William de Longchamp

William Longchamp
Bishop of Ely
Ely Cathedral
Appointed	15 September 1189
Installed	6 January 1190
Term ended	January 1197
Predecessor	Geoffrey Ridel
Successor	Eustace
Personal details
Died	January 1197 Poitiers
Buried	abbey of Le Pin
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Chief Justiciar of England
In office December 1189 – 1191
Monarch	Richard I
Preceded by	Hugh de Puiset (co-chief Justiciar until June 1190)
Succeeded by	Walter de Coutances
Constituency	South of the Humber River (March–June 1190)
Chancellor of England
In office 1189–1197
Monarch	Richard I
Preceded by	Geoffrey
Succeeded by	Eustace
chancellor of the Duchy of Aquitaine
Monarch	Richard, Duke of Aquitaine

William de Longchamp (died 1197), sometimes known as William Longchamp or William de Longchamps, was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's father of being the son of a peasant, he held land as a knight. Longchamp first served Henry II's illegitimate son Geoffrey, but quickly transferred to the service of Richard I, Henry's heir. When Richard became king in 1189, Longchamp paid £3,000 for the office of Chancellor, and was soon named to the see, or bishopric, of Ely and appointed legate by the pope.

Longchamp governed England while Richard was on the Third Crusade, but his authority was challenged by Richard's brother, John, who eventually succeeded in driving Longchamp from power and from England. Longchamp's relations with the other leading English nobles were also strained, which contributed to the demands for his exile. Soon after Longchamp's departure from England, Richard was captured on his journey back to England from the crusade and held for ransom by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Longchamp travelled to Germany to help negotiate Richard's release. Although Longchamp regained the office of Chancellor after Richard's return to England, he lost much of his former power. He aroused a great deal of hostility among his contemporaries during his career, but he retained Richard's trust and was employed by the king until the bishop's death in 1197. Longchamp wrote a treatise on the law, which remained well known throughout the later Middle Ages.

Longchamp's ancestors originated in the village of Longchamps, Normandy, but he was born near the Norman village of Argenton. His father, Hugh de Longchamp, also held land in England, as did many other Norman nobles after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Hugh Nonant—one of Longchamp's opponents—declared that the elder Longchamp was the son of a peasant, which seems unlikely, as Hugh de Longchamp appears to have held a knight's tenancy in Normandy. The family was originally of humble background, but rose through service to King Henry II. The elder Longchamp also held land in Herefordshire in England, including the manor of Wilton near Ross in Wales. Hugh married a woman named Eve, a relative of the Lacy family. Historian David Balfour suggests that Eve was the daughter of Gilbert de Lacy, the son of Roger de Lacy, exiled by King William II in 1095 for rebellion.

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