| Oda | |
|---|---|
|
Archbishop of Canterbury |
|
| Enthroned | 942 |
| Ended | 958 |
| Predecessor | Wulfhelm |
| Successor | Aelfsige |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | 2 June 958 |
|
Sainthood |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop; Archbishop | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Commemorated | 4 July |
| Attributes | Archbishop holding a chalice |
 Saints Portal |
|
Saint Oda or Odo, called the Good or the Severe (d. 958) was a 10th-century Archbishop of Canterbury in England.
Biography
Oda was born in East Anglia of Danish parents.[1] His father was said to have been a Dane that came to England in 865, and presumably settled in East Anglia. Oda's nephew Oswald of Worcester later became Archbishop of York. In the Life of Saint Oswald, Oda is said to have joined the household of a pious nobleman, whom he accompanied to Rome on pilgrimage. While on pilgrimage, Oda healed the nobleman's illness. Other stories have Oda fighting under Edward the Elder then becoming a priest.[2] Some sources state that he became a monk at Fleury-sur-Loire in France.[3][2][4] Whatever his upbringing, Oda was consecrated Bishop of Ramsbury between 923 and 927.[5] He was said to have fought alongside King Æthelstan to the battle of Brunanburh in 937.[3] He arranged a truce between Olaf III Guthfrithson, king of Dublin and York, and Edmund I, king of England.[6][2] While he was bishop of Ramsbury, Athelstan sent him to France to arrange the return of King Louis IV of France to the throne of France. Louis had been in exile in England for a number of years.[7] In 942 he succeeded Wulfhelm as Archbishop of Canterbury[8], and he appears to have been an able and conscientious ruler of the see. He helped King Edmund of England with his legislation, as well as issuing ecclesiastical rules, or constitutions.[2] His Constitutions of Oda are the first surviving constitutions of a tenth century English ecclesiastical reformer.[9] At the death of King Edred of England in 955, Oda was one of the reciepients of a bequest, in his case it was a large amount of gold.[10] He was probably behind the reestablishment of a bishopric at Elmham, as the line of bishops in that see starts with Eadwulf of Elmham in 956.[11] He had great influence with King Edwy, whom he had crowned in 956, but in late 957 Oda joined Edwy's rival and brother Edgar who had been proclaimed king of the Mercians in 957, while Edwy continued to rule Wessex. In early 958 Oda annulled the marriage of Edwy and his wife Elgiva who were too closely related.[12] He was a supporter of Dunstan's monastic reforms,[3] and was a reforming agent in the church along with Cenwald bishop of Worcester and Ælfheah bishop of Winchester. He also built extensively, and re-roofed the cathedral after raising the walls higher.[2] He died on 2 June 958[8] and is regarded as a saint, with a feast day of 4 July.[1]
References
- ^ a b Walsh, Michael. A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West. London: Burns & Oates. 2007. ISBN 086012438X p. 454-455
- ^ a b c d e Cubitt, Catherine and Marios Costambeys, "Oda (d. 958)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 7, 2007
- ^ a b c Delaney, John J. Dictionary of Saints Second Edition Doubleday: New York 2003. ISBN 0385135947 p. 464
- ^ Stenton, F. M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition Oxford:Oxford University Press 1971 ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 p. 448
- ^ Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde. Handbook of British Chronology. London: Royal Historical Society. 1961. OCLC 14622896 p. 247
- ^ Ashely, Mike. The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf. 1998. ISBN 0796706929 p. 464
- ^ Stenton, F. M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition Oxford:Oxford University Press 1971 ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 p. 347
- ^ a b Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde. Handbook of British Chronology. London: Royal Historical Society. 1961. OCLC 14622896 p. 210
- ^ Stafford, Pauline Unification and Conquest: A Political and Social History of England in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries London: Edward Arnold 1989 ISBN 0-7131-6532-4 p. 9-10
- ^ Fletcher, Richard Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England Oxford: Oxford University Press 2003 ISBN 0-19-516136-X p. 24
- ^ Stenton, F. M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition Oxford:Oxford University Press 1971 ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 p. 437
- ^ Stafford, Pauline Unification and Conquest: A Political and Social History of England in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries London: Edward Arnold 1989 ISBN 0-7131-6532-4 p. 48-49
External links
- Royal Berkshire History: St. Odo the Good
- Odo of Canterbury in the Catholic Encyclopedia
- St. Odo the Good at Catholic Online
- Oda of Canterbury at Patron Saints Index
- Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England: Oda
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Aethelstan |
Bishop of Ramsbury c925–942 |
Succeeded by Ælfric |
| Preceded by Wulfhelm |
Archbishop of Canterbury 942–958 |
Succeeded by Aelfsige |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Oda |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Odo |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Bishop of Ramsbury; Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | East Anglia |
| DATE OF DEATH | 28 June 958 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Canterbury, Kent |
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
