september medieval durham influential government minister king england son priest normandy nickname means torch bearer referred personality started career king william england probably compilation book keeper king seal death william chose serve new king england continued hold king seal involved financial administration kingdom quickly novel methods raising revenue given custody number vacant ecclesiastical offices point sixteen vacant duties led considered chief england reign supervised construction stone bridge london oversaw construction king hall westminster rewarded durham death imprisoned tower london successor convenient financial reign prisoner escape tower went exile henry older brother duke normandy leading advisor robert assisted unsuccessful invasion england attempt henry throne brothers reconciled restored office spent years normandy returning henry defeated robert battle subsequently retired political life occasional appearances public remained active ecclesiastical affairs attending councils working defend rights early life norman son parish priest diocese probably born close died originally worked soon entered king william half brother stood intelligence good looks nickname means torch bearer flame given high spirited personality medieval chronicler records gave nickname robert resented fact low birth ordered nobility archbishop canterbury told pope nickname came cruelty likened consuming flame went claim educated base parasites court acquired reputation able administrator helped increase royal revenues appears played important compilation survey main project book gives profession clerk records holding land number counties death old king chaplain served sources probably meant formally educated liberal arts work administrator required knowledge latin served keeper king seal traveling thames estuary seal captured pirates thinking quickly prevented capture seal throwing seal sea served single genuine charter writ william implies leading servant died lands split elder son received normandy son received england chose serve england work death held diocese salisbury early reign held offices dean hampshire london lincoln keeper king seal charge royal usually described chaplain called treasurer times role given title william calls manager kingdom reduced number serving church replacing died kept revenues gone missing rebuild church medieval sources claim rebuilding church demolished church replacing nearby chief financial administrator bore chronicler efforts increase royal revenues attempts increase efficiency collection rate taxation created new methods raising money new measures revenue collection came english militia assembled order fight normandy king brother men assembled instead sending normandy dismissed collecting shillings man given district maintenance spent money mercenaries actively pressed lawsuits including bringing suit day archbishop_of_canterbury innovation attempt collect relief like relief death overlord tenants church lands church office changed hands attempt came death king sent free tenants bishop setting relief owed king attempt repeated administered king large proportion vacant ecclesiastical offices personally managed sixteen eventually obtained wealthy durham consecrated june death previous bishop early managed avoid giving profession obedience thomas archbishop york predecessor william medieval chronicler accused paying pounds given ecclesiastical jurisdiction predecessors bishops exercised short time accession henry jurisdiction areas transferred diocese york suggested england chief held title clear power extensive roger salisbury following reign ran government england fighting normandy raising money issuing judging court cases william describing financial efforts said skinned rich ground poor swept men net medieval chronicler said planned revise survey england certainly book planned use revised survey excess holdings certain planned carried worked concert carrying royal occasion bishop lincoln lands taxes occasion ordered bishop abbey received custody church worked men considered historians barons signs administration resident justices counties held courts king justices probably hear pleas reserved crown supervised construction projects management stone bridge london constructed built wall white tower london inner ward new hall westminster built outside walls surviving started building church granted death church confiscated building work ceased current church date construction work henry succession king henry new king imprisoned tower london august charges allowed bishop escape february prison person escape popular legend represents bishop descending window cell rope friends smuggled wine gave wine guards drunk asleep climbed rope escape friends arranged ship transport bishop treasure bishop elderly mother normandy took refuge english channel henry brother duke principal advisors king henry lands new deposed archbishop_of_canterbury arranged trial papal court papal decree issued robert advisor pressed duke dispute henry claim crown england historian says provide strategic vision energy lacked historians agreed arrival catalyst ability mount invasion charge organizing transport duke invasion england secured henry ships allowing fleet land safely robert invaded england july robert agreed treaty august renounce claim english throne chronicler mentions present probably pardoned treaty restored chose stay robert years historians including treaty mainly work mainly attempt salvage ecclesiastical career england displacement chief councillor merely robert rewarded advice invasion administration robert defeat henry bishop peace henry returned durham retired political life henry replaced roger salisbury able infinitely acceptable nation historians time normandy agent henry appears mainly looking interests family dragged middle ongoing dispute newly appointed thomas thomas obedience refused thomas profession thomas refused thomas unable bishops wrote asking act thomas bishop andrew september wrote forbidding thomas bishops later tried bribe king henry thomas prior cathedral chapter durham disagreed arranged elected solution quarrel ordained archbishop elect york priest wait bishop years attended held pope john papal england visited durham investigate charges bishop medieval told story taken niece sleeping girl took action charges story unlikely true death legacy worked complete cathedral predecessor begun fortified durham wall built help defend endowed collegiate church hampshire built expanded churches including hampshire endowed martin dover stone bridge durham completed instruction called bridge bridge described wonderful cleared palace green durham castle cathedral mainly condemned morals cathedral chapter held high esteem building activities defence rights durham income cathedral chapter money rights complete cathedral rebuilding later restored income monks increasing death cathedral walls complete covering probably means vault instead roof attracted scholars household reformed administration diocese dividing oversaw translation relics new tomb lavish ceremony patron befriended brothers bishop brother royal clerk brother appointed bishop enable exploit exile normandy son thomas held right uncle like uncle appointed allow father appropriate revenues mistress named mother sons sons bishop married remained good terms staying travelled away durham aunt said rebuffed bishop attempts seduce son held london royal clerk son held london member archbishop canterbury household sons educated northumberland reign king stephen helped hold diocese durham loyal stephen sheriff durham robert richard william held unrelated william household eventually elected archbishop_of_canterbury died september buried chapter house durham tomb opened skeleton extant examination reveals tall fond clothes richly dressed efficient collecting royal revenues generous men later life gave poor ring found grave plain grave buried layer laid alternating layers lime dirt reputation suffered hostility monastic financial morals described career addicted cruel ambitious adherents seizing goods men wrote pope exile describing rent collector worst possible reputation william said rich destroyer poor victorian historians including freeman especially held genius modern historians embraced moderate view starting historian felt successor roger salisbury essentially chief managers king finance justice
Ranulf Flambard