Richard Palmer (bishop)

Born in England, Richard Palmer ( * before 1157; † August 7, 1195 in Messina) was from 1157 Elect, then from 1169 bishop of Syracuse and 1183 to his death Archbishop of Messina. He was one of the familiars of the Kings William I and William II of Sicily and was thus a leading member of the Norman court in Palermo.

Career

Information about the time and place of his birth or his family background are not available. England is called in his epitaph in Messina as a home. Although a fundamental resolution of the conflict between Pope and King sizilischem had been achieved by the Treaty of Benevento already 1156, Richard was in no hurry to receive episcopal consecration. Since he had successfully used after the assassination of Ammiratus ammiratorum Maio of Bari for the liberation of jailed in an aristocratic conspiracy king, he became the close advisors of William I, who according to the testimony of Romuald of Salerno him and the magister notarius Matheus of Salerno Queen Margarita presented as familiars for the period of immaturity of his son and successor of William II to the side. This initially put the Kaid Peter on the tip of the Familiarenrats. After his escape, she called her relatives Stephen of Perche to Sicily, appointed him Chancellor and let him choose Elect from Palermo. In order for the plan Richards, even the Archbishop of Palermo was to be failed, especially since Gentilis Bishop of Agrigento was one of his opponents. By choosing Walters archbishop after the forced departure of Stephen to the Holy Land in 1168 remained permanently barred him this office and the elevation to Archbishop of Messina in 1183 also meant the de facto exclusion from the inner circle of power at the court of Palermo, which he shared with Walter and Matheus had heard about ten years.

On April 28, 1169 he was commissioned by Pope Alexander III. the pallium, 1170, he negotiated with him in Anagni on behalf of the Sicilian king in favor of Henry II of England. He was in epistolary contact with Peter of Blois, who had temporarily been active at the court of Palermo, and Thomas Becket. A commitment by the English king to give him the bishopric of Lincoln, was not realized.

Richard also led the delegation Sicilian dignitaries who took Henry's daughter Johanna in St. Gilles in reception, in order to lead to Palermo, where she was married in February 1177 Wilhelm II. On the Dotalurkunde for Johanna he is on the witness list by Walter of Palermo and Archbishop of Capua Alfanus in third place before the archbishops Raynald of Bari, Nicholas Messina and Rufus of Cosenza. In dating it is called from then on again regularly among the Dataren from which it was temporarily displaced Bartholomew of Agrigento, the brother Walter.