Theutbald II (or Theobald or Theobold, , , ; died 894/5) was one of the rival

bishops of Langres The Diocese of Langres (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lingonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Langres'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church comprising the ''département'' of Haute-Marne in France. The diocese is now a suffragan in ecclesiasti ...

following the disputed election of 888. According to

Flodoard of Reims Flodoard of Reims (; 893/4 – 28 March 966) was a Frankish chronicler and priest of the cathedral church of Reims in the West Frankish kingdom during the decades following the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire. His historical writings are ma ...

, he was a relative of

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a memb ...

, king of

West Francia In medieval historiography, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () constitutes the initial stage of the Kingdom of France and extends from the year 843, from the Treaty of Verdun, to 987, the beginning of the Capet ...

Biography

The death of bishop Geilo of Langres on 28 June 888 came shortly after the death of the

Emperor Charles III Charles the Fat (839 – 13 January 888) was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 887. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandson of Charlemagne. He was the ...

. The resulting election of the bishop's successor thus took place while the thrones of the various kingdoms of the empire were themselves in dispute. Following his canonical and popular election, Argrim was consecrated bishop by archbishop Aurelian of Lyon, but archbishop

Fulk of Reims Fulk the Venerable (died June 17, 900) was archbishop of Reims from 883 until his death. He was a key figure in the political conflicts of the West Frankish kingdom that followed the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire in the late ninth century. ...

, who supported the claim of Charles the Simple to the throne, tried to force Theutbald on the church of Langres instead. He convinced

Pope Stephen V Pope Stephen V (; died 14 September 891) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from September 885 to his death on 14 September 891. In his dealings with Photius I of Constantinople, as in his relations with the young Slavic Ortho ...

to back him, and the pope wrote two letters to Aurelian to pressure him to consecrate Theutbald and withdraw his support from Argrim. It took two years and three months for Theutbald's party to gain the upper hand and remove Argrim from Langres. In the autumn of 890, at Pope Stephen's instruction, Theutbald was brought to Langres by Fulk and consecrated bishop. In 894 Theutbald sent a delegation to the council of

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...

. Late in 894, his enemies, led by Duke Richard of Burgundy, attacked him and gouged out his eyes. As a result, the temporalities which the bishops had possessed in and around the city of

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

since the time of the Emperor

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

passed to the duke of Burgundy, since the king of West Francia at the time,

Odo Odo is a name typically associated with historical figures from the Middle Ages and before. Odo is etymologically related to the names Otho and Otto, and to the French name Odon and modern version Eudes, and to the Italian names Ottone and Udo; a ...

, was too weak to intervene and had in 889 favoured Argrim. He died as a result of the procedure, and Argrim was restored.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{authority control 890s deaths Bishops of Langres Carolingian dynasty Year of birth missing