Alexander de Stavenby

Infobox bishopbiog
name =Alexander de Stavenby


religion =Catholic
See =Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield
Title = Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield
Period = 1224–1238
Predecessor = William de Cornhill
Successor =William de Raley
ordination =
bishops =
post =
date of birth =
place of birth =
date of death =26 December 1238
place of death =Andover, Hampshire

Alexander de Stavenby (or Alexander of Stainsby) of was a medieval Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.

Alexander was probably a native of Sainsby, Lincolnshire and had two brothers, William and Gilbert, who held land there. He may have studied under Stephen Langton, later archbishop of Canterbury, as Langton was from a village less than 10 miles away.Vincent "Stainsby , Alexander of (d. 1238)" rev. "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"] He taught theology at Toulouse before his elevation to the episcopate.Moorman "Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century" p. 163] He may have been a teacher of Saint Dominic at Toulouse.Moorman "Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century" p. 368] He also taught at Bologna and was named a chamber clerk for Pope Honorius III. He was nominated as bishop about 13 April 1224, and consecrated on 14 April 1224.Fryde "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 253]

While bishop, he urged the people in his diocese to receive communion three times a year.Moorman "Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century" p. 71] He also issued rules to prohibit his clergy from entering a tavern.Moorman "Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century" p. 233] He wrote a set of statutes for his diocese, which survive, along with other works. Only two of the other works surivive, one on confession and another on the seven deadly sins. While he was bishop, both Coventry and Lichfield were named as the seats of the see, with the election of a new bishop taking place by the chapters of Coventry or Lichfield in rotation.

He served King Henry III of England as a diplomat, undertaking many missions to Rome and France on behalf of the king. He also negotiated with envoys for the Emperor Frederick II at Antwerp and spent time in Wales trying to renew truces. In 1234 the bishop was accused of supporting Richard Marshall's rebellion, but he cleared his name before the court. Alexander was opposed to the administration Peter des Roches and at one point excommunicated those whom he called the "king's true enemies", which many took to include Roches.

He died on 26 December 1238 at Andover, Hampshire, and was buried in Lichfield Cathedral. A chantry was established in his memory near the altar to Saint Chad.

Notes

References

*
* Moorman, John R. H. "Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century" Revised Edition Cambridge:Cambridge University Press 1955
* Vincent, Nicholas "Stainsby , Alexander of (d. 1238)" rev. "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37103 Online Edition] accessed 15 January 2008

Persondata
NAME=Stavenby, Alexander de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Stavenby, Alexander; Alexander of Stainsby
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Bishop of Coventry
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=26 December 1238
PLACE OF DEATH= Andover, Hampshire