(Bishop of Lisieux, r. 1141-81). Arnulf was born into an Anglo-Norman family that included several members of the clergy. Not much is known of his early life, though he probably studied at Chartres, in Italy, and at Paris. He held an archdeaconry at Sees and was often in the service of the English king Henry I, though after his death in 1135, like most of the Norman clergy, he supported the claim of Stephen to the English throne. Arnulf was a staunch supporter of Pope Innocent II during the schism of 1130, and his earliest extant writing is directed against Gerard, bishop of Angouleme, who had supported the antipope Anacletus II. Freely elected bishop of Lisieux by the cathedral chapter in 1141, he often tried to reconcile the interests of the kings of France and En gland and was one of the ecclesiastical leaders of the Second Crusade. In his own diocese, Arnulf is best remembered for his support of the regular canons and the rebuilding of the cathedral at Lisieux. In his last years, he lost the confidence of Henry II, and his stance during the Becket controversy was criticized by the archbishop’s partisans. He retired to the abbey of Saint-Victor in Paris, where he died in 1181. His letters, which he collected, are an important source for mid-12th-century history.
Thomas G. Waldman
Arnulf of Lisieux. The Letters of Arnulf of Lisieux, ed. Frank Barlow. London: Royal Historical Society, 1939.
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