Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 45.djvu/69

 40, describes minutely the seal of the bishop affixed to it). On 17 Aug. Peter of Aigueblanche was again witnessing documents in Guienne. He probably returned to England with Henry in October 1243.

Another of the queen's uncles, Boniface, bishop-elect of Belley, had been in 1241 nominated to the see of Canterbury, but he did not appear in England until 1244. In the interval Peter of Aigueblanche acted as his agent in England, receiving in 1243 permission to reside in the archiepiscopal manor at Lambeth, and in the same year appointing, as Boniface's proctor, officials throughout the archbishopric of Canterbury (Tewkesbury Annals, p. 133). He also availed himself of his position to pay some of the debts of his old master, William of Valence, from the archiepiscopal funds. When at length the papal consent was given to Boniface's election to Canterbury, Peter was instructed to solemnly hand over to him the pallium sent from the papal court on 12 April 1244 (, Registres d'Innocent IV, vol. i. Nos. 585, 586). On Boniface's arrival in England he associated himself closely with Peter in defending the bishop of Winchester, William of Raleigh [q. v.], from the immoderate displeasure of Henry. The result was a breach between the king and the Savoyard bishops, who were backed up by the pope and by the stricter clerical party. Peter went with Bishop Walter of Cantelupe to remonstrate with Henry at Reading, but Henry fled to London to avoid their ‘wholesome admonitions’ (, iv. 285, 294–5). Henry was soon, however, followed and rebuked. Boniface wrote to Peter, urging him to persevere in his rebukes to the king (ib. iv. 297–8), and at last Henry gave way.

Towards the end of 1244 Peter went beyond sea along with the bishop of Worcester, the archbishop-elect, Boniface. Matthew Paris makes a great mystery of their ‘secret business’ (ib. iv. 403), but their main object was to visit the pope at Lyons and attend the council there. On 15 Jan. 1245 Boniface was consecrated at Lyons by Innocent IV in person, the two English bishops assisting. The council was opened on 28 June and closed on 17 July. Peter attended its sessions. When the pope granted the see of Canterbury the firstfruits of all vacant benefices within the province for seven years, he made the bishop of Hereford collector of this unprecedented tax (ib. iv. 508). Jointly with Archbishop Boniface, Peter received on behalf of Henry III the homage of Count Amadeus of Savoy, and granted him back the castles of Bard and Avigliano, and the towns of Susa and Saint-Maurice in the Valais, possessions which Amadeus condescended to hold of the English king in return for a yearly pension (cf. Royal Letters, ii. 200–1, in which Peter gives Henry III reasons why the holding of the lordship of these Alpine passes will be to the advantage of England). Peter received several marks of the pope's special favour, among others the right of not admitting papal provisions unless the bulls expressly mentioned that the provision was granted notwithstanding this concession.

In October 1249 Peter was commissioned, jointly with Peter of Savoy, to treat for a prolongation of the truce with France. At the same time he was empowered with the archbishop of York to clear up a possible irregularity in Henry III's marriage, by reason of a precontract between him and Joan of Ponthieu. It was not until 29 March 1251 that Peter pronounced in the cathedral of Sens the papal sentence which nullified the precontract and validated the marriage of Henry and Eleanor (, vol. iv. Nos. 242, 269). In 1250, Peter, like many other English barons and prelates, took the cross, with the view of following Saint Louis on his crusade (, v. 98). He took, however, no steps to carry out his vow. He was still beyond sea when the parliament met in October 1252. He returned to England with Boniface on 18 Nov., and joined the archbishop in a fierce quarrel with William of Lusignan, bishop-elect of Winchester, one of Henry III's half-brothers.

In August 1253 Peter accompanied Henry III to Gascony, and busily occupied himself with the affairs of that distracted province. He punished the marauding of some Welsh soldiers so severely that certain of the English barons, their lords, threatened to leave the army (ib. v. 442). His name almost invariably appears in the first place on the numerous letters patent which he witnessed about this time (e.g. Rôles Gascons, i. 270, 271, 272). It has been inferred that he was in consequence the chief of the king's council in Gascony (, p. 104), but it is clear that his precedence is simply due to his episcopal rank. Towards the end of the year Peter was sent on an important mission to Alfonso X of Castile to negotiate the proposed double marriage of Edward, the king's son, with Alfonso's sister Eleanor, and that of Beatrice, the king's daughter, with one of Alfonso's brothers. On Peter's return from Toledo, Henry confirmed his acts at Bazas on 8 Feb. 1254. In consideration of his ‘grave expenses and labours and his laborious embassy to Spain,’ Henry re-