Hubert Walter ( – 13 July 1205) was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the chancery. Walter was not noted for his holiness in life or learning, but historians have judged him one of the most outstanding government ministers in English history.
Walter owed his early advancement to his uncle Ranulf de Glanvill, who helped him become a clerk of the Exchequer. Walter served King Henry II of England in many ways, not just in financial administration, but also including diplomatic and judicial efforts. After an unsuccessful candidacy to the see of York, Walter was elected Bishop of Salisbury shortly after the accession of Henry's son .
Walter accompanied Richard on the Third Crusade and was one of the principal figures in raising Richard's ransom after the king was captured in Germany on his return from the Holy Land. As a reward for his faithful service, Walter was selected to become Archbishop of Canterbury in 1193. He also served as Richard's justiciar until 1198, in which role he was responsible for raising the money Richard needed to prosecute his wars in France. Walter set up a system that was the precursor for the modern justices of the peace, based on selecting four knights in each hundred to administer justice. He also revived his predecessor's dispute over setting up a church to rival Christ Church Priory in Canterbury, which was only settled when the pope ordered him to abandon the plan. Following Richard's death in 1199, Walter helped assure the elevation of Richard's brother John to the throne. Walter also served John as a diplomat, undertaking several missions to France.
Early life Hubert Walter was the son of Hervey WalterGreenway "Deans" Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300 Volume 6: York and his wife Maud de Valoignes, one of the daughters (and co-heiresses) of Theobald de Valoignes, who was lord of Parham in Suffolk. Walter was one of six brothers. The eldest brother, Theobald Walter, and Walter himself, were helped in their careers by their uncle, Ranulf de Glanvill.Cokayne Complete Peerage: Volume Two p. 447 Glanvill was the chief justiciar for Henry II; and was married to Maud de Valoignes' sister, Bertha. Walter's father and paternal grandfather held lands in Suffolk and Norfolk, which were inherited by Theobald.Young Hubert Walter pp. 4–5 A younger brother, Osbert, became a royal justice and died in 1206. Roger, Hamo (or Hamon), and Bartholomew only appear as witnesses to charters.Stacey "Walter, Hubert" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Walter's family was from West Dereham in Norfolk, which is probably where Walter was born.Young Hubert Walter p. 5 Walter first appears in Glanvill's household in a charter that has been dated to 1178, although as it is undated,ce it may have been written as late as 1180.Young Hubert Walter p. 3 and footnote 1 His brother Theobald also served in their uncle's household.Young Hubert Walter p. 4 Walter's gratitude towards his aunt and uncle is shown in the foundation charter of Walter's monastery in Dereham, where he asks the foundation to pray for the "souls of Ranulf Glanvill and Bertha his wife, who nourished us".Quoted in Young Hubert Walter p. 4 Earlier historians asserted that Walter studied law at Bologna, based on his name appearing in a list of those to be commemorated at a monastery in Bologna in which English students lodged. Modern historians have discounted this, as the list also includes benefactors, not just students; other evidence points to the fact that Walter had a poor grasp of Latin, and did not consider himself to be a learned man.Young Hubert Walter pp. 7–8 However, this did not mean that he was illiterate, merely that he was not "book-learned", or educated at a university.Clanchy From Memory to Written Record p. 229 His contemporary, the medieval writer Gerald of Wales said of Walter that the Exchequer was his school.
Early assignments
By 1184–1185, Walter had a position as a baron of the exchequer. The king employed him on several tasks, including as a negotiator, a justice, and a royal secretary. He was appointed Dean of York by order of King Henry II about July 1186. The archbishopric had been vacant since 1181 and would remain so until 1189, so it was Walter's job as dean to administer the archbishopric of York.Young Hubert Walter p. 19 Walter was also an unsuccessful candidate to become Archbishop of York in September 1186. The medieval chronicler Gervase of Canterbury said that during Henry II's reign, Walter "ruled England because Glanvill sought his counsel".Young Hubert Walter p. 15 Documents also show that Walter was active in the administration of the diocese of York.Young Hubert Walter pp. 20–21
At the same time he was administering York, Walter founded a Premonstratensian house of canons on purchased property at West Dereham, Norfolk in 1188.Knowles Monastic Order p. 360 His uncle and other family members had favoured the Premonstratensian Order, and this West Dereham Abbey was located near the family lands in Norfolk.Young Hubert Walter p. 22
In 1187, Walter, along with Glanvill and King Henry II, attempted to mediate a dispute between the Archbishop of Canterbury, Baldwin of Forde, and the monks of the cathedral chapter. Their efforts were fruitless, and Walter was later drawn back into the dispute in early 1189 and again as archbishop. The dispute centred on Baldwin's attempt to build a church dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket just outside the town of Canterbury. The plan was to staff the church with canons instead of monks, which the monks of Canterbury's cathedral chapter feared was an attempt to take away the cathedral chapter's right to elect the archbishop.Young Hubert Walter pp. 13–15 The attempt in 1189 was settled by Baldwin giving up the site near Canterbury for one further away at Lambeth, which was less threatening to the monks.Young Hubert Walter pp. 29–30
Bishop and archbishop After the death of King Henry in 1189, the new king Richard appointed Walter Bishop of Salisbury; the election took place on 15 September 1189 at Pipewell, with the consecration on 22 October 1189 at Westminster.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 270Greenway "Bishops" Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300 Volume 4: Salisbury Also elected to bishoprics at this council were Godfrey de Lucy to the see of Winchester, Richard FitzNeal to the see of London, and William Longchamp to the see of Ely. The elevation of so many new bishops was probably meant to signal the new king's break with his father's habit of keeping bishoprics empty to retain the revenues of the sees.Gillingham Richard I p. 109 At about the same time, Glanvill was either forced out of his justiciarship or resigned, but the sources are unclear.Young Hubert Walter p. 23 Walter was probably elevated to a bishopric even though his uncle had lost some of his power because of political manoeuvring over the elevation of King Richard's illegitimate half-brother Geoffrey to the see of York, which Walter had at first opposed. The bishopric was either a reward or a bribe for Walter's withdrawal of his objections to Geoffrey's election.Young Hubert Walter pp. 25–26
Soon after his appointment, Walter accompanied the king on the Third Crusade,Bartlett England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings p. 115 going ahead of the king directly from Marseille to the Holy Land in a group that included Baldwin of Forde, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Ranulf de Glanvill.Gillingham Richard I p. 129 The group left Marseille in August 1190, and arrived at Acre two months later.Tyerman God's War pp. 428–429 While on crusade, he was praised by his fellow crusaders, and acted as Richard's principal negotiator with Saladin for a peace treaty.Gillingham Richard I pp. 238–240 After the conclusion of the treaty with Saladin, Walter was in the first band of pilgrims that entered Jerusalem. Saladin entertained Walter during his stay in Jerusalem, and the Englishman succeeded in extracting a promise from Saladin that a small group of Western clergy would be allowed to remain in the city to perform divine services.Tyerman God's War p. 471 Walter subsequently led the English army back to England after Richard departed from Palestine, but in Sicily he heard of the king's capture, and diverted to Germany. He, along with William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, was among the first of Richard's subjects to find the king at Ochsenfurt, where he was being held. In April 1193, he returned to England to raise the king's ransom. Richard wrote to his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, that Walter should be chosen for the see of Canterbury, as well as to the monks of the cathedral chapter,Turner "Richard Lionheart and English Episcopal Elections" Albion p. 8 and soon after Walter's return to England, he was duly elected archbishop of Canterbury, having been translated to the see on 29 May 1193.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 232 He was chosen as archbishop without consultation from the bishops, who normally claimed the right to help decide the new archbishop.Jones King John and Magna Carta p. 35 He received his pallium, the symbol of his archiepiscopal authority, from Pope Celestine III and was ceremonially enthroned at Canterbury on 7 November 1193.Young Hubert Walter p. 45
Justiciar
After Richard was freed, he spent little time in England, instead concentrating on the war with King Philip II of France, which began with Philip's attempts to acquire Richard's possessions on the continent. Richard made Walter Chief Justiciar on about 25 December 1193.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 71 Walter remained in England, raising money for the king's wars and overseeing the administration of the kingdom. The constant warfare forced Walter to find new means of raising money through taxation. The historian Doris Stenton wrote that the Pipe Rolls, or financial records, during Walter's time as justiciar "give the impression of a country taxed to the limit".Quoted in Young Hubert Walter p. 49 Walter was also responsible for choosing royal justices, and many of his choices were connected with, or had previously worked with, the archbishop in the royal administration.Young Hubert Walter p. 51 Because of Richard's absence from England, Walter was able to exercise more authority as justiciar than any of his predecessors. All that Walter needed to do was keep Richard's monetary needs satisfied. Combined with Walter's position as archbishop, Walter wielded a power unseen in England since the days of Lanfranc.West Justiciarship pp. 79–80
One of Walter's first acts as justiciar was in February 1194, when he presided over a feudal judgement of John, Richard's younger brother. After Richard's release from captivity, John, intending to begin a rebellion, had prepared his castles for defence. His letters ordering the preparations were intercepted, and John was deprived of his lands.Powell and Wallis House of Lords pp. 101–102 When John showed no signs of submitting, Walter called an ecclesiastical council at Westminster for the purposes of excommunicating John unless he submitted.Jones King John and Magna Carta pp. 5–6 John refused to submit, and was excommunicated.Young Hubert Walter pp. 52–53 To defeat the rebellion, Walter was required to lay siege to Marlborough Castle himself.Jones King John and Magna Carta p. 62 Walter employed his brother Theobald in similar actions in Lancaster, and rewarded him with the office of sheriff of Lancaster.Joliffe Angevin Kingship p. 66 Eventually in May 1194, John made peace with Richard, and was restored to favour, although the restoration of his lands did not occur until late in 1195.Turner King John pp. 38–39