Savaric FitzGeldewin

Savaric fitzGeldewin
Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury (previously Bath)
Elected	December 1191
Term ended	18 August 1205
Predecessor	Reginald fitzJocelin
Successor	Jocelin of Wells
Other posts	Archdeacon of Northampton Treasurer of Salisbury
Orders
Ordination	19 September 1192
Consecration	20 September 1192
Personal details
Died	18 August 1205 Italy
Buried	Rome

Savaric fitzGeldewin (died 8 August 1205) was an Englishman who became Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury in England. Related to his predecessor as well as to the German Emperor Henry VI, he was elected bishop on the urging of his predecessor, who urged his election on the cathedral chapter of Bath. While bishop, Savaric spent many years attempting to annexe Glastonbury Abbey as part of his bishopric. Savaric also worked to secure the release of King Richard I of England from captivity, when the king was held by Emperor Henry VI.

Savaric's date of birth is unknown. His father was Geldwin, who was a member of the Bohun family and was probably a second cousin of Reginald fitzJocelin, Bishop of Bath. Geldwin's father was Savaric Fitzcana, who held Midhurst in Sussex. The elder Savaric's wife was Muriel, who was a granddaughter of Humphrey de Bohun. The younger Savaric's mother Estrangia was a Burgundian and related to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. Savaric's elder brother was Franco. Thus the younger Savaric was a cousin of Emperor Henry VI and also of Reginald fitzJocelin, his predecessor as Bishop of Bath.

Savaric first appears in the historical record in 1157 when he is named as a canon of Coutances Cathedral in Normandy. He then was archdeacon of Countances from 1162 to 1174. He was Treasurer of Salisbury in 1174 and archdeacon of Northampton from 1175 to 1187. The medieval chronicler Ralph Diceto says that a Savaric was appointed as Archdeacon of Canterbury, but whether this was the same Savaric is unclear. He incurred large debts to King Henry II of England, which caused the king to complain to Pope Urban III. During the years 1182–1184, Savaric was deprived of his archdeaconries, which may have been connected to the debt issue with the king.

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