Nothing is known of his early life except that he was of English parentage. The conjecture of an early-20th-century biographer (Williams) that he was born at
Poole, Dorsetshire is not supported by any evidence. Other accounts state that he came from
Devonshire (specifically Exeter, born around 1080).
John of Hexham's continuation of the history of
Symeon of Durham, written within half a century of Pullen's death, asserts that king
Henry I of England offered to make him bishop, which he refused, being devoted to the study of philosophy. His early education was received in England, but during the troubles which began with the accession of
King Stephen in 1135 he seems to have gone to Paris to continue his life of study in peace there. According to other accounts, he completed his education at the
Sorbonne. In 1133 he began to teach at
Oxford, being among the first of the celebrated teachers in the schools which were afterwards organized into the
University of Oxford. Multitudes are said to have come to hear him. He opened schools there and taught without exacting fees; he is said to have supported many scholars at his own expense and to have been largely instrumental in fostering the growth of the Oxford schools. If these traditions are true, albeit that they rest on the statements of later writers, it would seem more probable that they happened during the reign of Henry I, when Pullen is said to have refused the episcopate. He was certainly
Archdeacon of Rochester in 1134, and was absent from England for a notable time within the next few years, since at some date prior to 1143 he seems to have been in trouble with his bishop for absenting himself from his duties. This appears from an undated letter of
St. Bernard addressed to the
Bishop of Rochester, in which the saint makes his excuses for detaining Pullen in Paris "on account of the sound doctrine which is recognized in him." In the same letter he criticizes the bishop for seizing the archdeacon's goods, and he begs that Pullen may stay longer in Paris, where he is necessary. Though Bishop Stubbs (op. cit.) has thrown doubt on the identity of this Archdeacon Robert Pullen with the cardinal
Robert Pullus (also called Pullen), the statements of St. Bernard's biographer, William Abbot of Theodoric, and the
Oseney Chronicle justify the identification. While in Paris, Pullen taught logic and theology with great success. Among his pupils was
John of Salisbury, who describes him as a man commended both by his life and his learning, in 1141 or 1142. In 1143 he is still described as Archdeacon of Rochester and in or about that year he probably went to Rome on the invitation of
Innocent II, who died in September of that year, but Pullen found favour with the new pope,
Celestine II, who created him a cardinal (
Ciaconius). The Oseney chronicler, however, states that he was called to Rome by
Lucius II who succeeded Celestine in 1144. Certainly Pope Lucius appointed him
Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, an office which he was discharging through 1145 and 1146. This we know from the biography of St Bernard written by
William of St. Thierry, and from his letters. Whether by Lucius or Celestine, he was a cardinal by around 1144. When St. Bernard's disciple,
Pope Eugene III, became pope in 1145, the saint wrote a letter to Cardinal Pullen, begging him to console and counsel the new pontiff. His date of death is uncertain; he died in or after 1146. ==Works==