Princes of the church : a history of the English cardinals / Dominic Aidan Bellenger & Stella Fletcher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bellenger, Dominic Aidan.

Contributor:

Fletcher, Stella.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catholic Church--Great Britain--Clergy--History.

Catholic Church.

Cardinals--Great Britain--Biography.

Cardinals.

Clergy.

History.

Great Britain.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 211 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Stroud : Sutton, 2001.

Summary:

Since the Middle Ages, at least forty Englishmen have been made cardinals, the highest-ranking members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy after the pope and in effect the senators of the Church. There is something exotic about the scarlet robes, their unique hats and the conclaves in which they gather to elect one of their number as pope.

For the English, the word 'cardinal' conjures up great statesmen like Wolsey, great thinkers like Newman and martyrs like John Fisher. What kind of men became cardinals and what did they do? From medieval theologian to modern servant of the people, via Renaissance prince, early modern religious exile and nineteenth-century patriarch, the English cardinals have been as varied as the demands of the role. Several were of royal descent (Reginald Pole was arguably the last Plantagenet) and one of the most fascinating figures among their ranks was Cardinal York, son of the Old Pretender and brother of Bonnie Prince Charlie. On the latter's death, he asserted his hereditary right to the crown of England, and had a medal struck, inscribed 'Henry IX, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum'. The pope, Benedict XIV, took a rather critical view of the Cardinal Pretender, reputedly saying: 'If all the Stuarts were as boring as him, no wonder the English drove them out.' Following the restoration of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the nineteenth century, the English cardinals became great social leaders, with outstanding figures such as Wiseman, Manning and Newman doing much to enhance the status of Catholics.

Princes of the Church looks at the English cardinals' public careers, their background and their private lives to present a picture of a group of men whose spiritual and political influence may be traced through nine centuries of English history. All those interested in Church history will find this essential reading, but there is also much to delight those fascinated by the courtly world of spies, intrigue, poisonings and secrecy.

Contents:

1 Medieval Christendom 1

2 Avignon and Conciliarism 21

3 Renaissance and Reformation 43

4 Exiles 85

5 Eminent Victorians 115

6 Twentieth Century 141

Table 1 The Princely Cardinals of Renaissance England 170

Table 2 The Howard Cardinals 172

Appendix I English Cardinals at Home and in Rome 173

Appendix II Scottish Cardinals 180

Appendix III Irish Cardinals 181.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0750926309

OCLC:

46332491