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Peter of Aigueblanche

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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PETER OF AIGUEBLANCHE (d. 1268), bishop of Hereford, belonged to a noble family of Savoy and came to England in 1236 with his master, William of Savoy, bishop of Valence, being in attendance on Eleanor of Provence, the bride of Henry III. A year or two later he is found residing permanently in England as a member of the king's court; before 1239 he was archdeacon of Salop, and in 1240 he was chosen bishop of Hereford. In 12 55 Peter acted as Henry's principal agent in the matter of accepting the kingdom of Sicily from Pope Alexander IV. for his son Edmund, and his rapacious and dishonest methods of raising money for this foolish enterprise added not a little to the unpopularity which surrounded the king and his foreign favourites. When civil war broke out between Henry and his barons the bishop remained loyal to his master, and whilst residing, almost for the first time, at Hereford he was taken prisoner in May 1263. He was, however, released when the king and his enemies came to terms, and after a stay in France he retired to Savoy, where he died on the 27th of November 1268.

See F. Mugnier, Les Savoyards en Angleterre au XIII' siecle et Pierre d'Aigueblanche (Chambery, 1890).