from 669 bishop wilfrid was directly involved in every gift of land and money to the church by the northumbrian king and queens. he became very powerful and rich in the process. in 671 he began building a great church which was financed by and confiscated british church lands. but after queen etheldreda retired to her abbey he lost most of his rich patronage. the new queen, eormenburg, had no love of wilfrid. stephen of ripon, the author of the eighth-century "vita sancti wilfrithi" ("life of saint wilfrid") accused her of being jealous and not having the proper respect for the bishop. in 678 king ecgfrith drove bishop wilfrid out of northumbria. bede gave no explanation for why wilfrid was expelled, but made it clear his sympathies lay with the bishop.