Bartholomew Iscanus
| Bartholomew Iscanus | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Exeter | |
| Elected | before April 1161 |
| Term ended | 15 December 1184 |
| Predecessor | Robert of Chichester |
| Successor | John the Chanter |
| Other posts | Archdeacon of Exeter |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | after 18 April 1161 by Walter |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 15 December 1184 |
| Buried | Exeter Cathedral |
| Denomination | Catholic |
Bartholomew Iscanus (or Bartholomew of Exeter; died 1184) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.
Bartholomew was a native of Normandy, and was probably born in Millières, a village in the Cotentin near Lessay and Périers. He was a clerk of Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury before becoming Archdeacon of Exeter in 1155. He was a correspondent of John of Salisbury, as he and John had been clerks for Theobald along with Thomas Becket. After Becket's murder, John took refuge with Bartholomew until he was elected bishop of Chartres in 1176. Contemporaries considered Bartholomew an excellent theologian and canon lawyer. In 1159, Bartholomew took part in a synod held at London to decide between the rival claims of Popes Alexander III and Victor IV. At some point in his career, he taught at the law school at Paris.
After the death of Robert of Chichester, the see of Exeter was vacant for a year before a local Gloucestershire family urged King Henry II of England to put forward one of their members as a candidate for the see. Henry did suggest the family member, Henry fitzHarding, to the cathedral chapter, but Archbishop Theobald objected that fitz Harding was unqualified. Instead, Theobald suggested Bartholomew, and eventually the king was persuaded and Bartholomew was elected. He was consecrated bishop after 18 April 1161, at Canterbury Cathedral by Walter, the Bishop of Rochester. Theobald had wished to consecrate Bartholomew before Theobald died, but could not because the king was abroad in Normandy and the bishop-elect had to swear fealty to the king before he could be consecrated. After his consecration, Bartholomew gave the archdeaconry of Exeter to the disappointed royal candidate.
During the dispute between King Henry and Thomas Becket, Bartholomew refused to cooperate with either side, which caused Becket to scold him as a bad friend. At the start of the dispute, Bartholomew was sent with a royal deputation to Sens to ask the pope to send papal legates to England to settle the quarrel. Thereafter, he avoided being drawn into the controversy, until 1170. When Roger of York crowned Henry the Young King in 1170, Bartholomew was said to be present. In September 1170, Pope Alexander III suspended Bartholomew from office for attending the coronation, along with a number of other bishops. Shortly after a settlement of the dispute was reached in 1172, Henry wrote to Bartholomew saying that "I shall abolish all new customs introduced in my reign against the churches of my land (which I consider to be few or none)", which signaled Henry's intentions of mostly ignoring the settlement. Bartholomew was restored to his office before 21 December 1171, when he helped restore Canterbury Cathedral to use for religious ceremonies.
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