6 - Scottish Independence and Ecclesiastical Reform: The Vita S. Kentegerni in Context

Summary

The Vita Kentegerni was commissioned by Bishop Jocelin at some point between 1175 and 1199 and represented the literary aspect of a wider programme of regeneration being undertaken at Glasgow Cathedral in the closing decades of the twelfth century. Just as the cathedral was enlarged and decorated with contemporary flourishes, so too the Vita of the cathedral's patron saint was lengthened and embellished. And just as the architecture of Kentigern's new shrine may have been designed to accommodate contemporary pilgrimage practices, the text, too, was adapted to reflect the needs of the late twelfth century diocese. Analysis of the text makes it clear that in addition to replacing the unorthodox version of the vita then in use at the cathedral, Jocelin's work was also written with a variety of other interests in mind. The most important contemporary issues to leave their mark on the text were those relating to the independence of the diocese of Glasgow, of the Scottish church and of the Church in general. Since an understanding of the specific historical context of the work is necessary to fully appreciate how closely the text mirrored contemporary concerns, a brief summary of twelfth-century Scottish ecclesiastical politics is necessary before a more detailed examination of Jocelin's Vita can begin.

The ecclesiastical and political background

By the 1170s, the Glasgow diocese had grown accustomed to independence. Although English claims for authority over the Scottish church had received strong papal backing from the late eleventh century onwards, Glasgow's bishops had both evaded and ignored attempts to extract a formal and permanent submission to the English church. Initially, this was partly down to good fortune. The elections of Bishop John (c.1118–47) and Bishop Herbert (1147–64) had coincided with periods of vacancy in the diocese of York, which allowed them to seek consecration directly from the pope. The passing of half a century without submission to York set a precedent and the bishops sought to continue the practice even when the archbishopric was occupied by an encumbent. Despite York's protests, Bishop Ingram had been consecrated by Pope Alexander III in 1164 and Bishop Jocelin had been consecrated by Alexander's representative in 1175. However, Glasgow's episcopal autonomy was not only threatened by English aspirations. The church of St Andrews had received royal backing in its quest to become primate of a Scottish province.