John Kemp | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of All England | |
 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Appointed | 21 July 1452 |
| Term ended | 22 March 1454 |
| Predecessor | John Stafford |
| Successor | Thomas Bourchier |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 3 December 1419 by Louis d'Harcourt |
| Created cardinal |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1380 |
| Died | 22 March 1454 Canterbury, Kent |
| Buried | Canterbury Cathedral |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Merton College, Oxford |
John Kemp[a] (c. 1380 – 22 March 1454) was a medieval Englishcardinal,Archbishop of Canterbury, andLord Chancellor of England.
Kemp was the son of Thomas Kempe, a gentleman ofOlantigh, in the parish ofWye nearAshford, Kent, and Beatrix Lewkenor, daughter of Sir Thomas Lewkenor.[1] He was born about 1380 and educated atMerton College, Oxford.[2]
Kemp practised as an ecclesiastical lawyer, was an assessor at the trial ofJohn Oldcastle, and in 1415 was madedean of the Court of Arches but did not do a good job as dean. He then passed into the royal service, and being employed in the administration ofNormandy was eventually made chancellor of theduchy.[3] He was brieflyarchdeacon of Durham.[4] In 1418 he was madeKeeper of the Privy Seal which he retained until 1421.[5] Early in 1419 he was electedBishop of Rochester, and was consecrated atRouen on 3 December.[6] In February 1421 he was translated toChichester,[7]and in November following toLondon.[8]
During the minority ofHenry VI Kemp had a prominent position in the English council as a supporter ofHenry Beaufort,[3] whom he succeeded as chancellor in March 1426.[9] In this same year on 20 July he was promoted to theArchbishop of York.[10] Kemp held office as chancellor for six years, consistently supporting Henry Beaufort againstHumphrey of Gloucester.[3] His resignation on 28 February 1432[9] was a concession to Gloucester. He still enjoyed Beaufort's favour, and retaining his place in the council was employed on important missions, especially at thecongress of Arras in 1435, and the conference atCalais in 1438.[2]
In December 1439 Kemp was created acardinal priest,[11] and during the next few years took less share in politics. He supportedWilliam de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk over the king's marriage withMargaret of Anjou; but afterwards there arose some difference between them, due in part to a dispute about the nomination of the cardinal's nephew,Thomas Kempe, to the bishopric of London.[3] At the time of Suffolk's fall in January 1450 Kemp once more became chancellor.[9] His appointment may have been because he was not committed entirely to either party. In spite of his age and infirmity he showed some vigour in dealing withJack Cade's rebellion, and by his official experience and skill did what he could for four years to sustain the king's authority.[2]
Kemp was rewarded by his translation toCanterbury in July 1452,[12] whenPope Nicholas V added as a special honour the title ofcardinal-bishop of Santa Rufina.[13] AsRichard of York gained influence, Kemp became unpopular; men called him "the cursed cardinal", and his fall seemed imminent[2] when he died suddenly on 22 March 1454.[12] He was buried atCanterbury, in the choir.[2]
Kemp was a politician first, and hardly at all a bishop; and he was accused with some justice of neglecting his dioceses, especially at York.[2] Still he was a capable official, and a faithful servant to Henry VI, who called him "one of the wisest lords of the land".[14] He foundedWye College near his birthplace, which became part of theUniversity of London before closing in 2009.[15]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kempe, John".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 725.| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1418–1421 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Chancellor 1426–1432 | |
| Preceded by | Lord Chancellor 1450–1454 | Succeeded by |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by | Bishop of Rochester 1419–1421 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Chichester 1421–1422 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of London 1422–1426 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of York 1426–1452 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Canterbury 1452–1454 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal Priest ofSanta Balbina 1439–1452 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal-bishop of Santa Rufina 1452–1454 | Succeeded by |