Æthelnoth (archbishop of Canterbury)
| Æthelnoth | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Appointed | 1020 |
| Term ended | 1038 |
| Predecessor | Lyfing |
| Successor | Eadsige |
| Other posts | Dean of Canterbury |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 13 November 1020 |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 28, 29, 30 October or 1 November 1038 |
| Buried | Canterbury Cathedral |
| Parents | Æthelmær the Stout |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 30 October |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic ChurchEastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
Æthelnoth (died 1038) was a medieval Archbishop of Canterbury. Descended from an earlier English king, Æthelnoth became a monk prior to becoming archbishop. While archbishop, he travelled to Rome and brought back saint's relics. He consecrated a number of other bishops who came from outside his archdiocese, leading to some friction with other archbishops. Although he was regarded as a saint after his death, there is little evidence of his veneration or of a cult in Canterbury or elsewhere.
Æthelnoth was a son of the Æthelmær the Stout and a grandson of Æthelweard the Historian, who was a great-great-grandson of Æthelred I. In the view of the historian Frank Barlow, Æthelnoth was probably the uncle of Godwin of Wessex. He was baptised by Dunstan, and a story was told at Glastonbury Abbey that as the infant was baptised, his hand made a motion much like that an archbishop makes when blessing. From this motion, Dunstan is said to have prophesied that Æthelnoth would become an archbishop.
Æthelnoth became a monk at Glastonbury, then was made dean of the monastery of Christ Church Priory, at Canterbury, the cathedral chapter for the diocese of Canterbury. He was also a chaplain to King Cnut of England and Denmark as well as Dean of Canterbury when on 13 November 1020 Æthelnoth was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury. Æthelnoth's elevation probably was a gesture of appeasement, as Æthelnoth's brother Æthelweard had been executed in 1017 by Cnut, who also banished a brother-in-law named Æthelweard in 1020. A later story stated that Cnut favoured Æthelnoth because Æthelnoth had bestowed chrism on the king. This may be a garbled account of Æthelnoth's participation in Cnut's confirmation as a Christian in 1016 or his coronation in 1017. There are some indications that he was a student of Ælfric of Eynsham, the homilist.
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