William Warelwast (died 1137) was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of
Exeter in England. Warelwast was a native of Normandy, but little is
known about his background before 1087, when he appears as a royal clerk
for King William II of England. Most of his royal service to William
was as a diplomatic envoy, as he was heavily involved in the king's
dispute with Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury, which was the
beginning of the Investiture Controversy in England. He went several
times to Rome as an emissary to the papacy on business related to
Anselm, one of whose supporters, the medieval chronicler Eadmer, alleged
that Warelwast bribed the pope and the papal officials to secure
favourable outcomes for King William. Possibly present at King William's
death in a hunting accident, Warelwast served as a diplomat to the
king's successor, Henry I. After the resolution of the Investiture
Controversy Warelwast was rewarded with the bishopric of Exeter in
Devon, but he continued to serve Henry as a diplomat and royal judge. He
began the construction of a new cathedral at Exeter, and he probably
divided the diocese into archdeaconries. Warelwast went blind after
1120, and following his death in 1137 was succeeded by his nephew,
Robert Warelwast.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Warelwast>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1330:
The Battle of Posada between Basarab I of Wallachia and
Charles I Robert of Hungary began near the present-day border of
Oltenia and Severin, Romania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Posada>
1888:
Mary Jane Kelly was murdered in London, widely believed to be
the fifth and final victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer
Jack the Ripper.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jane_Kelly>
1914:
First World War: In the Cocos Islands, the Australian light
cruiser HMAS Sydney sank SMS Emden, the last active Central Powers
warship in the Indian or Pacific Ocean.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cocos>
1967:
French comic book heroes Valérian and Laureline first appeared
in the pages of Pilote magazine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val%C3%A9rian_and_Laureline>
2005:
The European Space Agency launched the Venus Express mission
(artist's impression pictured), the first long-term observation of the
Venusian atmosphere.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Express>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
whence:
From where; from which place or source.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whence>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding.
Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary
home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant,
even petty. And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows
much promise. In the last few millennia we have made the most
astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place
within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind
us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that
knowledge is prerequisite to survival. I believe our future depends
powerfully on how well we understand this Cosmos in which we float like
a mote of dust in the morning sky.
--Carl Sagan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan>