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Gilbert Foliot (c. 1110 – 18 February 1187) was a medieval English monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Gloucester, Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at Cluny Abbey in France at about the age of twenty. After holding two posts as prior in the Cluniac order he was appointed Abbot of Gloucester Abbey in 1139, a promotion influenced by his kinsman Miles of Gloucester. During his tenure as abbot he acquired additional land for the abbey, and may have helped to fabricate some charters—legal deeds attesting property ownership—to gain advantage in a dispute with the Archbishops of York. Although Foliot recognised Stephen as the King of England, he may have also sympathised with the Empress Matilda's claim to the throne. He joined Matilda's supporters after her forces captured Stephen, and continued to write letters in support of Matilda even after Stephen's release. Foliot accompanied Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to a papal council at Reims in 1148. During his time there he was appointed to the Diocese of Hereford by Pope Eugene III. Despite a promise made in Reims not to recognise Stephen, Foliot on his return to England nevertheless swore fealty to the king, causing a temporary rift in his relationship with Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son, who eventually became King Henry II of England in 1154. When Theobald died in 1160, it was widely assumed that he would be replaced by Foliot, but King Henry nominated his Chancellor, Thomas Becket, instead. Foliot later claimed to have opposed this appointment, and supported Henry during the king's dispute with the new archbishop. Foliot was translated, or moved, to the Diocese of London in 1163, perhaps as consolation for not receiving Canterbury. During the great dispute between Becket and the king, Foliot was reviled by Becket and his supporters. He acted as an envoy for the king on a number of diplomatic missions related to this dispute and wrote a number of letters against Becket which were circulated widely in Europe. Becket excommunicated Foliot on two occasions, the second of which precipitated the archbishop's martyrdom. For a short period following Becket's death the papacy kept Foliot excommunicate, but he was quickly absolved and allowed to resume his episcopal functions. In addition to his role in the Becket controversy, Foliot often served as a royal judge, and was an active administrator and bishop in his different dioceses. He was a prolific letter writer, and some of his correspondence was collected after his death. He also wrote sermons and biblical commentaries, two of which are extant. ==Early life== Foliot was probably the son of Robert Foliot—steward to David, Earl of Huntingdon, heir to the Scottish throne—and Robert's wife Agnes, sister of Robert de Chesney, Bishop of Lincoln.〔 Whatever his parentage, Gilbert was certainly Robert de Chesney's nephew;〔Greenway ''(Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 3: Lincoln: Bishops )''〕 another of his uncles, Reginald, was a monk of Gloucester Abbey and Abbot of Evesham Abbey.〔Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 47〕 Other ecclesiastics in his family included Robert Foliot, a later Bishop of Hereford perhaps from an Oxford branch of the family,〔 and two earlier Bishops of London, Richard de Beaumis the elder and Richard de Beaumis the younger,〔Brooke "Foliot, Gilbert" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''〕 Gilbert also referred to Richard of Ilchester, later Bishop of Winchester, as a kinsman, but the exact relationship is unknown.〔Knowles ''Episcopal Colleagues'' p. 38〕 William de Chesney, a partisan of Stephen's and a leading Oxfordshire layman,〔Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' pp. 222–223〕 was another of Foliot's uncles,〔King "Anarchy" ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'' p. 153〕 and Miles of Gloucester, Earl of Hereford, was a cousin.〔Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 302〕 In about 1145 Foliot intervened to secure the release of a knight to whom he was related, Roger Foliot, but their precise relationship is unknown.〔Stacy "Henry of Blois" ''English Historical Review'' p. 24〕 Born about 1110,〔Knowles ''Monastic Order'' pp. 293–297〕 Foliot became a monk of Cluny,〔Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 53〕 probably in about 1130.〔 He became Prior of Cluny Abbey, then Prior of Abbeville, a Cluniac house.〔Barrow ''(Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 8: Hereford: Bishops )''〕〔 There are some indications that he studied law at Bologna,〔Turner "Roman Law" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 9〕 and he may have studied under Robert Pullen, the English theologian, either at Oxford or Exeter.〔Barlow ''English Church'' p. 247 & footnote 169〕 He also acquired a knowledge of rhetoric as well as the liberal arts.〔 The names of two of his early teachers are known, but nothing else of them. Foliot also learned biblical exegesis, probably from Pullen.〔Taliadoros "Law & Theology" ''Haskins Society Journal 16'' p. 79〕 Foliot attended the Second Lateran Council, called by Pope Innocent II. It opened on 4 April 1139, and among other matters heard an appeal from the Empress Matilda concerning her claim to the throne of England.〔 Matilda was the daughter and only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I, but following her father's death in late 1135 her cousin Stephen, the son of Henry's sister, had seized the crown. By 1139 Matilda had gathered supporters and was contesting Stephen's right to the throne.〔Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 71–73〕 In about 1143 Foliot wrote an account of the proceedings of the council in a letter to one of Matilda's supporters. No action was taken on her claim, and no conclusion was reached as to its validity. The papacy continued to accept Stephen as king, and the pope ordered the English Church to make no changes to the status quo.〔Chibnall ''Empress Matilda'' pp. 75–76〕 According to Foliot's letter the council's deliberations centred on the legitimacy of the marriage between Matilda's parents. Matilda's mother, Edith-Matilda, had been educated at a convent, and there was some uncertainty over whether she had taken vows before her marriage to Henry I. At the time of the council, the question caused some concern, although in time most were persuaded that the marriage was valid because Anselm of Canterbury had performed the ceremony. Foliot seems to have had some doubts in 1139, but before writing his letter of 1143 he had come to believe that Matilda was indeed the legitimate heiress, and he supported the Angevin cause, as Matilda's claim was known.〔Matthew ''King Stephen'' pp. 88–89〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gilbert Foliot」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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