The or ("Deeds of Albero") is a biography of Adalbero, Archbishop of Trier (1131–52), written in

medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the administrative language in the former Western Roman Empire, Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Numidi ...

prose by Balderic of Florennes. There is also a , an anonymous biography of Albero's life down to 1145, written in

hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek as well as in Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of s ...

s. Balderic was born in

Florennes Florennes (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. As of 1 January 2006, Florennes has a total population of 10,754. The total area is 133.55 km2 which gives a pop ...

and became a scholar in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he first met Albero in 1147. The archbishop invited him to come head the school at the

cathedral of Trier The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier (), or Trier Cathedral (), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in Germany and the largest religious structure in Trier, notable for its long l ...

, and he later served as provost of the college of Saint Simeon housed in the

Porta Nigra The Porta Nigra (Latin language, Latin for ''black gate''), referred to by locals as Porta, is a large Roman Empire, Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name ''Porta Nigra'' originated in the Middle Ages d ...

. He wrote his life of Albero shortly after the latter's death. He himself disappears from the record after 1163 and presumably died around that time. He was praised for his scholarship by

Wibald Wibald (; early 1098 – 19 July 1158) was a 12th-century abbot of Stavelot (Stablo) and Malmedy in present-day Belgium, and abbot of Corvey in Germany. He figured prominently in the court circle of the German kings of his time. Biography Wiba ...

. The ''Gesta''{{'s account of Albero's youth is mostly legendary, but his years as bishop are reliably covered, especially those portions describing that to which Balderic was an eyewitness. The work is biography and, although the author heeps praise on the subject, it is not

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

Sources

*Balderic aldericus "Gesta Alberonis archiepiscopi Trevirorum", ''

Monumenta Germaniae Historica The (Latin for "Historical Monuments of Germany"), frequently abbreviated MGH, is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of parts of Northwestern, Central and Souther ...

'', Scriptores, VIII, 243–67. *Balderic alderich ''A Warrior Bishop of the Twelfth Century: The Deeds of Albero of Trier'', Brian A. Pavlac, trans. Toronto:

Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) is a research institute in the University of Toronto that is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture of the Middle Ages. Governance The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto, currently F ...

, 2008. Biographies in Latin 12th-century books in Latin