Editing Hubert Walter (section)

==Death and legacy==
[[File:Huber Walter Paten.JPG|thumb|Walter's tomb was opened in 1890 and his pair of buskins, crozier, paten (illustrated here) and chalice were discovered.]]
Walter died on 13 July 1205, from a septic carbuncle on his back.<ref>Dan Jones, "The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England"</ref> The lingering character of his ailment permitted a reconciliation with his monks.<ref name=Monastic363>Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 363</ref> The medieval chronicler [[Ralph of Coggeshall]] described his death as taking four days, and related that he gave vestments, jewellery, and altar furnishings to his monks, which were confiscated by King John after Walter's death.<ref name=Patronage11>Turner "Religious Patronage" ''Albion'' pp. 11–12</ref> He was buried in the [[Trinity Chapel]] in [[Canterbury Cathedral]], next to Thomas Becket, where his tomb can still be seen.<ref name=Bartlett595>Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 595</ref>{{efn|The tomb may have been built by [[William the Englishman]], who designed the [[Trinity Chapel]] in Canterbury Cathedral.<ref name=Throne134>Reeve "Seat of Authority" ''Gesta'' p. 134</ref>}} The tomb occupied a highly visible spot in the Trinity Chapel, and Walter was the first archbishop to be buried there since the 1170s, when all of the tombs but Becket's had been relocated to focus attention on Becket's shrine. He remained the only ecclesiastic to be buried there until the 14th century.<ref name=Throne136>Reeve "Seat of Authority" ''Gesta'' p. 136</ref> The use by the archbishops of Canterbury of the title "Primate of All England" dates from Walter's archepiscopal tenure.<ref name=Hearn47>Hearn "Canterbury Cathedral" ''Art Bulletin'' p. 47</ref>

The medieval chronicler Matthew Paris retold the story that when King John heard of Walter's death, the king exclaimed "Now for the first time I am king of England."<ref name=QHistorianJudge>Quoted in Gillingham "Historian as Judge" ''English Historical Review''</ref> This story, however entertaining, is apocryphal.<ref name=HistorianJudge>Gillingham "Historian as Judge" ''English Historical Review''</ref> More secure is the story that another chronicler, Roger of Wendover, relates about Walter's Christmas celebrations in 1200. Roger reports that Walter distributed clothing to those attending his Christmas feast, which angered King John. The chronicler says that Walter "wished to put himself on a par with the king".<ref name=Church295>Church "Rewards of Royal Service" ''English Historical Review'' p. 295</ref>

Walter was not a holy man, although he was, as [[John Gillingham]], a historian and biographer of Richard I, says, "one of the most outstanding government ministers in English History".<ref name=QRichardI274>Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 274</ref> [[Hugh of Lincoln]], a contemporary and later canonised, is said to have asked forgiveness of God for not having rebuked Walter as often as he probably should have.<ref name="QRichardI274"/> Modern historians tend not to share the older view that Walter was the driving force behind the administrative changes during Richard's reign, that Richard was uninterested in government, and that he left all decisions in the hands of his ministers, especially Longchamp and Walter.<ref name=Chrimes42>Chrimes ''Introduction'' pp. 42–43</ref> The studies of James Holt and others have shown that Richard was highly involved in government decisions, and that it was more a partnership between the king and his ministers.<ref name=RichardI275>Gillingham ''Richard I'' pp. 275–276</ref> Walter was, however, very innovative in his approach to government.<ref name=Mortimer70>Mortimer ''Angevin England'' p. 70</ref> Walter continued to enjoy the support of Richard's brother John, and it was during John's reign that a number of Walter's administrative reforms took place, although how much royal initiative was behind the innovations is unknown, given John's interest in government and administration.<ref name=Hollister6>Hollister "King John and the Historians" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 6</ref>

Walter was the butt of jokes about his lack of learning,<ref name=RichardI256>Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 256</ref> and was the target of a series of tales from the pen of the chronicler [[Gerald of Wales]].<ref name=Moorman159>Moorman ''Church Life'' p.&nbsp;159</ref> Even Walter's supporters could only state that he was "moderately literate".<ref name=Bartlett485>Quoted in Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 485</ref> Walter employed several canon lawyers who had been educated at Bologna<ref name=Roman9>Turner "Roman Law" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 9</ref> in his household, including [[John of Tynemouth (canon lawyer)|John of Tynemouth]], [[Simon of Southwell]],<ref name=Young57>Young ''Hubert Walter'' pp. 57–58</ref> and [[Honorius of Kent]].<ref name=Cheney164>Cheney ''Hubert Walter'' pp. 164–165</ref> He also employed the architect [[Elias of Dereham]], who was one of Walter's executors. Elias is traditionally credited as being the architect of [[Salisbury Cathedral]] after Walter's death.<ref name=Young61>Young ''Hubert Walter'' pp. 61–62</ref> Another scholar employed by Walter was [[Peter of Blois]], who served both Walter and his predecessor as a Latin secretary.<ref name=Turner309>Turner "Reputation of Royal Judges" ''Albion'' p. 309</ref>

Little is known of his appearance, although he was described by Gerald of Wales as tall and handsome. Gerald also praised his intelligence and cleverness.<ref name=West78>West ''Justiciarship in England'' p. 78</ref>

W. L. Warren advances the theory that either Walter or Geoffrey Fitz Peter, instead of Ranulf Glanvill, was the author of ''[[Tractatus of Glanvill|Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Angliae]],'' a legal treatise on the laws and constitutions of the English.<ref name=John127>Warren ''King John'' p. 127</ref> Chrimes agrees that Glanvill was probably not the author, and feels that Walter likely was, although he could not be certain.<ref name=Chrimes40>Chrimes ''Introduction'' p. 40</ref> If he was the author, he composed what Chrimes called a "great literary memorial of Henry II's government".<ref name=Chrimes52>Chrimes ''Introduction'' p. 52</ref> Neither of Walter's two modern biographers, however, feel that he was the author of the ''Tractatus'', and the historian Ralph Turner agrees.<ref name=Glanvill113>Turner "Who Was the Author of Glanvill?" ''Law and History Review'' pp. 113–114</ref> The historian [[Michael Clanchy]] says of Walter "The proliferation of documents was a European and a continuing phenomenon, yet if it were to be associated in England with one man, he would be Hubert Walter."<ref name=QClanchy73>Clanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 73</ref>