Thomas Arundel

Thomas Arundel (1353-1414), English prelate, born in Sussex of a noble family. He was made bishop of Ely in 1374, archbishop of York in 1388, and archbishop of Canterbury in 1396. He served as lord chancellor three times during the reign of Richard II, but in 1397 he was exiled for working to depose the king. When Henry of Bolingbroke successfully revolted against Richard and became King Henry IV, Arundel returned as archbishop of Canterbury and crowned the new king in 1399. He vigorously guarded the rights and property of the Church against attempts by Parliament to limit them. Arundel was also active in the persecution of the Lollards, members of a dissident religious sect.