Athelm
| Athelm | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Diocese of Canterbury |
| See | Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Appointed | between 923 and 925 |
| Reign ended | 8 January 926 |
| Predecessor | Plegmund |
| Successor | Wulfhelm |
| Other posts | Bishop of Wells |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Æthelhelm |
| Died | 8 January 926 |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 8 January |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
- For other men called Æthelhelm, see Æthelhelm (disambiguation)
Athelm (or Æthelhelm; died 926) was an English churchman, who was the first Bishop of Wells, and later Archbishop of Canterbury.
Contents |
Biography [edit]
He was a monk of Glastonbury Abbey[1] and possibly Abbot of Glastonbury[2] before his elevation in 909 to the see of Wells, of which he was the first occupant.[3] Between August 923 and September 925 he became archbishop.[4] His translation from the see of Wells set a precedent for the future, and marks a break with historical practice. Previously the moving of a bishop from one see to another had been held to be against canon, or ecclesiastical, law. Recently, however, the popes had themselves been translated, and this practice was to become common in England after Athelm's time.[5] He was West Saxon, unlike his predecessor, Plegmund, who was Mercian, reflecting the shift in power to Wessex.[6] Athelm was an uncle of the Dunstan, later also to be Archbishop of Canterbury, and brought him to court.[2][7]
Athelm presided at the coronation of King Athelstan of England on 4 September 925, and probably composed or organised the new Ordo (order of service) in which for the first time the king wore a crown instead of a helmet. He also attested the king's first grant to St Augustine's, Canterbury.[8] It is unclear if the reason that no coins were minted with his name was his short term of office or a change in policy towards the Archbishop of Canterbury minting coins in his own name. Nothing else is known of Athelm's brief time as archbishop.[5] He died on 8 January 926.[1][4] He was later considered a saint, with a feast day of 8 January.[9]
Notes [edit]
- ^ a b Mason "Athelm (d. 926)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b Delaney Dictionary of Saints p. 65
- ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 222
- ^ a b Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 214. Nelson (p. 126) states that he became archbishop in 923.
- ^ a b Brooks Early History of the Church of Canterbury pp. 214–216
- ^ Nelson, p. 126
- ^ Stenton Anglo-Saxon England p. 446
- ^ Nelson, pp. 124-126
- ^ "St. Athelm". Catholic Online. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
References [edit]
- Brooks, Nicholas (1984). The Early History of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. London: Leicester University Press. ISBN 0-7185-0041-5.
- Delaney, John P. (1980). Dictionary of Saints (Second ed.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-13594-7.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Mason, Emma (2004). "Athelm (d. 926)" ((subscription or UK public library membership required)). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/832. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- Nelson, Janet (2008). "The First Use of the Second Anglo-Saxon Ordo". In Julia Barrow and Andrew Wareham. Myth, Rulership, Church and Charters. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-5120-8.
- Stenton, F. M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (Third ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5.
External links [edit]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New diocese | Bishop of Wells 909–c. 923 |
Succeeded by Wulfhelm |
| Preceded by Plegmund |
Archbishop of Canterbury c. 923–926 |
Succeeded by Wulfhelm |
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