William of Malmesbury’s Exegesis Against Conquest

This article argues that allegorical exegesis is important for understanding the writings of William of Malmesbury, both in his exegesis and beyond. In the mid-1130s, William penned a commentary on Lamentations in part to explain the causes and aftermath of the Norman Conquest. His allegorical exegesis decried exploitation and mismanagement of ecclesiastical lands by episcopal appointees from the continent, including his own bishop, Roger of Salisbury. In William’s sometimes veiled yet unmistakable critiques, Roger appears as an invading tyrant whose tenure as abbot of Malmesbury amounts to a period of Babylonian captivity for the monks of that house.