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Æthelwig c. 1013–16 February in either 1077 or 1078) was an Abbot of Evesham before and during the Norman Conquest of England. Born sometime around 1010 or 1015, he was elected abbot in 1058. Known for his legal expertise, he administered estates for Ealdred, the Bishop of Worcester prior to his election as abbot. After his election, he appears to have acted as Ealdred's deputy, and was considered as a possible successor when Ealdred was elected Archbishop of York. Æthelwig worked during his abbacy to recover estates that had been lost to Evesham, as well as acquiring more estates. After the Norman Conquest, in 1066, Æthelwig was one of the few Englishmen trusted by the new King William the Conqueror, and was given authority over parts of western England. As part of his duties, he was a royal judge and held important prisoners. During the Harrying of the North in 1069–1070, Æthelwig gave aid to refugees from the north of England. He also helped the king in the rebellion of 1075, preventing one of the rebels from joining the others. Æthelwig died on 16 February in either 1077 or 1078, and was memorialised in a work on his life that was later incorporated in the ''Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham'', a 13th-century history of the abbey and its abbots. ==Early life and election as abbot== Æthelwig was probably born about 1010 to 1015,〔Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 74 footnote 4〕 and inherited a large amount of land from his family.〔Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 423〕 He served as an administrator of the estates of Ealdred, the Bishop of Worcester, as well as those of Evesham Abbey. Æthelwig was also known as a legal expert.〔Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 76〕 He was elected abbot in 1058, and was blessed on 23 April 1058,〔Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 47〕 by Ealdred, who was the diocesan bishop for Evesham. He replaced the previous abbot, Mannig, who had become paralysed. One story has it that Ealdred asked King Edward the Confessor to give the abbacy to Æthelwig,〔 another, in the ''Chronicon de Abbatiae Evesham'', a history of Evesham Abbey, states that it was Mannig who asked the king to make the appointment. The ''Chronicon'' also states that the blessing took place at Gloucester, and that Ealdred was Archbishop at the time, although Ealdred did not become Archbishop of York until 1060.〔Darlington "Æthelwig, Abbot of Evesham Part I" ''English Historical Review'' p. 3〕 During Æthelwig's abbacy, he appears to have acted as the deputy for Ealdred, as bishop of Worcester.〔Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 87 footnote 6〕 In 1062, he was one of the candidates to succeed Ealdred as bishop, when Ealdred was promoted to Archbishop of York, but Wulfstan was chosen instead.〔Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 92〕 Æthelwig also served as a judge for King Edward the Confessor, at one point hearing a case at the royal court along with Wulfstan and Regenbald, the chancellor.〔Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 129〕 The abbot also led military forces in battle,〔Walker ''Harold'' p. 80〕 and served King Edward as an advisor.〔Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 407〕 Æthelwig's relationship with Wulfstan, when Wulfstan was acting as the abbot's diocesan bishop, appears to have been tense, for on the only recorded visitation by Wulfstan to Evesham during Æthelwig's abbacy, Æthelwig was not there.〔Barlow ''English Church 1000–1066'' p. 323〕 Although in legal matters Wulfstan and Æthelwig were in conflict, personally, Æthelwig is said to have regarded Wulfstan as a father figure, and as the abbot's confessor.〔Cox "St Oswald" ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' p. 281〕 The fact that the Evesham's house chronicle appears to have been reworked after 1100 to gloss over embarrassing incidents of the abbots submitting to the bishops of Worcester makes evaluation of Æthelwig's relations with his episcopal superiors more difficult.〔Cox "St Oswald" ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' pp. 283–284〕 During Edward's reign, Æthelwig worked to recover some of the abbey's estates that had been granted to others in the past but had not been returned to the abbey's custody. He managed to restore the abbey's possession of a number of these lost estates.〔Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 330〕 A large section of the description of the abbot's life in the ''Chronicon'' is concerned with a listing of estates that Æthelwig acquired or recovered. The estates listed were in the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire.〔Darlington "Æthelwig, Abbot of Evesham Part I" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 6–10〕 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「Æthelwig」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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