Episcopal appointments in England, c. 1214-1344: from episcopal election to papal provison

In 1214, King John issued a charter granting freedom of election to the English Church; henceforth, cathedral chapters were, theoretically, to be allowed to elect their own bishops, with minimal intervention by the crown.

Innocent III confirmed this charter and, in the following year, the right to electoral freedom was restated at the Fourth Lateran Council.

In consequence, under Henry III and Edward I the English Church enjoyed something of a golden age of electoral freedom, during which the king might influence elections, but ultimately could not control them.

Then, during the reigns of Edward II and Edward III, papal control over appointments was increasingly asserted and from 1344 onwards all English bishops were provided by the pope.