Hygeberht was the Bishop of Lichfield from 779 and Archbishop of Lichfield after the elevation of Lichfield to an archdiocese some time after 787, during the reign of the powerful Mercian king Offa. Little is known of Hygeberht's background, although he was probably a native of Mercia. Offa succeeded in having Lichfield elevated to an archbishopric, but the rise in Lichfield's status was unpopular with Canterbury, the other southern English archbishopric. Offa was probably motivated by a desire to increase the status of his kingdom and to free his kingdom's ecclesiastical affairs from the control of another kingdom's archbishopric, and possibly the need to secure the coronation of Offa's successor, which the Archbishop of Canterbury had opposed. After Offa's death his distant relative Coenwulf became king, and petitioned the pope to have Lichfield returned to a simple bishopric. The pope agreed to do so in 803, by which time Hygeberht was no longer even considered a bishop: he is listed as an abbot at the council that oversaw the demotion of Lichfield in 803. The date of his death is unknown.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygeberht

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1775:

The Second Continental Congress of Britain's Thirteen Colonies adopted the Olive Branch Petition in the hopes of avoiding war with Great Britain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Branch_Petition

1954:

BBC News (logo pictured) aired its first televised news broadcast from leased studios within Alexandra Palace in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News

1977:

General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq overthrew Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a military coup d'état. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Zia-ul-Haq

1987:

The Black Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam made its first suicide bombing against the Sri Lanka Army in Nelliady, Sri Lanka. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tigers

1989:

United States National Security Council member Oliver North was sentenced for his part in the Iran-Contra Affair. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_North

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

gruntled: (humorous) Satisfied. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gruntled

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

One is either judge or accused. The judge sits, the accused stands. Live on your feet. --Jean Cocteau https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau