The Deeds of God Through the FranksGuibert, Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy
History
The Deeds of God Through the Franks
Guibert, Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy
Crusades -- First, 1096-1099
While temporal activities, which are thought to be the concern of the
royal administration, were being taken care of, internal
ecclesiastical concerns were not to be neglected, and as soon as a
king was set up, they dealt with replacing the patriarch. At that
time there was a cleric, of what rank I am not sure, named Arnulf.
He had some skill at logic, significant knowledge of grammatical
learning, and for some time had taught, in the subject mentioned
above, the daughter of the king of England, a nun. The count of the
Normans, through his sister, had promised him as much as a bishop's
honors, if any of his bishops happened to die. Meanwhile, when the
journey to Jerusalem was proposed, the bishop of Bayeux, whose name
was Odo, and who was very wealthy, vowed to undertake the journey.
Since he was the brother of William the elder, king of England, and,
in addition to the office of bishop, among the English he held the
county of Kent, with the expectation of great wealth, he seemed ready
to dare new enterprises, to the extent of plotting to take over the
kingdom from his brother. When the king found out about his
intentions, he put him in prison, where he remained until the day the
king died. At this time the bishop regained his freedom and office,
and, as I said earlier, when the pilgrimage was proclaimed, Odo,
accompanied by a large retinue and immense resources, set out on the
journey. Arnulf enrolled himself in his retinue, and when death
overtook this bishop, within the borders of Romania if I am not
mistaken, Odo bequeathed, out of the fortune which he left behind, a
legacy to him, which consisted of almost all of his most precious
possessions. Since he possessed a considerable amount of literary
knowledge, as well as native eloquence, and his increased wealth made
him more well known, he began to drive our men on with many speeches,
and to increase his fame in this way. The fact that learned men were
in short supply made him even more illustrious, and since a man's
voice is of more concern than the life he has led, he was called to
the patriarchy of Jerusalem. For some time, then, he presented
himself as the bishop, though in name only; he fulfilled his new
office by sermonizing. Finally, after a short time, when news of his
election reached the Apostlic See, after the death of the bishop of
Puy, Pope Paschal decreed that Daimbert, the archbishop of Pisa,
should administer pastoral care to the Lord's army. After Jerusalem
had been captured and the king had taken office, Daimbert arrived
with a large fleet; short while later he examined the process by
which Arnulf had been chosen, and decided that, in accordance with
canon law, it should be challenged. After a thorough investigation
of the man's origin, he was found to be the son of a priest and
therefore one who should not only be barred from sacred office, but,
according to a decision by the council of Toledo, he should be
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