St. Anselm essays

St. Anselm essays Saint Anselm was born in 1033 AD in Aosta, Italy, now a province in the northwest corner of the Italian peninsula. Although not much is known about his childhood and adolescence, it has been said to be one of much instability. At the age of 27 in 1060, Anselm became a monk of Bec in Normandy. Bec at that time was the center of Norman monasticism and was one of the most famous schools in Europe. It also had one of the best teachers at the time, an Italian monk named Lanfranc. Anselm soon succeeded him as prior and abbot, and gained fame as a teacher like Lanfranc. After William I conquered England in 1066, Lanfranc became archbishop of Canterbury, remaining close friends with Anselm. The successor to William I was William Rufus, an immoral man that left the position of archbishop of Canterbury vacant after Lanfranc to avoid moral opposition from the church. It was only when Rufus was dying when he wanted to appoint an archbishop to avoid going to hell. He pleaded with Anselm even though he rejected it, and was eventually forced into the position. While in the position, he disagreed with Pope Urban II, and tried to make the church condemn sodomy. Meanwhile, William Rufus recovered from his illness, and now wanted to depose Anselm from archbishop of Canterbury by ordering the bishops to renounce obedience to him. After a long quarrel with the king, Anselm eventually agreed to go into exile, which he stayed in until Rufus was replaced by his brother Henry. He was then recalled from exile, and was displeased with the king again, and refus ed to pay homage to him, which caused a large battle between church and state along with other things. He went into exile then once more, and was recalled once more to reluctantly accept an agreement for peace and for him to be leader of the English church. Peace between the king and the church was reinstated in 1106, and Anselm was the leader of the E ...