Milo Sweetman

Milo Sweetman (died 1380) was a fourteenth century Irish archbishop, noted for his fierce defence of the privileges of his archdiocese.

He was treasurer of the Diocese of Ossory in 1360, in which year he was elected Bishop of the Diocese by the Chapter. His election was cancelled by the Pope, who, however, in the following year appointed him Archbishop of Armagh.^[1]

Sweetman revived the old controversy as to whether the Archbishop of Armagh had primacy over the Archbishop of Dublin, something which the Archbishop of Dublin had always denied. He and Thomas Minot, Archbishop of Dublin from 1363 to 1375, pursued the dispute with such vehemence that King Edward III, in 1365, intervened, urging the two men to live in friendship and proposing that they settle the matter as a similar controversy between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York had been resolved i.e. by each bearing his crozier in the other's presence. Sweetman replied at length urging the claim of Armagh to primacy and pointing out that Minot had failed to attend a meeting convened to discuss the matter. This letter clearly had an effect, since Minot was summoned before the Privy Council of Ireland to answer a charge of contempt in failing to attend the meeting. Having thus asserted his authority, Sweetman then let the matter lapse, and no further action was taken against Minot.^[2]

Sweetman was present at the Irish Parliament of 1367 which passed the Statutes of Kilkenny. In 1374 he defeated an attempt by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, William de Windsor, to dispense with the Irish Parliament by ordering the clergy and laity of the Pale to attend the English Parliament. Sweetman argued that they had no such obligation, and that while out of deference to the King they would answer the summons they would not vote any taxation. Since this deprived the exercise of any point, it was not repeated.^[3]

Having governed the Primatial See for nineteen years he died in 1380, and is buried in Dromiskin, Co.Louth. He is one of the first recorded Sweetmans in Irish history: Maurice Sweetman, Archdeacon of Armagh, is likely to have been a nephew or cousin of MIlo.

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