Wulfstan (died December 956) wasArchbishop of York between 931 and 952. He is often known asWulfstan I, to separate him fromWulfstan II, Archbishop of York.

Wulfstan was consecrated in 931.^[1] He was presumably appointed with the consent of KingÆthelstan, and attested all of the king's charters between 931 and 935. Between 936 and 41, however, he was absent from the king's court, for unknown reasons.^[2]

Wulfstan's career is characterised by frequent swapping of allegiances, both among Viking leaders from Dublin and the Wessex kings. Perhaps Wulfstan played the part of 'king-maker' in Northumbrian politics in the mid-10th century, or perhaps he was guided by self-preservation and the interests of the Church in Northumbria.^[3]

In 939, KingOlaf Guthfrithson ofDublin invaded Northumbria and occupiedYork. KingEdmund of England marched north to remove Olaf from York, but in 940 Wulfstan and ArchbishopWulfhelm of Canterbury arranged a treaty that ceded the area betweenWatling Street and the border of Northumbria to Olaf. But Olaf died in late 940, and his rule in York was inherited by his cousin,Olaf Sitricson who became King ofJórvík.^[4] In 944, Olaf Sitricson and his co-ruler Ragnald Guthfrithson were driven out from York; the chroniclerÆthelweard wrote that it was "Bishop Wulfstan and the eoldormen of the Mercians" who were responsible for their expulsion.^[2] In 947 Wulfstan invitedEric Bloodaxe, theKing of Orkney to become King of Jórvík.Eadred of Wessex brutally ravaged Northumbria in 948, forcing Eric to leave Northumbria. Olaf Cuaran then resumed his second reign at York. By 951, Wulfstan appears to have supported Eric's claim to the kingdom of York over Olaf as he ceased to witness charters at the English court.^[3] In 952, Olaf was driven out by the Northumbrians in favor of Eric.

Eadred then re-invaded and imprisoned Wulfstan.^[2] TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle version D says that "because accusations had often been made to the king against him", Eadred arrested Wulfstan and took him toIudanbyrig (the location of which is not known).^[2] He attested some charters in 953, so he was not imprisoned then.^[2] Although he was restored to episcopal office, he had to exercise his authority from distantDorchester, 230 mi (370 km) from York. He appears not to have attended court for most of 956 and was possibly in failing health by then.^[2] According to Lesley Abrams: "After the sidelining to the treacherous Wulfstan I,Oscytel, a kinsman ofOda, became Archbishop of York in 956."^[5] He died atOundle,Northamptonshire, on 16^[2] or 26 December 956.^[1] He was buried at Oundle.^[2]

The historianClare Downham observes that Wulfstan was almost certainly made archbishop in 931 with Æthelstan's support:

It may seem surprising, then, that the bishop was a staunch supporter of Scandinavian rule in York throughout his career, or at least whenever he felt it safe to do so. Some hints of this are provided in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (D). This shows that Wulfstan accompanied a Scandinavian king called Olafr on a raid into Mercia. Wulfstan later swore allegiance to Eadred, King of England (946-55), but he broke his oath soon after and endured temporary imprisonment by the same King in the 950s. Wulfstan thus appears as a power-broker and a leading figure in Northumbria at this time. But he was also someone wno took political risks with varying success.^[6]

• Rabin, Andrew (2024). "The Many Kings of Archbishop Wulfstan I". In Blanchard, Mary; Riedel, Christopher (eds.).The Reigns of Edmund, Eadred and Eadwig, 939-959: New Interpretations. Woodbridge, UK: The Boydell Press. pp. 98–210.ISBN 978-1-78327-764-3.

• Wulfstan 14 atProsopography of Anglo-Saxon England

• 956 deaths
• Archbishops of York
• 10th-century English archbishops

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from December 2016
• Use British English from June 2013
• Year of birth unknown