John de Gray (died 1214) was a medieval English Bishop of Norwich. He was employed in the service of King John even before the coronation, for which de Gray was rewarded with various ecclesiastical offices, culminating in his pro forma election to Norwich in 1200. He continued in royal service after his elevation to the episcopate, lending John money and undertaking diplomatic missions on his behalf. In 1205 John attempted to further reward de Gray by making him Archbishop of Canterbury, but a disputed election process led to de Gray's selection being quashed by Pope Innocent III in 1206. Stephen Langton was consecrated as archbishop against John's wishes, triggering a long dispute with the papacy. The pope imposed various sanctions on England and John. In 1209 de Gray became governor of Ireland for John, and spent until 1213 attempting to impose royal government there on the Anglo- Norman barons and the native Irish. He travelled to Rome to secure a papal pardon after the final settlement of the dispute with John. After the pardon, de Gray was appointed Bishop of Durham, but he died on his way back to England.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1938:

At a conference in Munich, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Neville Chamberlain, and Édouard Daladier reached a settlement, signing it at about 1:30 a.m. the next day, stipulating that Czechoslovakia must cede the Sudetenland to Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement

1954:

Willie Mays of Major League Baseball's New York Giants made one of the most famous defensive plays in baseball history, known as "The Catch". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catch_%28baseball%29

1991:

The Haitian Army deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, eight months after the nation's first democratic elections. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Haitian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

2006:

Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 collided in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy business jet near Peixoto de Azevedo, Mato Grosso, Brazil, killing 154 people, and triggering a Brazilian aviation crisis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gol_Transportes_A%C3%A9reos_Flight_1907

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

spot of bother: (idiomatic) A slight problem; a small predicament. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spot_of_bother

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon thy holy name, and as suppliants we implore thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel St. Michael, thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls.   --Pope Leo XIII https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIII