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LANGTON, S

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Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 179 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LANGTON, S . declared both elections void; and with See also:John's consent ordered that a new See also:election should be made in his presence by the representatives of the monks. The latter, having confessed that they had given John a See also:secret See also:pledge to elect none but the See also:bishop of See also:Norwich, were released from the promise by See also:Innocent; and at his See also:suggestion elected See also:Stephen Langton, who was consecrated by the See also:pope on the 17th of See also:June 1207. On See also:hearing the See also:news the See also:king banished the monks of See also:Canterbury and lodged a protest with the pope, in which he threatened to prevent any See also:English appeals from being brought to See also:Rome. Innocent replied by laying See also:England under an See also:interdict (See also:March 1208), and ex-communicating the king (See also:November 1209). As John still remained obstinate, the pope at length invited the See also:French king See also:Philip See also:Augustus to enter England and depose him. It was this See also:threat which forced John to See also:sue for a reconciliation; and the first See also:condition exacted was that he should acknowledge Langton as See also:archbishop. During these years Langton had been residing at Pontigny, formerly the See also:refuge of See also:Becket. He had addressed to the English See also:people a dignified protest against the king's conduct, and had at last pressed the pope to take extreme See also:measures. But he had consistently adopted towards John as conciliatory an attitude as his See also:duty to the See also:church would allow, and had more than once entered upon negotiations for a peaceful See also:compromise. Immediately after entering England (See also:July 1213) he showed his See also:desire for See also:peace by absolving the king. But, unlike the pope, he gave See also:ear to the popular cry for redress of See also:political grievances; and persisted in associating with the baronial opposition, even after he was ordered by Innocent to excommunicate them as disturbers of the peace.

Langton encouraged the barons to formulate their demands, and is said to have suggested that they should take their stand upon the See also:

charter of See also:Henry I. It is uncertain what further See also:share he took in drafting Magna Carta. At Runnymede he appeared as a See also:commissioner on the king's See also:side, and his See also:influence must therefore be sought in those clauses of the Charter which differ from the See also:original petitions of the barons. Of these the most striking is that which confirms the " liberties " of the church; and this is chiefly remarkable for its moderation. Soon after the issue of the charter the archbishop See also:left England to attend the See also:Fourth Lateran See also:Council. At the moment of his departure he was suspended by the representatives of Innocent for not enforcing the papal censures against the barons. Innocent confirmed the See also:sentence, which remained in force for two years. During this See also:time the archbishop resided at Rome. He was allowed to return in 1218, after the deaths of Innocent and John. From that date till his See also:death he was a See also:tower of strength to the royal party. Through his influence Pandulf was recalled to Rome (1221) and See also:Honorius III. promised that no See also:legate should be sent to reside in England during the archbishop's lifetime. In 1222, in a See also:synod held at Oseney, he promulgated a set of Constitutions still recognized as forming a See also:part of the See also:law of the English Church.

Beyond this little is recorded of his latter years. He died on the 9th of July 1228, and was buried in Canterbury See also:

Cathedral, where his See also:tomb, unless tradition errs, may still be seen. The authorities are mainly those for the reign of John. No See also:con-temporary See also:biography has come down to us. Some letters, by Langton and others, See also:relating to the See also:quarrel over his election are preserved in a Canterbury See also:Chronicle (ed. W. See also:Stubbs in the " Rolls" edition of Gervase of Canterbury, vol. ii.). There are many references to him in the See also:correspondence of Innocent III. (See also:Migne's Patrologia See also:Latina, vols. ccxiv.-ccxvii.). Of See also:modern See also:works see F. Hurter, Geschichte Papst Innocenz III. (See also:Hamburg, 1841—1844) ; W.

F. See also:

Hook, Lives of the See also:Arch-bishops of Canterbury (See also:London, 186o-1876), and W. Stubbs's See also:preface to the second See also:volume of See also:Walter of See also:Coventry (" Rolls " ed.), which de-votes See also:special See also:attention to Langton. The See also:MSS. of Langton's writings are noticed in J. See also:Bale's See also:Index Britanniae scriptorum (ed. R. L. See also:Poole, 1902); his Constitutions are printed in D. Wilkin's Concilia, vol. ii. (London, 1737). (H. W.

C. D.) Another English See also:

prelate who See also:bore the name of Langton was See also:THOMAS LANGTON, bishop of See also:Winchester, See also:chaplain to See also:Edward IV. In 1483 he was chosen bishop of St Davids; in 1485 he was made bishop of See also:Salisbury and See also:provost of See also:Queen's See also:College, See also:Oxford, and he became bishop of Winchester in 1493. In 1501 he was elected arch-bishop of Canterbury, but he died on the 27th of See also:January 1505, before his election had been confirmed.

End of Article: LANGTON, S

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