Objections to Episcopal Elections in England, 1216–72

Disputes over episcopal appointments were one of the defining features of church-state relations in thirteenth-century England. This paper considers the episcopal elections which took place during the reign of Henry III (1216–72), focusing on contested elections which resulted in appeals to the papal curia. By examining the claims made about bishops-elect in this context, it is possible to identify the grounds on which kings (and other appellants) might object to the choices made by cathedral chapters. Objections focused on the ways in which the bishop-elect failed to measure up to an extremely specific model of episcopacy; if significant faults could be found, then the election was likely to be quashed. Consequently, theoretical knowledge was an extremely powerful weapon for all those involved in electoral disputes.