While King William I brought a number of men from Normandy to administer England, he also utilized others from further afield and from within the conquered kingdom. These included the Italian Lanfranc, who became archbishop of Canterbury, and Wulfstan, the Anglo-Saxon bishop of Worcester. These men served as a core of loyal royal servants who were intimately involved in William’s government and his military endeavors. His son William elevated Anselm of Bec (from the French/Italian borderlands) to become archbishop of Canterbury upon Lanfranc’s death. Lanfranc was a closer partner to William I in royal government than Anselm was to either William II or Henry I, but both served in warfare to one extent or another on behalf of their king. Despite this military service, their avoidance of a knightly lifestyle and worldly interests allowed them to avoid criticism (unlike Odo of Bayeux). This chapter examines their roles and reputations, and then contrasts them with the example of Bishop Gaudry of Laon, who was one of the most controversial ecclesiastical figures during the same period. There was a broad spectrum of possible clerical actions in military activities, and Anselm and Lanfranc represent one end of this spectrum – they did not charge into battle in full armor alongside their knights – but were still directing troops, defenses, and royal campaigns. This acceptance is especially important for our purposes precisely because of the leading theological and ecclesiastical roles that some these men played. Lanfranc and Anselm were both respected archbishops of Canterbury, while Wulfstan was a nearly saintly paragon of episcopal spirituality. Gaudry, on the other hand, represents the polar opposite. Like Remigius of Fécamp, who became bishop of Dorchester in return for his service at Hastings, Gaudry became bishop of Laon after his military service at the battle of Tinchebrai in 1106. Unlike Remigius, controversy surrounded Gaudry from the time of his elevation and subsequent murder, and this underscores the debatable nature of the legitimate role of clerics in warfare.

We have already discussed Lanfranc of Canterbury’s coordination of the royal response to the rebellion of 1075, but we should consider it more deeply. The existing sources make it very clear that Lanfranc served as the overall head of the royal war effort against the rebels.