Question 1
Using these four sources in their historical context, assess how far they support the view that the
main issue between William II ‘Rufus’ and archbishop Anselm was money.
Source A: A monk gives his account of how Anselm became archbishop.
In 1093 king William, being seized with a severe illness and thinking that death was near, vowed to God to amend his life and to give up his practice of imposing taxes on churches. Moreover, he gave to Anselm, the abbot of Bec, who was then in England, the archbishopric of Canterbury. But Anselm was not allowed to receive any income from the archbishopric, apart from that permitted by the king, until the annual rent which had been received since Lanfranc’s death was paid to the king.
Florence of Worcester, Chronicle, written before 1118
Source B: A monk explains how William and Anselm quarrelled.
In 1094 William demanded the sum of one thousand pounds from Anselm without delay, asserting that he had a right to demand it because he had admitted Anselm so readily to the archbishopric. But Anselm considered he could not fill the king’s coffers without damaging his own conscience. He then asked the king’s permission to go to Rome to receive the pallium* from pope Urban. At the mention of the pope’s name William was violently incensed and asserted that no archbishop of his dominions should pay respect to the court of the pope in Rome. Anselm was brought before the king and accused of high treason.
* symbol of the power of an archbishop
Roger of Wendover, History of England, written before 1236
Source C: A monk at Canterbury, and a close friend of Anselm, describes the relationship between the king and the archbishop.
Anselm went to the king and said, ‘I beg you, my Lord King, to give help and guidance to secure Christianity in the kingdom of yours as it has almost entirely died out and should be restored to its rightful place.’ The king replied, ‘What help? What guidance?’ Anselm answered, ‘Command if you will that Councils, such as were held in the old days, be revived, that wrongs committed be brought to light, when brought to light be examined, when examined be censured and so censured checked. No general Council of bishops has been held in England since you became king, nor for several years before that.’ The king said, ‘I will deal with these things when I think fit, not at your pleasure but at mine. I will consider all that at some other time.’
Eadmer (c.1060–c.1126), History of Recent Events in England
Source D: A monk comments on Anselm’s attitude towards some of William’s practices.
Under William, positions in the Church, as the holders died, were put up for sale. Whenever the death of any bishop or abbot was announced, directly one of the king’s clerks was sent to make an inventory of everything and take all the rents for the royal exchequer. In the meantime, some person was sought out to take the place of the deceased, not because of a moral life but because of money to pay for the position. Anselm, who was completely spiritual, tried to correct these abuses, but, lacking support from his bishops, he voluntarily left the kingdom in 1093, yielding to the depravity of the times.
William of Malmesbury, Chronicle of the Kings of the English, written before 1143
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