Robert of Jumièges (died between 1052 and 1055) was the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 50 He had previously served as prior of the Abbey of St Ouen at Rouen in Normandy, before becoming abbot of Jumièges Abbey, near Rouen, in 1037. He was a good friend and adviser to the king of England, Edward the Confessor, who appointed him bishop of London in 1044, and then archbishop in 1051. Robert's time as archbishop lasted only about eighteen months. He had already come into conflict with the powerful Earl Godwin and, while archbishop, made attempts to recover lands lost to Godwin and his family. He also refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, Edward's choice to succeed Robert as Bishop of London. The rift between Robert and Godwin culminated in Robert's deposition and exile in 1052.
A Norman medieval chronicler claimed that Robert travelled to Normandy in 1051 or 1052 and told Duke William of Normandy that Edward wished for him to become his heir. The exact timing of Robert's trip, and whether he actually made it, have been the subject of debate among historians. The archbishop died in exile at Jumièges sometime between 1052 and 1055. Robert commissioned significant building work at Jumièges and was probably involved in the first Romanesque building in England, the church built in Westminster for Edward the Confessor, now known as Westminster Abbey. Robert's treatment by the English was used by William as one of the justifications for his invasion of England.
Background and life in Normandy
Robert was prior of the monastery of St Ouen at Rouen before he became abbot of the important Jumièges AbbeyDouglas William the Conqueror p. 167–170Barlow English Church 1000–1066 p. 44 in 1037. Jumièges had been refounded under the Norman ruler William LongswordCrouch Normandy Before 1066 p. 30Crouch Normans p. 12 around 940.Crouch Normandy Before 1066 p. 58 Its ties with the ducal family were close and it played a role in ducal government and church reform.Crouch Normandy Before 1066 pp. 193–194 Robert's alternate surname "Champart" or "Chambert" probably derived from champart, a term for the part of a crop paid as rent to a landlord. Besides evidence that the preceding abbot at Jumièges was a relative, Robert's origin and family background are otherwise unknown. In 1040,Morris Norman Conquest p. 90 while abbot, Robert began construction of the abbey church, in the new Romanesque style.Cowdrey "Robert of Jumièges" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Robert became friendly with Edward the Confessor, a claimant to the English throne, while Edward was living in exile in Normandy, probably in the 1030s. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready, king of England, who had been replaced by Cnut the Great in 1016. Cnut subsequently married Æthelred's widow Emma of Normandy, Edward's mother, and had a son with her, Harthacanute. For their own safety, Edward and his brother Alfred were sent to Emma's relatives in Normandy.Hindley Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons pp. 306–310 After Cnut's death in 1035, Harold Harefoot, his elder son by his first wife, acceded to the English throne. Following Harald's death in 1040, Harthacanute succeeded him for a short time, but as neither Harald nor Harthacanute left offspring, the throne was offered to Edward on Harthacanute's death in 1042.Hindley Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons pp. 315–318 There is some evidence that Edward spent some of his time in exile around Jumièges, as after becoming king, he gave gifts to the abbey.Crouch Normans p. 78
Bishop and archbishop
Robert accompanied Edward the Confessor on Edward's recall to England in 1042 to become king following Harthacanute's death. It was due to Edward that in August 1044 Robert was appointed Bishop of London,Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 230 one of the first episcopal vacancies which occurred in Edward's reign.Barlow English Church 1000–1066 pp. 46–50 Robert remained close to the king and was the leader of the party opposed to Earl Godwin, Earl of Wessex. Godwin, for his part, was attempting to expand the influence of his family, which had already acquired much land. His daughter was Edward's queen, and two of his sons were elevated to earldoms.Mason House of Godwine pp. 51–53 The Life of Saint Edward, a hagiographical work on King Edward's life, claimed that Robert "was always the most powerful confidential adviser of the king".Quoted in Huscroft Ruling England p. 50 Robert seems to have favoured closer relations with Normandy, and its duke. Edward himself had grown up in the duchy and spent 25 years in exile there before his return to England. He brought many Normans with him to England and seems to have spent much time in their company.Potts "Normandy" Companion to the Anglo-Norman World p. 33
When Archbishop Eadsige of Canterbury died in October 1050,Higham Death of Anglo-Saxon England pp. 128–129 the post remained vacant for five months. The cathedral chapter elected Æthelric, a kinsman of Godwin and a monk at Canterbury,Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 104Walker Harold p. 27 but were over-ruled when Edward appointed Robert Archbishop of Canterbury the following year.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 214 Godwin was attempting to exercise his power of patronage over the archbishopric, but the king's appointment signalled that the king was willing to contest with the earl over the traditional royal rights at Canterbury. Although the monks of Canterbury opposed it, the king's appointment stood.Barlow English Church 1000–1066 p. 209 Robert went to Rome to receive his pallium and returned to EnglandBarlow Edward the Confessor p. 106 where he was ceremonially enthroned at Canterbury on 29 June 1051. Some Norman chroniclers state that he visited Normandy on this trip and informed Duke William the Bastard that he was the childless King Edward's heir. According to these chroniclers, the decision to make William the heir had been decided at the same Lenten royal council in 1051 that had declared Robert archbishop.
After returning from Rome, Robert refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, the Abbot of Abingdon and the king's goldsmith,Huscroft Ruling England p. 52 as his successor to the bishopric of London, claiming that Pope Leo IX had forbidden the consecration. Almost certainly the grounds were simony, the purchase of ecclesiastical office,Coredon Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases p. 260 as Leo had recently issued proclamations against the practice. In refusing to consecrate Spearhafoc, Robert may have been following his own interests against the wishes of both the king and Godwin, as he had his own candidate, a Norman, in mind.Walker Harold p. 29–30 In the end Robert's favoured candidate, William the Norman, was consecrated instead of Spearhafoc. Robert also discovered that some lands belonging to Canterbury had fallen into Godwin's hands, but his efforts to recover them through the shire courts were unsuccessful. Canterbury had lost control of some revenues from the shire of Kent to Godwin during Eadsige's tenure as archbishop, which Robert unsuccessfully attempted to reclaim.Rex Harold II pp. 42–43 These disputes over the estates and revenues of the archbishopric contributed to the friction between Robert and Godwin,Campbell "Pre-Conquest Norman Occupation of England" Speculum p. 22 which had begun with Robert's election. Robert's election had disrupted Godwin's patronage powers in Canterbury, and now Robert's efforts to recover lands Godwin had seized from Canterbury challenged the earl's economic rights.Bates "Land Pleas of William I's Reign" Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research p. 16 Events came to a head at a council held at Gloucester in September 1051, when Robert accused Earl Godwin of plotting to kill King Edward.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 111 Godwin and his family were exiled; afterwards Robert claimed the office of sheriff of Kent, probably on the strength of Eadsige, his predecessor as archbishop, having held the office.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 115
Although Robert refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, there is little evidence that he was interested in the growing movement towards Church reform being promulgated by the papacy.Rex Harold II p. 46 Pope Leo IX was beginning a reform movement later known as the Gregorian Reform, initially focused on improving the clergy and prohibiting simony. In 1049, Leo IX declared that he would take more interest in English church matters and would investigate episcopal candidates more strictly before confirming them. It may have been partly to appease Leo that Edward appointed Robert instead of Æthelric, hoping to signal to the papacy that the English crown was not totally opposed to the growing reform movement.Stafford Unification and Conquest pp. 89–92 It was against this backdrop that Robert refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, although there is no other evidence that Robert embraced the reform position, and his claim that the pope forbade the consecration may have had more to do with finding an easy excuse than any true desire for reform. There are also some indications that Spearhafoc was allied to Godwin, and his appointment was meant as a quid pro quo for the non-appointment of Æthelric.John Reassessing Anglo-Saxon England p. 177 If true, Robert's refusal to consecrate Spearhafoc would have contributed to the growing rift between the archbishop and the earl.
Royal adviser
The Life of Saint Edward claims that while Godwin was in exile Robert tried to persuade King Edward to divorce Edith, Godwin's daughter, but Edward refused and instead she was sent to a nunnery. However, the Life is a hagiography, written soon after Edward's death to show Edward as a saint. Thus, it stresses that Edward voluntarily remained celibate, something unlikely to have been true and not corroborated by any other source. Modern historians have felt it more likely that Edward, at Robert's urging, wished to divorce Edith and remarry to have children to succeed him on the English throne,Walker Harold p. 35–36 although it is possible that he merely wished to be rid of her, without necessarily wanting a divorce.
During Godwin's exile, Robert is said to have been sent by the king on an errand to Duke William of Normandy.Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 107 The reason for the embassy is uncertain. William of Jumièges says that Robert went to tell Duke William that Edward wished William to be his heir. The medieval writer William of Poitiers gives the same reason, but also adds that Robert took with him as hostages Godwin's son Wulfnoth and grandson Hakon (son of Sweyn). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is silent on the visit however, so it is uncertain whether Robert visited Normandy or not, or why he did so.Walker Harold p. 37–38 The entire history of the various missions which Robert is alleged to have made is confused, and complicated by propaganda claims made by Norman chroniclers after the Norman Conquest in 1066,Bates William the Conqueror p. 73 leaving it unclear if Robert visited Normandy on his way to receive his pallium or after Godwin was in exile, or if he went twice or not at all.John "Edward the Confessor" English Historical ReviewOleson "Edward the Confessor" English Historical Review
Outlawing, death, and legacy