bishop of Verdun
The Bishopric of Verdun was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was located at the western edge of the Empire and was bordered by France, the Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Duchy of Bar. Some time in the late 990s, the suzerainty of the County ...
from 1047 to 1089. Before his consecration, he was a chaplain of Henry III .
He sided with Henry III during the rebellion of
Godfrey the Bearded
Godfrey III ( 997 – 1069), called the Bearded, was the eldest son of Gothelo I, Duke of Upper and Lower Lorraine.
Biography Disputed succession
By inheritance, Godfrey was Count of Verdun and he became Margrave of Antwerp as a vassal of ...
, which led to significant destruction in Verdun by the latter.Patrick Healy, "The Chronicle of Hugh of Flavigny. Reform and the Investiture Contest in the Late Eleventh Century". Ashgate.
In 1073, he had problems with the Abbey of St.Mihiel, probably instigated by
Sophie, Countess of Bar
Sophie of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018 – January 21 or June 21, 1093) was sovereign Count of Bar and lady of Mousson between 1033 and 1093. She succeeded her brother, Frederick III, Duke of Upper Lorraine, ruled in co-regency with her spouse Louis, Coun ...
. He placed it under an interdict, a sentence he maintained even after an intervention by the Pope Gregory VII. , A.Dantzer, "La Querelle des Investitures dans les Évêchés de Metz, Toul et Verdun". Annales de l'Est 16,1902, pp.85-100
During the reign of Henry IV, even if he did not attend the Synod of Worms in 1076, and fled Utrecht later that year to avoid witnessing the excommunication of Pope Gregory VII by bishop William of Utrecht, he was identified with the King's side from the beginning of the
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest ( German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monas ...
.
He acknowledged his rebellion, and asked for forgiveness, by sending abbot Rudolf of Saint Vanne to the Pope, with his ring and stole as tokens of submission. However, he attended Henry IV's court in Speyer and he attempted to travel to Italy in his service, early in 1077, but was made prisoner by count Adalbert of Calw, who extracted a ransom from him. He was the King's envoy, and plead the King's case with
Benno II of Osnabrück
Benno II ( – 27 July 1088) was Bishop of Osnabrück from 1068 until his death. He served as a close advisor and architect of Emperor Henry IV. In 1080 he founded the Benedictine abbey of Iburg Castle.
Life
He was born at Löhningen (today par ...
, at the Lenten synod of 1078 in Rome, and managed to keep the Pope neutral in the conflict between Henry and the anti-king Rudolph. In 1079, he was the only bishop to support
Egilbert
Egilbert (or Engelbert) (died 1101), called of Rothenburg, was the Archbishop of Trier from 1079 until his death. He was a partisan of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy, also calle ...
, Henry's candidate to the
Archbishopric of Trier
The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Duke Theodoric of Upper Lotharingia.
After Henry's second excommunication, in the Lenten Synod of 1080, Theoderic went decidedly to the king's side, attending the synod of Mainz, where he renounced his obedience to the Pope. Moreover, in a public letter he called for his deposition. In contrast to 1076, he did not immediately petition for papal forgiveness, and commissioned a polemical work from Wenrich of Trier. Apparently, such actions led the clergy in his diocese to deny him their obedience, and he was deprived of his episcopal and sacerdotal offices. Forced by these events, and especially by the monks of Saint Vanne, he again sent abbot Rudolf to Rome with his ring, stole and resignation. When the war changed course in 1081, he did not wait to receive the absolution, and resumed his offices regardless.Dom. Hubert Dauphin, "Le Bienheureux Richard. Abbé de Saint-Vanne de Verdun". Bibliothèque de la Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique .
In 1084, when Henry entered Rome and Gregory fled into exile, Theoderic could fully reassert his authority. He exiled the pro-Gregorian monks from Liège that had taken refuge in the city, subjugated the monks of St. Mihiel (even burning the palace at
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (un ...
, and led the monks of St. Vanne into exile, led by their abbot Rudolf, a former friend. During that period, he exercised something close to a regency while Henry campaigned in Italy. He negotiated with the Saxon rebels, finally consecrated Egilbert to the archbishopric of Trier, following Henry's orders,Theodor E. Mommsen, Karl F. Morrison, "Imperial Lives & Letters of the Eleventh Century". Columbia University Press. pp.165-167 and also consecrated Walon, abbot of Saint-Arnould as bishop of Metz, after the deposition of Hermann.
He died in 1085, having before asked the Pope and the community of Saint Vanne for forgiveness.