Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

WILLIAM BEDELL (1571-1642)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 617 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

WILLIAM See also:BEDELL (1571-1642)  , See also:Anglican divine, was See also:born on his return to See also:London he brought See also:Sir See also:John See also:Oldcastle to trial at See also:Black Notley in See also:Essex, in 1571 . He was educated at See also:Cam- and was See also:present at his See also:execution . He appears to have governed See also:bridge, became See also:fellow of See also:Emmanuel in 1593, and took orders. the See also:country with considerable success until See also:December 1419, In 1607 he was appointed See also:chaplain to Sir H . See also:Wotton, then when he resigned his See also:office as See also:lieutenant and joined the See also:king See also:English See also:ambassador at See also:Venice, where he remained for four years, in See also:France . Returning to See also:England, he undertook the lieutenancy acquiring a See also:great reputation as a See also:scholar and theologian . He for the third See also:time in See also:June 1421, and in the following May See also:con-translated the See also:Book of See also:Common See also:Prayer into See also:Italian, and was on ducted the See also:queen to join See also:Henry in See also:Normandy . He then took terms of closest friendship with the reformer, See also:Sarpi (Fra See also:Paolo). his See also:brother's See also:place and led the English troops to the See also:relief, of In 1616 he was appointed to the rectory of Horningsheath (near See also:Cosne, but on See also:hearing of the king's serious illness he See also:left the See also:army to See also:Bury St See also:Edmunds, where he had previously laboured), which he and hurried to his See also:side . Henry's last wish was that See also:Bedford held for twelve years . In 1627 he became See also:provost of Trinity should be See also:guardian of the See also:kingdom and of the See also:young king, and See also:College, See also:Dublin, and, in 1629, See also:bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh. that See also:Philip the See also:Good, See also:duke of See also:Burgundy, should See also:act as See also:regent He set himself to reform the abuses of his See also:diocese, encouraged the in France . But when Philip declined to undertake this office, use of the Irish See also:language, and personally undertook the duties it too was assumed by Bedford, who, after the See also:death of the See also:French generally discharged by the bishop's See also:lay See also:chancellor . In 1633 king See also:Charles VI. in See also:October 1422, presided at a session of the See also:parlement of See also:Paris, and compelled all present to take an See also:oath of fidelity to King Henry VI . Meanwhile the English See also:parliament had decided that Bedford should be " See also:protector and defender " of the kingdom, and that in his See also:absence the office should devolve upon his brother See also:Humphrey, duke of See also:Gloucester .

Confining himself to the conduct of affairs in France the protector took up Henry V.'s See also:

work of See also:conquest, captured Meulan and other places, and sought to strengthen his position by an See also:alliance with Philip of Burgundy . This task was rendered more difficult as Gloucester had just married Jacqueline, countess of See also:Holland and See also:Hainaut, a See also:union which gave the English duke a claim on lands which Philip hoped to secure for himself . Bedford, however, having allayed Philip's irritation, formed an alliance with him and with John VI., duke of See also:Brittany, at See also:Amiens in See also:April 1423, and himself arranged to marry See also:Anne, a See also:sister of the Burgundian duke . This See also:marriage was celebrated at See also:Troyes in the following June, and the See also:war against Charles, the dauphin of France, was prosecuted with vigour and success . Bedford sought to restore prosperity to the districts under his See also:rule by reforming the debased coinage, granting privileges to merchants and manufacturers, and removing various abuses . He then granted some counties to Philip to check the growing hostility between him and Gloucester, and on the 17th of See also:August 1424 gained a great victory over a combined army of French and Scots at See also:Verneuil . But in spite of the efforts of the protector the good understanding between England and Burgundy was partially destroyed when Gloucester invaded Hainaut in October 1424 . The ambition of his brother gave Bedford trouble in another direction also; for on his return from Hainaut Gloucester quarrelled with the chancellor, Henry See also:Beaufort, bishop of See also:Winchester, and the See also:council implored Bedford to come to England to See also:settle this dispute . He reached London in See also:January 1426, and after concluding a See also:bond of alliance with Gloucester effected a reconciliation between the duke and the chancellor; and knighted the young king, Henry VI . Bedford then promised to act in accordance with the will of the council, and in See also:harmony with the decision of this See also:body raised a body of troops and re-turned to France in See also:March 1427 . Having ordered Gloucester to desist from a further attack on Hainaut, he threatened Brittany and compelled Duke John to return to the English alliance; and the success of his troops continued until the See also:siege of See also:Orleans, to which he consented with reluctance, was undertaken in October 1428 . Having assured himself that Philip was prepared to See also:desert him, Bedford sent orders to his army to raise the siege in April 1429 .

He then acted with great See also:

energy and See also:judgment in attempting to See also:stem the See also:tide of disasters which followed this failure, strengthened his hold upon Paris, and sent to England for reinforcements; but before any engagement took place he visited See also:Rouen, where he sought to bind the See also:Normans closer to England, and after his return to Paris resigned the French regency to Philip of Burgundy in accordance with the wish of the Parisians . Retaining the See also:government of Normandy Bedford established himself at Rouen and directed the movements of the English forces with some success . He did not interfere to See also:save the See also:life of See also:Joan of Arc . He was joined by Henry VI. in April 1430, when the regency was temporarily suspended, and he secured Henry's See also:coronation at Paris in December 1431 . In See also:November 1432 his wife Anne died, and in April 1433 he was married at Therouanne to Jacqueline, daughter of See also:Pierre I., See also:count of St Pol . But notwithstanding Bedford's vigour the English lost ground steadily; and the death of Anne and this marriage destroyed the friendly relations between England and Burgundy . Negotiations for See also:peace had no result, and when the duke returned to England in June 1433 he told parliament that he had come See also:home to defend himself against the See also:charge that the losses in France were caused by his neglect, and demanded that his detractors should make their accusations public . The chancellor replied that no such charges were known to the king or the council, and the duke was thanked for his great services . His next act was to secure an inquiry into the See also:national finances; and when asked by the parliament to stay in England he declared that his services were at the king's disposal . Aschief councillor he offered to take a smaller See also:salary than had been previously paid to Gloucester, and undertook this office in December 1433, when his demands with regard to a continual council were conceded . Bedford, who was anxious to prosecute the war in France, left England again in 1434, but See also:early in 1435 was obliged to consent to the attendance of English representatives at a See also:congress held to arrange terms of peace at See also:Arras . Unable to consent to the French terms the English envoys left Arras in See also:September, and Philip of Burgundy made a See also:separate treaty with France .

Phoenix-squares

Bedford only lived to see the ruin of the cause for which he struggled so loyally . He died at Rouen on the 14th of September 1435, and was buried in the See also:

cathedral of that See also:city . He left a natural son, See also:Richard, but no legitimate issue . Bedford was a See also:man of considerable administrative ability, brave and humane in war, See also:wise and unselfish in peace . He was not responsible for the misfortunes of the English in France, and his courage in the See also:face of failure was as admirable as his continued endeavour to make the See also:people under his rule contented and prosperous . The See also:chief contemporary authorities for Bedford's life are: Vita et gesta Henrici Quinti, edited by T . See also:Hearne (See also:Oxford, 1727) ; E. de See also:Monstrelet, Chronique, edited by L . D. d'Arcq . (Paris, 1857–1862); See also:William of See also:Worcester, Annales rerum Anglicarum, edited by J . See also:Stevenson (London, 1864) . See also Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England, edited by J . R .

See also:

Dasent (London, 1890-1899) ; W . See also:Stubbs, Constitutional See also:History, vol. iii . (Oxford, 1895) P . A . See also:Barante, Histoire See also:des ducs de Bourgogne (Paris, 1824) . In 147o See also:GEORGE NEVILL (c . 1457—1483), son of John, See also:earl of See also:Northumberland, was created duke of Bedford; but after his See also:father's See also:attainder and death at the See also:battle of See also:Barnet in 1471 he was degraded from the See also:peerage . The next duke of Bedford was See also:JASPER TUDOR (c . 1430-1495), See also:half-brother of King Henry VI. and See also:uncle of Henry VII . He was made earl of See also:Pembroke in 1453 . Having survived the vicissitudes of the See also:Wars of the See also:Roses he was restored to his earldom and created duke of Bedford in 1485 . The duke, who was See also:lord-lieutenant of See also:Ireland from 1486 to 1494, died without legitimate issue on the 21st of December 1495 .

End of Article: WILLIAM BEDELL (1571-1642)
[back]
CUTHBERT BEDE
[next]
BEDFORD

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.