William de Longchamp

William de Longchamp
Bishop of Ely
Two towers rise above a stone building on a wooded hill
Ely Cathedral
Appointed15 September 1189
Installed6 January 1190
Term endedJanuary 1197
PredecessorGeoffrey Ridel
SuccessorEustace
Orders
Consecration31 December 1189
Personal details
DiedJanuary 1197
Poitiers
Buriedabbey of Le Pin
DenominationRoman Catholic
Chief Justiciar of England
In office
December 1189 – 1191
MonarchRichard I
Preceded byHugh de Puiset (co-chief Justiciar until June 1190)
Succeeded byWalter de Coutances
ConstituencySouth of the Humber River (March–June 1190)
Chancellor of England
In office
1189–1197
MonarchRichard I
Preceded byGeoffrey
Succeeded byEustace
chancellor of the Duchy of Aquitaine
MonarchsRichard, Duke of Aquitaine

William de Longchamp[a] (died 1197) was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's father of being the son of a peasant, he held land as a knight. Longchamp first served Henry II's illegitimate son Geoffrey, but quickly transferred to the service of Richard I, Henry's heir. When Richard became king in 1189, Longchamp paid £3,000 for the office of Chancellor and was soon named to the Diocese, or bishopric, of Ely and appointed legate by the pope.

Longchamp governed England while Richard was on the Third Crusade, but his authority was challenged by Richard's brother, John, who eventually succeeded in driving Longchamp from power and from England. Longchamp's relations with the other leading English nobles were also strained, which contributed to the demands for his exile. Soon after Longchamp's departure from England, Richard was captured on his journey back to England from the Crusade and held for ransom by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Longchamp travelled to Germany to help negotiate Richard's release. Although Longchamp regained the office of Chancellor after Richard's return to England, he lost much of his former power. He aroused a great deal of hostility among his contemporaries during his career, but he retained Richard's trust and was employed by the king until the bishop's death in 1197. Longchamp wrote a treatise on the law, which remained well-known throughout the Late Middle Ages.
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