, ▁York ▁only ▁had ▁one ▁suff rag an , ▁the ▁Dioc ese ▁of ▁Dur ham . ▁ ▁Why ▁exactly ▁Lan fran c ▁decided ▁to ▁press ▁forward ▁claims ▁to ▁a ▁jud icial ▁prim acy ▁over ▁York ▁is ▁unclear . ▁Some ▁histor ians , ▁including ▁Frank ▁Bar low ▁have ▁spec ulated ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁because ▁Thomas ▁was ▁a ▁dis ci ple ▁of ▁O do ▁of ▁Bay e ux , ▁one ▁of ▁Lan fran c ' s ▁riv als ▁in ▁the ▁English ▁church . ▁Another ▁possibility ▁was ▁that ▁Lan fran c ▁desired ▁to ▁assert ▁authority ▁over ▁the ▁northern ▁province ▁of ▁Britain ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁aid ▁the ▁reform ing ▁efforts ▁Lan fran c ▁was ▁attempting . ▁Lan fran c ▁was ▁surely ▁influenced ▁by ▁his ▁c athedral ▁chapter ▁at ▁Can ter bury , ▁who ▁may ▁have ▁desired ▁to ▁recover ▁their ▁hon ours ▁after ▁the ▁problems ▁encountered ▁in ▁Lan fran c ' s ▁prede cess or ▁St ig and ' s ▁arch ie pis cop ate . ▁York ▁had ▁never ▁had ▁a ▁prim acy , ▁and ▁based ▁its ▁arguments ▁on ▁the ▁general ▁principle ▁that ▁prima cies ▁were ▁err one ous . ▁While ▁Can ter bury ▁in ▁the ▁Ang lo - S ax on ▁era ▁had ▁been ▁more ▁pr estig ious ▁than ▁York , ▁it ▁had ▁never ▁in ▁fact ▁had ▁a ▁jud icial ▁prim acy . ▁Another ▁influence ▁was ▁probably ▁Lan fran c ' s ▁mon astic ▁background , ▁with ▁Lan fran c ▁feeling ▁that ▁the ▁ecc les iast ical ▁structure ▁should ▁mirror ▁the ▁mon astic ▁absolute ▁ob ed ience