Editing Theobald of Bec (section)

===Relations with other bishops===

Theobald was instrumental in securing the subordination of the Welsh bishoprics to Canterbury. His first act in this area was the consecration of [[Meurig (bishop)|Meurig]] as [[Bishop of Bangor]] in 1140, during which Meurig made a profession of obedience like those made by other bishops subject to Canterbury.<ref name=Salt92/> [[Bernard (Bishop of St Davids)|Bernard]], [[Bishop of St&nbsp;Davids]], contested Theobald's right to consecrate Meurig and instead asserted that St&nbsp;Davids should be considered an archbishopric, and that Bernard should receive a pallium. This went against the last half-century of precedent that Canterbury had jurisdiction over the four Welsh sees, a precedent that dated back to Anselm's days when Anselm had consecrated [[Urban (bishop of Llandaff)|Urban]] as [[Bishop of Llandaff]] in 1107.<ref name=Lawrence101/>

Also in 1140, Theobald consecrated [[Uhtred (Bishop of Llandaff)|Uhtred]] as Bishop of Llandaff, with Uhtred also swearing to obey Theobald. Likewise, when Theobald consecrated [[Gilbert (Bishop of St Asaph)|Gilbert]] as [[Bishop of St&nbsp;Asaph]] in 1142, a similar profession of obedience was made.<ref name=Salt92>Saltman ''Theobald'' pp. 92–94</ref> Along with these consecrations, Theobald's legal efforts enabled him to withstand the attempts of Bernard to turn St&nbsp;Davids into an archbishopric, and when Bernard was succeeded by [[David fitzGerald]] in 1148, Theobald secured the new bishop's profession of obedience to Canterbury, thus ending the efforts to remove Wales from Canterbury's jurisdiction.<ref name=DNB/> Also in 1148, Pope Eugene decided in favour of Canterbury and against the claims of St&nbsp;Davids, securing Canterbury's jurisdiction over Wales.<ref name=Lawrence101>Duggan "From the Conquest to the Death of John" ''English Church and the Papacy'' pp. 101–102</ref>

Theobald even maintained the theoretical claim of Canterbury to jurisdiction over Irish sees by consecrating Patrick as [[Bishop of Limerick]] in 1140.<ref name=Salt95>Saltman ''Theobald'' p. 95</ref> That, however, was the last assertion of the claim, as in 1152 the papal legate [[Giovanni Paparo]] reorganised the Irish dioceses and settled the issue by appointing the [[Archbishop of Armagh]] the [[Primate (bishop)|primate]] of Ireland.<ref name=DNB/>

Relations with bishops in England remained good, with little activity in the long-running [[Canterbury–York dispute]] over the primacy of Britain. Theobald obtained a vague confirmation of his see's primacy from Celestine II in 1143–1144, but at the [[Council of Reims]] in 1148 Eugene clarified that this primacy did not affect the claims of York to be independent of Canterbury. Because of the unsettled election disputes during the 1140s over the see of York, when it was contested between William of York and Henry Murdac, Theobald faced little challenge from either William or Murdac as to the traditional dispute between Canterbury and York. When William of York died in 1154, Theobald secured York for his protégé, [[Roger de Pont L'Evêque]]. Further peace between the two sees was ensured when Theobald consecrated Roger without requiring a profession of obedience, which had previously been a major bone of contention between the two.<ref name=DNB/>