De Iniusta Vexacione Willelmi Episcopi Primi
| De Iniusta Vexacione Willelmi Episcopi Primi | |
|---|---|
| Of the Unjust Persecution of the Bishop William I | |
| Language | medieval Latin |
| Date | early through second quarter 12th century |
| Provenance | Durham Cathedral |
| Manuscript(s) | Bodleian MS Fairfax 6 |
| Bodleian MS Laud misc 700 | |
| Hales MS 114 | |
| Cotton MS Claudius D IV | |
| Harleian MS 4843 | |
| Durham Bishop Cosins Library MS V ii | |
| Principal manuscript(s) | Bodleian MS Fairfax 6 |
| First printed edition | Monasticon Anglicanum, first volume, 1655 |
| Genre | Legal account |
| Subject | Account of the trial of Bishop William de St-Calais |
| Period covered | 1080–1096 |
De Iniusta Vexacione Willelmi Episcopi Primi is a late 11th-century historical work detailing the trial of William de St-Calais, a medieval Norman Bishop of Durham from 1081 to 1096. It is the first surviving detailed account of an English trial before the king, and as such is an important source for historians.
The work consists of three sections, an introduction, a central section that details the trial itself, and a conclusion. The introduction and conclusion summarise St-Calais' career before and after the trial. Although the authenticity of the main account has been challenged in the past, most historians consider it a contemporary record of the trial. Six manuscripts containing the work survive, and it was first printed in 1655, with other editions, including translations, appearing after that.
The trial De Iniusta details took place at Salisbury in November 1088, and concerned St-Calais' equivocal actions in the revolt against King William II's rule that had taken place earlier in the year. The work is one of the primary sources for the early part of King William II's reign, and was probably compiled from notes taken by the bishop's subordinates and then worked into a tractate that was designed to present the bishop's case in the best light. It was probably composed during the 1090s when St-Calais was engaged in an effort to regain the favour of King William after his return from the sentence of exile he received at the trial.
This work is the earliest surviving detailed contemporary report of an English state-trial. As such, it is an important source for how the English kings' curia regis, or king's court, functioned when it dealt with legal cases.
De Iniusta states that St-Calais was brought before the king and royal court for trial on 2 November 1088, at Salisbury, the king having confiscated the bishop's lands before the trial. At the trial St-Calais held that as a bishop he could not be tried in a secular court, and he refused to answer the accusations. Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, presented the king's case, declaring that the confiscated lands had been held as fiefs, and thus St-Calais could be tried as a vassal, not as a bishop. St-Calais objected, and continued to refuse to answer the allegations. After numerous conferences and discussions, the court held that St-Calais could be tried as a vassal in a feudal court. St-Calais then appealed to Rome, but his request was rejected by the king and the judges. Those judging the case held that because St-Calais never answered the formal accusation, and because he appealed to Rome, his fief, or the lands he held as a bishop, was forfeit.
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