Bruno of Hildesheim

Bruno as the 22nd Bishop of Hildesheim in a painting with medallions depicting all Hildesheim bishops up to the end of the 18th century; Latin inscription: "In Winzenburg he built a high tower and an episcopal castle ."

Bruno († October 18, 1161 in Hildesheim ) was Bishop of Hildesheim from 1153 to 1161 .

Life

His family origin is unknown. He probably came from a Saxon noble family. He was trained first at the cathedral school in Hildesheim and then abroad, possibly in Paris . He belonged to the cathedral chapter in Hildesheim and was last dean of the cathedral. Probably he had previously held the dignity of a cathedral waiter. He was also provost of the Petersbergstift in Goslar .

The then cathedral provost Rainald von Dassel, in agreement with King Frederick I, played a major role in his election as bishop . The sources speak not of an election by the people and clergy, but of the will of the king.

Bruno supported the Staufer cause . He agreed with Rainald von Dassel's policy, who initially sought a compromise between the emperor and Henry the Lion . At the same time, it was a matter of restricting Henry's further penetration into the interests of the king and the bishop. There were some points of conflict with the cathedral chapter, but overall the relationship was good, even if this was led by an outstanding personality with Rainald von Dassel, Reich Chancellor and Elekt von Cologne . However, there was also a Guelf party in the cathedral chapter . Bruno provided the cathedral monastery with material funding from his own resources, thus helping to ensure that there was no significant dissatisfaction.

The attempt by Heinrich the Lion to increase his influence over Goslar was problematic. He came into conflict with the interests of the bishop. In 1154 Bruno took part in the court day in Goslar, at which Heinrich the Lion was granted considerable rights with regard to ecclesiastical organization in the north and east of the Elbe. Bruno appears in a prominent place in the list of witnesses, directly behind the Archbishop of Magdeburg. On the court day, King Bruno granted a protective privilege in favor of the Riechenberg Abbey in Goslar. The bishop himself donated part of the north mountain near Goslar to the monastery. Henry the Lion held his own ducal court day in Goslar parallel to that of the king and made donations to the abbey mentioned. Neither the king nor Bruno or Rainald von Dassel were present as witnesses.

On the journey to Rome on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Frederick I, the bishop did not take the consent of the King personally participated. As a result, the bishop further privileged the Riechenbergstift and obtained another diploma for the monastery from the emperor at the court conference in 1157, which took place again in Goslar. This time Henry the Lion was a witness. He subsequently made further donations for the monasteries in Goslar. Bruno probably only accompanied the emperor temporarily on his train against Boleslaw of Poland . He is named as a witness in August 1157 in Halle an der Saale .

He did not take part in the court day in Würzburg in September either. Instead, he consecrated the St. Michaelis Church in Braunschweig in the presence of Henry the Lion . He was also not present at the events in Besançon in October 1157. However, he was a witness on January 1, 1158, when Heinrich the Lion received the exchange and confirmation diplomas with a gold bull . It was about the acquisition of the Swabian inheritance from his wife Clementia by the emperor, and Heinrich received other possessions in exchange.

Bruno seems to have viewed the serious tensions between Pope and Emperor after Besançon with concern. It is unclear whether he openly sided with Hadrian IV , as a formula in a document suggests. After all, this would have meant the open conflict with his provost Rainald von Dassel. It is also unclear whether he subsequently went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This is supported by the fact that there has been no certificate for Bruno for a year and a half. Other than a letter of intent, there have been no reports of such a trip. If there was indeed a pilgrimage, it may have been an attempt to avoid the quarrel between the emperor and the pope. He would have left the diocese politics to Rainald von Dassel, the emperor's closest follower. During this time, he developed considerable, in particular structural, activities in Hildesheim and the diocese. Contrary to what is often assumed, he did not mean to undermine Bruno's position. The relationship does not seem to have been clouded. However, Rainald must have tried to pull Bruno on the side of the opposing bishop. He himself showed interest in Bruno.

In February 1160 Bruno was back in his diocese, had various documents drawn up and took part in a synod in his diocese. This means that he could not have been present at the council in Pavia , at which Victor IV was made (anti) pope. Rainald procured an imperial mandate for the diocese in 1160, which determined that the estate of clergy could not be taken by the bailiffs. In this letter, the emperor emphasized the diocese's particular loyalty to the empire. The mandate was confirmed by Viktor IV.

In the south of the diocese in particular, numerous documents show the bishop's care for the monastery. One focus was Goslar. He also sponsored the Clus monastery , which belongs to the Gandersheim monastery , where he consecrated three altars of the monastery church in 1155. Other institutions also received donations. In Hildesheim he also sponsored the city's monasteries and monasteries.

Bruno bequeathed an important collection of theological and liturgical manuscripts to the Hildesheim Church. After his death he was buried in Hildesheim Cathedral .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Friedrich I. (RI IV, 2) n.178
2. ^ Friedrich I. (RI IV, 2) n.223
3. ^ Frederick I (RI IV, 2) n.463
4. ↑ Friedrich I. (RI IV, 2) n.472
5. ↑ Friedrich I. (RI IV, 2) n.515
6. ↑ Friedrich I. (RI IV, 2) n.922

literature

• Hans Goetting : The Diocese of Hildesheim. The Hildesheim bishops from 815 to 1221 (1227). Berlin u. a., 1984 (Germania Sacra NF 20.3) pp. 383-400

predecessor	Office	successor
Bernhard I.	Bishop of Hildesheim 1153 –1161	Hermann