Jaenbert

Saint Jaenbert (also Jænbert, Jaenberht, Jaenbeorht, Janibert, Janbriht, Jambert, Lambert, Lanbriht, or Genegberht) was monk, then abbot, of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, and eventually Archbishop of Canterbury.

Infobox Archbishop of Canterbury
Full name = Jaenbert


birth_name =
consecration = 765
began=unknown
term_end =12 August 792
predecessor = Bregwin
successor = Æthelhard
birth_date = Unknown
death_date = 12 August 792
tomb =

Infobox Saint Archbishop of Canterbury
feast_day= 12 August
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church
titles=
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=
patronage=
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Jaenbert was a monk at St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury before being selected as abbot of that monastic house.Costambeys "Jænberht (d. 792)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"] He came from a prominent family in the kingdom of Kent, and a kinsman of his, Eadhun, was the reeve of King Egbert II of Kent. Jaenbert himself was on good terms with Egbert II.Yorke "Kings and Kingdoms" p. 43]

He was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on 2 February 765.Fryde, et. al. "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 214] He was consecrated at the court of King Offa of Mercia, which implies that his election was acceptable to the king. In 780 and 781, he attended church councils at Brentford that were led by King Offa of Mercia. Although he seems to have originally been on decent terms with Offa, Jaenbert's ties to Egbert were also strong, for after the Battle of Otford, Egbert granted a number of estates to Christ Church. After Offa reasserted control over Kent, which occurred at the latest in 785, these lands were confiscated by Offa and regranted to some of Offa's thegns.Brooks "Early History of the Church of Canterbury" p. 113-120]

His term saw a dispute between the see of Canterbury and Offa leading to the creation of the rival Archdiocese of Lichfield in 787 under Higbert. Some of the sources of conflict were Jaenbert's opposition to Offa's removal of the Kentish dynasty, a conflict over land claimed by both the archbishop and the king, and Jaenbert's refusal to crown Offa's son Ecgfrith of Mercia.Yorke "Kings and Kingdoms" p. 116-117] Another source of conflict was Canterbury's mint, where the archbishop minted his own coins.Hindley "A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons" p. 106] Matthew Paris, in the thirteenth century, stated that Jaenbert conspired with Charlemagne to admit Charlemagne to Canterbury if Charlemagne invaded Britain. This story may reflect a genuine tradition recorded at St Albans Abbey, where Paris was based, or it may just be a fabrication designed to fill in details in Jaenbert's life where Paris had no other information.

In 787, Pope Adrian I sent a pallium to Higbert of Lichfield, which elevated Lichfield to an archbishopric, and Ecgfrith was crowned. There is no extant contemporary evidence, however, that Jaenbert ever recognized Higbert as an archbishop.

Jaenbert died on 12 August 792 After his death, Offa at a council held at Clofesho and granted some privileges to the Kentish churches. Jaenbert was buried in the abbey church in Canterbury. Jaenbert has since been revered as a saint with a feast day of 12 August. [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3883 Jambert article at Catholic Online] accessed on 4 November 2007]

Notes

References

*
* Costambeys, Marios "Jænberht (d. 792)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14581 Online Edition] accessed 7 November 2007
*
* Hindley, Geoffrey. "A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The Beginnings of the English Nation" New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers 2006 ISBN 978-0-78671738-5
*

External links

* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj0v.htm Jambert listing at Patron Saints Index]
* [http://www.pase.ac.uk/pase/apps/persons/CreatePersonFrames.jsp?personKey=4692 Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England: Jænberht]

Persondata
NAME= Jaenbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Jænbert; Jaenberht; Jaenbeorht; Janibert; Janbriht; Jambert; Lambert; Lanbriht; Genegberht
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Archbishop of Canterbury
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH= 12 August, 792
PLACE OF DEATH=