THE "SUNSET YEARS": JOHN OF SALISBURY AS BISHOP OF CHARTRES AND THE EMERGENT CULT OF ST. THOMAS BECKET IN FRANCE
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2014 Brepols Publishers. All rights reserved. On 8 August 1176, John of Salisburythe twelfth-century English author and churchman noted in part for his close association with the martyred archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becketwas consecrated bishop of Chartres, a position he held until his death on 25 October 1180. The common appraisal of Johns time as bishop is two-fold: first, it was, essentially, a sinecure, a sort of reward for his service to the Church and to the cause of Becket; and second, John did a mediocre (or worse) job in performing his episcopal duties at Chartres. There is reason to believe, however, that the story of Johns bishopric is not so simple, as regards both his ascension to the post and his performance in it. In the present paper, we plumb the extant primary sources so as to fill in the narrative of his last years, thus offering a clearer and more complete picture of John of Salisbury as bishop of Chartres. We argue that Johns demonstrable activities at Chartres extend and apply his previously manifested intellectual and ecclesio-political principles and agenda to the undertaking of his final official responsibilities. Moreover, we evaluate the enduring legacy of Johns contributions to Chartres.
