. He also rarely used Latin words in his English sermons. His main goal was to teach people the important basics of Christianity and warn them about dangers.

Different Sermon Topics

Wulfstan wrote about 30 sermons in Old English. His sermons can be grouped by their main topics:

• End of the World: Around 996–1002, he wrote about the end of the world and the coming of the Antichrist. These sermons probably played on people's worries as the year 1000 approached.
• Christian Faith: From 1002–1008, he focused on the main beliefs of the Christian faith.
• Church Duties: From 1008–1020, he wrote about the duties of archbishops.
• Evil Days: From 1014–1023, he wrote about the problems that happen when people don't live good Christian lives. This group includes his most famous sermon, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos. In it, Wulfstan complained about the bad habits of his time. He saw the Viking invasions as God's punishment for the English people's lazy ways.

He also wrote a long work called the Institutes of Polity. This book explained the duties of everyone in society, from the king to the common people, from a Christian point of view.

Wulfstan's Role in Church and Government

Wulfstan was very involved in making the English church better. He wanted to improve both people's Christian faith and how the church was run in his areas, especially York, which wasn't very rich at the time. He even started a small monastery in Gloucester.

A Key Statesman

Besides his church and writing work, Wulfstan was a very important statesman in England. Under both King Æthelred II and King Cnut, Wulfstan was mainly responsible for writing England's laws. These laws covered both everyday life and church matters. He seemed to have a very important and powerful position at court.

For example, he wrote the laws that King Æthelred put out in 1008. These laws talked about things like honoring a saint, getting ships ready for war, paying church taxes, and stopping the sale of Christian slaves out of the country. Wulfstan wanted to bring order to a country that had been troubled by war and the arrival of Scandinavians.

Cnut from a medieval illuminated manuscript

In 1009, Wulfstan wrote a special order from King Æthelred. It told the whole country to fast and pray for three days during the Viking raids led by Thorkell. People were only allowed to eat bread and water. They had to walk to church barefoot and pay a small tax. Everyone had to go to church every day for those three days. If someone didn't join in, they would be fined or punished.

Advising King Cnut

After King Cnut conquered England, Wulfstan quickly became his advisor. Wulfstan's ideas can be seen in the laws Cnut created. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died in 1020, Wulfstan helped choose and consecrate the new archbishop. He also wrote to King Cnut, asking him to give the new archbishop the same rights and honors that previous archbishops had. Wulfstan also wrote the laws that Cnut issued in 1021 or 1022. These laws were so good that they stayed in use for a long time, even being mentioned in the famous Domesday Book.

Wulfstan's Death and Lasting Impact

Wulfstan died in York on May 28, 1023. He wanted to be buried at the monastery in Ely, and his body was taken there. Some stories say miracles happened at his tomb, but he was never officially declared a saint. One historian called him the "most important figure in the English Church" during the reigns of King Æthelred II and King Cnut.

Wulfstan's writings had a big impact on other writers in Old English. His ideas can be seen in the Peterborough Chronicle, which is a version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. His law codes, which he wrote for kings Æthelred and Cnut, were still used during the time of King Edward the Confessor. Even in 1100, King Henry I swore an oath to follow King Edward's laws, which were based on Wulfstan's work.

It's even thought that a rare old manuscript of Apollonius of Tyre only survived because it was bound together with Wulfstan's sermons!

Wulfstan's Works and Collections

Wulfstan wrote some works in Latin, but most of his many writings were in Old English. He might have even written a few short poems. His works can be put into three main groups: sermons, legal writings, and philosophical ideas.

His most famous sermon is Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, or Sermon of the Wolf to the English. In this sermon, he said that the attacks by the "Danes" (who were mainly Norwegian invaders at that time) were a punishment from God for the English people's sins. He told them to say sorry for their sins and "return to the faith of baptism, where there is protection from the fires of hell."

He also wrote many sermons about the Last Days and the coming of the Antichrist. The idea of the Antichrist's age was a popular topic in his sermons. These also talked about death and Judgment Day. Six sermons that show this theme include: Secundum Matheum, Secundum Lucam, De Anticristo, De Temporibus Antichrist, Secundum Marcum, and "De Falsis Deis".

Wulfstan also wrote important church laws like the Canons of Edgar and The Law of Edward and Guthrum. The Canons were written to teach priests about their duties. The Law of Edward and Guthrum was a handbook for church law.

Wulfstan also collected many books. He gathered a large collection of texts about church law, church services, and the duties of bishops. This collection is known as Wulfstan's Commonplace Book. A big part of this book is a collection of church rules and decrees, many of which he got from other European works. This shows how much Wulfstan read and studied. He often used ideas from this collection when he wrote his later works, especially the law codes for King Æthelred.

Wulfstan's Special Style

Many people admire Wulfstan's writing style because it's easy to recognize and very special. He used a unique way of writing where he linked short phrases with alliteration (words starting with the same sound) and other sound tricks. His style was so unique that he would even rewrite things that another famous writer, Ælfric, had prepared for him!

Because of this special style, we can say for sure that 26 sermons were written by Wulfstan. 22 of these are in Old English, and the others are in Latin. People also think he wrote many other anonymous works because his style can be seen in them. His own handwriting has even been found in many old books, where he added or corrected things. He wrote more than just sermons; he also wrote law codes and other prose pieces.

He was clearly a very talented writer. Even when he was in London, he was known for how well he spoke and wrote. Someone once wrote to him, asking to be excused from translating something for Wulfstan. They said they couldn't do it as well as Wulfstan could! Some early scholars even thought he wrote poetry, not just prose, because his writing had such a strong rhythm. If you look at his actual old manuscripts, you can see that his writing was incredibly neat and well-organized. Even his notes in the margins were tidy, and his handwriting was fancy but easy to read.