Thomas Arundel

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Medieval tapestry showing Arundel preaching

Thomas Arundel (1353 - 1414) was Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken opponent of the Lollards.

A younger son of Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel, he held the title of Archbishop of York from 1388 before being moved to Canterbury in 1397. However, he was exiled by King Richard II of England, and his tenure was interrupted by that of Roger Walden. On the accession of Henry IV, Roger Walden, his successor in the primatial see, was declared a usurper, and Arundel restored, 21 October 1399, Walden being translated to London.

He is conspicuous as having taken an extremist stand against the Lollards whose new doctrine he, in company with the bishops of the province, petitioned Rome to condemn. Herein (allegedly) lie the roots of the Catholic and Protestant feud; Richard and Arundel sought to consolidate the power of the state and church over people's lives, without toleration of dissent. The Lollards, on the other hand, sought to nullify some of the church's more antiquarian perspectives, and as such were seen as reformist predecessors of Protestantism. Amongst other plights, they sought an end to the church's insistence on publishing all texts in Latin, which meant that the common man was unable to understand them. Contemporary literary figures such as Geoffrey Chaucer were behind this campaign, and many speculate that this may have been the cause of Chaucer's premature death. (See Terry Jones book Who Murdered Chaucer? : A Medieval Mystery). Naturally, the Catholic church was anxious to preserve its position at the forefont of English society, and Arundel spearheaded the bloody backlash against the Lollards. As such, he was selected by the BBC History Magazine as the 15th century's worst Briton. (BBC), and in 2006, he was selected by the BBC History Magazine as the 9th worst Briton in the last 1000 years.

Arundel was also vehement in his sturdy assertion of Transubstantiation and the prerogatives and divine institution of the Papacy. He was less popular with Henry's son and successor, Henry V.

Constitutions (1408). Umilta Website. Retrieved on October 11, 2005. Latin transcription; Arundel's prohibition of Bible translation into vernacular languages.

Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Suffolk	Lord Chancellor 1386–1389	Succeeded by William of Wykeham
Preceded by William of Wykeham	Lord Chancellor 1391–1396	Succeeded by Edmund Stafford
Preceded by Edmund Stafford	Lord Chancellor 1399	Succeeded by John Scarle
Preceded by Thomas Langley	Lord Chancellor 1407–1410	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Beaufort
Preceded by Sir Thomas Beaufort	Lord Chancellor 1412–1413	Succeeded by Henry Beaufort
Religious Posts
Preceded by Alexander Neville	Archbishop of York 1388–1397	Succeeded by Robert Waldby
Preceded by William Courtenay	Archbishop of Canterbury 1397–1398	Succeeded by Roger Walden
Preceded by Alexander Neville	Anti-Bishop of St Andrews 1398–1399	Succeeded by John Trevaur
Preceded by Roger Walden	Archbishop of Canterbury 1399–1414	Succeeded by Henry Chichele