Sanctuary and Sovereignty: Hubert de Burgh in the Chronica majora

This essay considers the Cronica Majora’s account of the flight into sanctuary of Henry III’s fallen justiciar, Hubert de Burgh, as it illuminates the practice of sanctuary seeking in general. Far from simply providing a ‘home base’, sanctuary affords symbolic opportunities for both fugitive and pursuer. Chronicler Roger Wendover highlights the king’s ire and his subject’s humility, divorcing Henry from divine sanction while sanctifying Hubert. Wendover frames Henry’s action as a refusal to perform the powerful role of merciful monarch exemplified by Richard I. Thus while Wendover shows Hubert’s skill in fleeing to the church at key moments, he portrays Henry as a clumsy player in the symbolic ‘game’ of sanctuary. Matthew Paris’s additions and illustrations intensify the conflict, but finally shed light on its resolution. Sanctuary does complex symbolic work to recast political crisis and sovereign power.