Stephen Langton

LANGTON, Stephen. b. Langton by Wragby, Lincolnshire, ca 1150; d. Slindon, near Chichester, Sussex, 9 July 1228. He was ‘one of the great churchmen of the middle ages’ (ODNB), Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 to 1228. He was probably educated at a school in Lincoln, followed by study at Paris in arts and theology. He taught theology in Paris from ca. 1180, preached, and wrote commentaries on the Old and New Testaments. He is thought to have been responsible for the division of the Bible into chapters. He remained in Paris until 1206, when Pope Innocent III appointed him as a Cardinal. After disputed elections, he was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1207, against the wishes of King...