Robert Grosseteste

Lore & Background

Little is known of his early education; he may have studied at Lincoln and appears as a master in the late 1180s or early 1190s. He may have been Chancellor of Oxford, though evidence is anecdotal. He died revered as a saint in England, though formal canonisation failed.

Reader's Guide

Robert Grosseteste's significance lies in his dual role as a pioneering scientific thinker and a controversial theologian. A. C. Crombie called him 'the real founder of the tradition of scientific thought in medieval Oxford, and in some ways, of the modern English intellectual tradition.' His disciple Roger Bacon acquired an interest in scientific method from him. Grosseteste's theological writings show a continual interest in the natural world and an ability to read Greek sources. As bishop, he was a zealous reformer who defended episcopal prerogatives and resisted both royal and papal encroachments, though he submitted to papal authority until the 1240s. His legacy includes his influence on Oxford scholasticism, his systematic theological index, and his uncompromising stance on ecclesiastical discipline. The failure of canonisation attempts did not prevent his being revered as a saint in England.

Did You Know?

• Grosseteste was also known as Robert Greathead or Robert of Lincoln.
• He was born of humble parents in Suffolk, according to the chronicler Nicholas Trivet.
• His translation of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs spread the accusation that Jews had suppressed prophetic knowledge of Christ.