page_title: Ælfheah of Canterbury
hierarchical_section_title: Ælfheah of Canterbury
caption_attribution_description: English: Vincent of Beauvais, Le Miroir Historial (Vol. IV) Place of origin, date: Paris, Master of the Cité des Dames (illuminator); c. 1400- 1410 Material: Vellum, ff. 401, 425x320 (254x196) mm, 2 columns, 43 lines, littera cursiva. French. Binding: 18th-century brown leather, gilt, with coat of arms of Stadtholder William V Decoration: 1 two-column miniature (185x200 mm with border decoration), 19 column miniatures (110/70x90/85 mm) with border decoration, 1 illustration in the margin (coat of arms); decorated initials with border decoration (ff. 3r, 10r, 15r, 19r, 20r, etc.) Provenance: Acquired by Philip of Cleves (d. 1528) before 1492 (coat of arms with label); purchased in 1531 from his estate by Henri III, Count of Nassau (d. 1538); by inheritance to the Princes of Orange-Nassau, the later Stadtholders at The Hague; taken in 1795 to Paris by the French occupying forces and restituted in 1816 to the KB
context_page_description: Ælfheah, more commonly known today as Alphege, was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury. He became an anchorite before being elected abbot of Bath Abbey. His reputation for piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the episcopate and, eventually, to his becoming archbishop. Ælfheah furthered the cult of Dunstan and also encouraged learning. He was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during the Siege of Canterbury and killed by them the following year after refusing to allow himself to be ransomed. Ælfheah was canonised as a saint in 1078. Thomas Becket, a later Archbishop of Canterbury, prayed to him just before his own murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.
context_section_description: Ælfheah (c. 953 – 19 April 1012), more commonly known today as Alphege, was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury.  He became an anchorite before being elected abbot of Bath Abbey. His reputation for piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the episcopate and, eventually, to his becoming archbishop. Ælfheah furthered the cult of Dunstan and also encouraged learning.  He was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during the Siege of Canterbury and killed by them the following year after refusing to allow himself to be ransomed.  Ælfheah was canonised as a saint in 1078.  Thomas Becket, a later Archbishop of Canterbury, prayed to him just before his own murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.
caption: A 15th-century illuminated manuscript showing Ælfheah being asked for advice
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