Henry of Blois, often known as Henry of Winchester;^[1] (1101 – 1171) was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126 and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death.

Life

Henry was one of five sons of Stephen, Count of Blois by Adela of Normandy (daughter of William the Conqueror) and therefore brother of King Stephen.^[2] Henry's father died in 1102 while on crusade during the Second Battle of Ramla, leaving an estate with more than 350 castles and large properties in France including Chartres.

Henry was educated at Cluny and adhered to the principles of Cluniac reform, which included a sense of intellectual freedom and humanism, as well as a high standard of devotion and discipline. Henry was brought to England by King Henry I, to be Abbot of Glastonbury. On October 4 1129, he was given the bishopric of Winchester^[3] and allowed to keep his beloved Glastonbury Abbey. He was consecrated bishop on November 17 1129.^[3] He had ambitions to become Archbishop of Canterbury, but refused to abandon his work and obligations to Glastonbury. Soon after his appointment to the see of Winchester, Blois came to resent his subservience to Canterbury. He therefore set about building a power base to persuade the king to create a third, West Country archdiocese with himself at the head^[4]. This scheme was unsuccessful. However, on March 1 1139, during the reign of his brother Stephen, Henry obtained a commission as papal legate, which gave him higher rank than Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, making him the most powerful figure in the English Church during the troubled times of the so-called "Anarchy". Thus, when his brother was unavailable, Henry Blois was the most powerful man in England.

Stephen Blois was crowned King of England in 1135, but the relations between the two were not always peaceful. After the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, Henry found it more advantageous to support Empress Matilda; but later found her arrogant and greedy. The next year, Henry rejoined his brother's side, and his successful defence of Winchester against the Empress was the turning point of the civil war. As Abbot of Glastonbury, Blois remained in contact with Peter the Venerable at Cluny and was made aware of most of the controversies on the continent, specifically the persecution of Peter Abelard.

Before and after his elevation to Bishop, Blois was an advisor to his brother Stephen and survived him. Henry Blois engineered hundreds of projects, including the greatest developments at Glastonbury Abbey before the destructive fire of 1185. Unlike most bishops of his age, Henry had a passion for architecture. He built the final additions to Winchester Cathedral and Winchester Palace, including a tourist tunnel under the cathedral to make it easier for pilgrims to view relics. He also designed and built additions to many palaces and large houses including the castle of Farnham, Surrey^[5] and began the construction of the hospital of St Cross at Winchester.

The expiration of his legatine commission on September 23 1143^[2] deprived him of much of his power. His efforts to renew the commission were unsuccessful, but he made a personal visit to Rome and secured several favors for Glastonbury and the Benedictine order in general. Shortly after his brother's death and the accession of Henry II, Blois retired to Cluny for three years to mourn his mentor Peter the Venerable, who died on Christmas Day, 1156.

Hospital of St. Cross founded in the 1130's by Bishop Henry

In his later years Bishop Blois was appointed to preside over the trial of Thomas Becket and secretly supported Becket's family before and after his assassination.

He died on August 8 1171.^[3]

Bishop Blois is now buried at Winchester in a plain stone crypt in the choir, but there is a controversy because some sources claim he was also buried at Cluny. During his lifetime he was occasionally referred to as, a king without a throne, and the power behind the throne. In the Antiquities, Malmsbury described him saying, "Yet, in spite of his noble birth he blushes when praised."

Hank Harrison in the Grail in the Stars claims Henry Blois is the anonymous author of the famed book Perlesvaux, known in English as the High History of the Holy Grail.

See also

• List of bishops of Winchester

Notes

References

• British History Online Bishops of Winchester accessed on November 2, 2007
• History of Farnham Castle accessed on November 2, 2007
• Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961

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