Gerard (died 1108) was Archbishop of York between 1100 and 1108 and Lord Chancellor of England from 1085 until 1092. A Norman, he was a member of the cathedral clergy at Rouen before becoming a royal clerk under King William I of England, who appointed him Lord Chancellor. He continued in that office under King William II Rufus, who rewarded him with the Bishopric of Hereford in 1096. Soon after Henry I's coronation, Gerard was appointed to the recently vacant see of York, and became embroiled in the dispute between York and the see of Canterbury concerning which archbishopric had primacy over England. He secured papal recognition of York's jurisdiction over the church in Scotland but was forced to accept Canterbury's authority over York. He also worked on reconciling the Investiture Controversy between the king and the papacy over the right to appoint bishops until the controversy's resolution in 1107. Because of rumours, as a student of astrology, that he was a magician and a sorcerer, and also because of his unpopular attempts to reform his clergy, he was denied a burial inside York Minster but his remains were later moved into the cathedral.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_%28archbishop_of_York%29
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1630:
Kiliaen van Rensselaer purchased land near present-day Albany, New York, to found the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, which became the most successful patroonship under the Dutch West India Company system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manor_of_Rensselaerswyck
1911:
American cartoonist Winsor McCay released the silent short film Little Nemo (featured), one of the earliest animated films. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Nemo_%281911_film%29
1968:
BOAC Flight 712 experienced an engine fire shortly after take- off from London Heathrow, leading to the deaths of five people on board, including flight attendant Jane Harrison, who was posthumously awarded a George Cross for heroism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Jane_Harrison
2013:
Two Sunni Muslim extremist groups, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Al-Nusra Front, merged to become the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
munshi: 1. (South Asia) A clerk or secretary. 2. (South Asia) A language teacher, especially one teaching Hindustani or Persian. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/munshi
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time. Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime? --Yip Harburg https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yip_Harburg