Athelm

Athelm, or Æthelhelm was an English churchman, who was the first Bishop of Wells, and later Archbishop of Canterbury.

Infobox Archbishop of Canterbury
Full name = Athelm


birth_name = Æthelhelm
began=unknown
consecration = between 923 and 925
term_end =8 January 926
predecessor = Plegmund
successor = Wulfhelm
birth_date =
death_date =8 January 926
tomb =

Infobox Saint Archbishop of Canterbury
feast_day= 8 January
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=

Biography

He was related to Dunstan, [Dunning "A History of Somerset" needs page number] some sources say an uncle of Dunstan's.Delaney "Dictionary of Saints" p. 65] Stenton "Anglo-Saxon England" p. 446] He was a monk of Glastonbury AbbeyMason "Athelm (d. 926)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"] and possibly Abbot of Glastonbury before his elevation in 909 to the see of Wells, of which he was the first occupant.Fryde, et. al. "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 222] Between August 923 and September 925 he became archbishop.Fryde, et. al. "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 214] His translation from the see of Wells set a precedent for the future, and marks a break with historical practice. Previous to this time, the moving of a bishop from one see to another had been held to be against canon, or ecclesiastical, law. Recently, however, the popes had themselves been translated, and this practice was to become common practice in England after Athelm's time.Brooks "Early History of the Church of Canterbury" p. 214-216]

Athelm probably presided over the coronation of King Athelstan of England in 925. It is unclear if the fact that no coins were minted with his name was because of his short term of office or was a sign of a change in policy towards the Archbishops of Canterbury minting coins in their own name. Nothing else is known of Athelm's brief time as archbishop. He died on 8 January 926. He was later canonized, with a feast day of 8 January. [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1590 St. Athelm at Catholic Online] accessed on 8 August 2007]

Notes

References

*
* Delaney, John J. "Dictionary of Saints" Second Edition Doubleday: New York 2003 ISBN 0-385-13594-7
*
*
* Mason, Emma "Athelm (d. 926)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/832 Online Edition] accessed 7 November 2007
* Stenton, F. M. "Anglo-Saxon England" Third Edition Oxford:Oxford University Press 1971 ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5

External links

* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sainta6m.htm St. Athelm at Patron Saints Index]
* [http://www.pase.ac.uk/pase/apps/persons/CreatePersonFrames.jsp?personKey=13870 Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England entry for Æthelhelm]

Persondata
NAME= Athelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Aethelhelm; Æthelhelm
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH= 8 January, 926
PLACE OF DEATH=