692). By the marriage of his grandfather Savaric FitzChana with a daughter of Richard de Meri, son of Humphrey I of Bohun, he was a cousin of Jocelin, bishop of Sarum, and his son Reginald FitzJocelin [q. v.], bishop of Bath and archbishop-elect of Canterbury (Church, Chapters in Wells History, p. 379). Bishop Savaric was also a cousin of the emperor Henry VI (Epp. Cantuar. p. 350)—probably through his mother Estrangia, which name is perhaps a corruption, and Beatrix, mother of Henry VI and daughter of Reginald III, count of Burgundy.
In 1172 Savaric, being then in orders, was fined 26l. 3s. 4d. for trying to carry off a bow from the king's foresters in Surrey (ib.). Conjointly with two others, he was instituted archdeacon of Canterbury in 1175; but this arrangement did not answer, and he ceased to hold the office in 1180, in which year he appears as treasurer of Sarum (Diceto, i. 403; Le Neve, i. 38; Register of St. Osmund, i. 268 sq.). About that date, too, he was made archdeacon of Northampton, signing as such after that year (Wells Manuscripts, p. 14). In 1186 he was in disgrace with the king, who sent messengers to Urban III to complain of him; the dispute was probably about money (Gesta Henrici II, i. 356). Having taken the cross, Savaric went on the crusade with Richard, and in 1191 obtained a letter from the king at Messina, which he sent to his cousin Reginald, bishop of Bath, directing the justiciaries to sanction Savaric's election should he be chosen to a vacant bishopric. He was already well known at Rome, and went off thither to forward his plans, probably accompanying the queen-mother Eleanor (1122?–1204) [q. v.], who left Messina for Rome on 2 April (Richard of Devizes, c. 34). These plans were that Bishop Reginald should be promoted to the see of Canterbury, which had fallen vacant in the November previous, and that he should himself succeed Reginald as bishop of Bath. Savaric secured the help of his cousin the Emperor Henry and of Philip of France (Epp. Cantuar. pp. 350–1). Reginald was elected in November and died in December; but before his death he obtained a pledge from the convent that they would elect Savaric. The monks of Bath did so without waiting for the assent of the canons of Wells; the canons protested, but the chief justiciar Walter, archbishop of Rouen, did not heed them, and, acting on the king's letter, confirmed the election (Rich. of Devizes, sec. 58). Savaric received priest's orders and was consecrated at Rome on 8 Aug. 1192 by the cardinal bishop of Albano (Diceto, ii. 105–6).
Early in 1193 Savaric, who was still abroad, was engaged in negotiating with the emperor for Richard's release (Rog. Hov. iii. 197). He was mindful of his own interests, for at his instance the emperor caused Richard to agree to Savaric's proposal that he should annex the abbey of Glastonbury to the bishopric of Bath. At the same time, however, Savaric was hoping to get the archbishopric of Canterbury, and the king unwillingly, and under the emperor's compulsion, wrote to the convent of Christ Church recommending him. Richard, however, was fully determined that Hubert Walter [q. v.] should be archbishop, and on 8 June wrote to his mother charging her to secure his election, and to pay no heed to his letter on behalf of Savaric (Epp. Cantuar. pp. 364–5), and Hubert was elected accordingly. Towards the end of the month Savaric went to Worms and was present at the conclusion of the treaty between the emperor and Richard for the king's release (Rog. Hov. iii. 215). He applied to Celestine III to sanction his annexation of Glastonbury, returned to England, summoned Harold, the prior, to Bath on 8 Dec., and told him and the monks with him that he was their abbot. On the same day his proctors went to the abbey, and by royal authority claimed it for the bishop; the monks gave notice of appeal to the pope (Domerham ii. 357–8). Savaric returned to Germany, was at Mainz on 4 Feb. 1194 when the king was released, and was one of the hostages for the payment of his ransom, being bound not to leave Germany without the emperor's consent (Rog. Hov. u.s. 233; Diceto, ii. 113). The emperor appointed him chancellor of Burgundy, that is apparently of the county. Meanwhile the monks of Glastonbury were defending the independence of their house, and in August the king, evidently displeased at the way in which Savaric had taken advantage of his captivity to advance his own projects, revoked his grant and deprived him of the abbey (Domerham, ii. 360). The news of this check seems to have led Savaric to leave Germany; he was at Tours in the spring of 1195, and while there received a privilege from Celestine III declaring the union of the churches of Bath and Glastonbury, making Glastonbury equally with Bath a cathedral church, and directing that Savaric and his successors should use the style of bishops of Bath and Glastonbury (ib. pp. 361–3), which Savaric accordingly adopted. He went on to England, and was at Bath in November (Bath Chartularies, pt. ii. No. 683). The Glastonbury monks having appealed, he went to Rome. In
