Arnulf of Chocques (died 1118) was a leading member of theclergy during theFirst Crusade, being madeLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1099 and again from 1112 to 1118. Sometimes referred to as Arnulf of Rœulx, presumably after the village ofRœulx some 70km from his home village ofChocques, he was given the nicknameMalecorne, meaning badly tonsured.
Arnulf was the illegitimate son of aFlemishpriest, and studied underLanfranc atCaen. In the 1070s he was atutor to Cecilia, daughter ofWilliam I of England. He also taughtRalph of Caen, one of the laterchroniclers of theFirst Crusade. He was also close toOdo of Bayeux, whom he accompanied on the Crusade.[1] He was thechaplain of theNorman crusader army led byRobert of Normandy, Cecilia's brother and William's son.[2] He was most likely appointed a papal legate, under the authority of the overall legateAdhemar of Le Puy, and after Adhemar's death in 1098 he shared control of the clergy with fellow legatePeter of Narbonne. Some of the knights in theother crusader armies believed he was corrupt, and they apparently sang vulgar songs about him, but most crusaders respected him as an eloquent preacher.
He was one of the chief skeptics aboutPeter Bartholomew's claims to have discovered theHoly Lance inAntioch, and because of Arnulf's opposition Peter volunteered to undergo anordeal by fire. Arnulf's opposition to Peter brought him into conflict withRaymond of St. Gilles, who believed Peter's story. To help ease the crisis among the crusaders over the issue, and also to lift spirits after Peter's death during the ordeal, Arnulf helped make a statue of Christ which was placed on one of the siege engines during thesiege of Jerusalem. After the capture ofJerusalem he discovered theTrue Cross in theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre. This discovery was not as controversial as the discovery of the Lance, although it was just as suspicious. Arnulf might have been trying to make up for the problems he caused disproving the authenticity of the Lance, and the True Cross became the most sacred relic of theKingdom of Jerusalem.
After Raymond left Jerusalem on 1 August 1099, Arnulf was electedLatin patriarch of Jerusalem.[1] He was supported byGodfrey of Bouillon, the firstruler of Jerusalem, and in turn he supported Godfrey's decision to make Jerusalem a secular kingdom rather than one ruled by the clergy. He accompanied Godfrey in theBattle of Ascalon, with a relic of theTrue Cross. Arnulf enforced the Latin rite among the crusaders, banning all others thus further alienating the disaffected Greeks. However, his election was soon subject to doubts concerning itscanonicity, as he was not yet adeacon. Before he could be ordained, he was replaced in December byDagobert of Pisa, whomPope Paschal II had appointed legate. Arnulf was instead appointed archdeacon of Jerusalem.[3]
In 1112 he officially became patriarch, though many of the other clerics mistrusted him and found him unnecessarily harsh. He was especially unpopular with theOrthodox andSyriac Christians when he prohibited non-Latin masses at the Holy Sepulchre. He was accused of various crimes: sexual relations with a Muslim woman,simony, and most importantly condoning the bigamous marriage ofKing Baldwin I toAdelaide del Vasto while his first wifeArda of Armenia was still alive. He was briefly deposed by apapal legate in 1115, but appealed toPope Paschal II and was reinstated in 1116, provided that he annul Baldwin and Adelaide's marriage.
He remained patriarch until his death in 1118.[1]
Arnulf married his nieceEmma of Jericho, (also called Emelota), toEustace Garnier, thelord of Caesarea andSidon. After her first husband's death, Emma marriedHugh II of Jaffa.[4]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Founder | Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem 1099 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem 1112-1118 | Succeeded by |