Thomas Langley
| Thomas Langley | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Durham | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Appointed | 14 May 1406 |
| Installed | 4 September 1406 |
| Term ended | 20 November 1437 |
| Predecessor | Walter Skirlaw |
| Successor | Robert Neville |
| Other posts | |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 8 August 1406 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
c. 1363 Middleton, Lancashire |
| Died | 20 November 1437 (aged c. 74) Bishop Auckland, County Durham |
| Buried | Durham Cathedral |
| Nationality | English |
| Parents | William and Alice Langley |
| Previous post | |
Thomas Langley (c. 1363 – 20 November 1437) was an English prelate who held high ecclesiastical and political offices in the early to mid-15th century. He was Dean of York, Bishop of Durham, twice Lord Chancellor of England to three kings, and a Pseudocardinal. In turn Keeper of the King's signet and Keeper of the Privy Seal before becoming de facto England's first Foreign Secretary. He was the second longest serving Chancellor of the Middle Ages.
Langley was born in Middleton, Lancashire, the third son of Alice and William Langley. In 1375 he was sent to St Mary's Abbey, Thetford, a feeder for Corpus Christi in Cambridge. Langley attended this college until it was ransacked and destroyed by poll tax rioters on 15 June 1381.
Langley returned to Middleton and in 1385 he was appointed rector of Radcliffe and collated as Archdeacon of Norfolk in 1399. In 1401 he was appointed Dean of York, but the appointment was blocked by Pope Boniface IX because of Langley's part in the deposition and murder of Richard II. In 1401 he was given custody of the privy seal, which office he held until 1405.
In October 1404, Langley was elected Bishop of London but the new Pope, Innocent VII, refused to allow his installation and on 2 March 1405 he was appointed Chancellor for the first time. From then on until his semi-retirement in 1430, Langley spent 5,670 days in the service of the crown. He now lived in an inn in Holborn in the City of London. Within 20 days Archbishop Scrope of York rebelled, was captured and executed after a show trial. Langley was elected in August 1405 as Archbishop, which the Pope again disapproved of and excommunicated Langley and King Henry IV. The election was quashed in May 1406.
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