Overview
Lanfranc
(c. 1010—1089) archbishop of Canterbury
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(c. 1010–89)
Scholar, teacher, and Archbishop of Canterbury (1070–89). He was born in Italy, and set up a school at Avranches, Normandy (1039). He studied as a monk at the abbey of Bec, Normandy (1042), becoming its prior (1046) and making it into one of the finest schools in Europe, whose pupils included Anselm and Theobald, both future archbishops of Canterbury. Lanfranc's association with William I began with his negotiation of papal approval for William's marriage while he was Duke of Normandy (1053) and continued after the conquest of England. Lanfranc sought to reform the English Church and to unite it under Canterbury, but he also recognized the king's right to intervene in Church affairs. He supported William II in the rebellion of 1088.
From: Lanfranc in A Dictionary of World History »
Subjects: Religion
