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Henry of Blois, often known as Henry of Winchester;^[1] (1101 – 1171) was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126 and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death.

Henry was one of five sons of Stephen, Count of Blois, by Adela of Normandy (daughter of William the Conqueror), and therefore brother of King Stephen.^[2] Henry's father died in 1102 while on crusade, at the Second Battle of Ramla, leaving an estate numbering more than 350 aastles and large properties in France including Chartres.

Henry was educated at Cluny and adhered to the principles of Cluniac reform, which included a sense of intellectual freedom and humanism, as well as a high standard of devotion and discipline. Henry was brought to England by King Henry I, to be Abbot of Glastonbury. On October 4, 1129 he was given the bishopric of Winchester^[3] and allowed to hold his beloved abbey at Glastonbury in conjunction with it. He was consecrated on November 17, 1129.^[3] He had ambitions to become Archbishop of Canterbury, but refused to abandon his work and obligations to Glastonbury. However, on March 1, 1139, during the reign of his brother Stephen, Henry obtained a commission as papal legate which gave him higher rank than Theobald of Bec archbishop of Canterbury, meaning that in fact as well as in theory he became the master of the Church in England during the troubled times of the so-called "Anarchy". Thus, when his brother was unavailable, Henry Blois was the most powerful man in England.

Stephan Blois was crowned King of England in 1135, but the relations between the two were not always peaceful. After the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, Henry found it more tactful and strategic to support Empress Matilda; but Matilda proved arrogant, greedy and contemptous. The next year Henry, rejoined his brother's side, and his successful defence of Winchester against the empress was the turning-point of the civil war. As Abbot of Glastonbury, Blois remained in touch with Peter the Venerable at Cluny and was made aware of most of the controversies on the continent, specifically the persecution of Peter Abelard.

Before and after his elevation to Bishop, Blois was advisor to his older brother, King Stephen and survived him. Henry Blois engineered hundreds of projects, including the greatest developments at Glastonbury Abbey before the destructive fire of 1185. Unlike most bishops of his age Henry had a passion for architecture. He built, the final additions to Winchester cathedral and Palace, including a tourist tunnel under the cathedral to make it easier for pilgrims to view relics. He also designed and built additions to many palaces and large houses including the castle of Farnham, Surrey^[4] and began the construction of the hospital of St Cross at Winchester.

The expiration of his legatine commission on September 23, 1143^[2] deprived him of much of his power. His efforts to renew the commission were unsuccessful, but he made a personal visit to Rome and secured several favors for Glastonbury and the Benedictine order in general. Shortly after his brothers death and the accession of Henry II, Blois retired to Cluny for three years to mourn his mentor Peter the Venerable, who died on Christmas Day, 1156.

Blois wrote or sponsored several books including the Antiquities of Glastonbury, by William of Malmsbury, his close personal friend. He also inspired the largest illuminated bible project ever attempted, a huge folio edition standing nearly three feet in height. This Bible is still on display at Winchester, although it was never fully finished.

In his later years Bishop Blois was appointed to preside over the trial of Thomas Becket and secretly supported Becket's family before and after his assassination.

He died on August 8, 1171.^[3]

Bishop Blois is now buried at Winchester in a plain stone crypt in the choir, but there is a controversy because some sources claim he was also buried at Cluny. During his lifetime he was occasionally referred to as, a king without a throne, and the power behind the throne. In the Antiquities, Malmsbury described him saying, "Yet, in spite of his noble birth he blushes when praised."

Hank Harrison in, the Grail in the Stars, claims Henry Blois is the anonymous author of the famed book Perlesvaux, known in English as the High History of the Holy Grail.

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• British History Online Bishops of Winchester accessed on November 2, 2007
• History of Farnham Castle accessed on November 2, 2007
• Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961

• List of bishops of Winchester