Saint Ethelhard of Canterbury
Also known as
- Æthelheard
- Æthilheard
- Aethelheard
- Aethilheard
- Ethelreard
Profile
Abbot, probably of Louth, Lincolnshire, England. May have been bishop of Winchester, England. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, consecrated on 21 July 793. Elected to the see at a time when Mercian King Offa was trying to weaken Canterbury‘s influence. Ethelhard had to flee from his see for a while, but when Cenwulf succeeded in Mercia, they worked together to restore the rights of Canterbury, a matter finally settled in 802. Had Offa succeeded, his policy would not only have affected the Church, it would have seriously slowed the unification of England. Ethelhard convened the synod of Clovesho in 803, which resulted in a requirement of a pledge obedience by new bishops to their superior.
Born
- Louth, Lincolnshire, England
- 12 May 805 at Canterbury, England of natural causes
- buried in the Canterbury cathedral
MLA Citation
- “Saint Ethelhard of Canterbury“. CatholicSaints.Info. 11 June 2020. Web. 6 June 2024. <>