Gauzbert (bishop)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gauzbert (also Gosbert, Gautberti, Gautbert, Gaudberd, Goibrecht, Gauthert ) was a mission bishop in southern Sweden and from 845 to 859 or 860 fourth bishop of Osnabrück . Different information is available about the date of his death: April 11, 860, 867, February 2, 874, or February 13, 874. If he only died in 874, it is not known where he stayed from 860 to 874. Pierer's Universal-Lexikon of 1859 writes that he died around 867 at Corvey or on his estates on the Elbe.

He was probably a nephew of the Archbishop of Reims and later Bishop of Hildesheim , Ebo (Ebbo) , who had been appointed papal legate for the north by Pope Paschalis I in 823 and later reached an agreement with Archbishop Ansgar of Hamburg and Bremen, that Ansgar took over the Danish mission and the Christianization of Transalbingia , while Ebo kept the responsibility for Sweden.

Ansgar had already been invited by the Swedish King Björn to his residence near Birka , Sweden's first city, on the island of Björkö in a former Baltic Sea bay (today's Mälarensee ), where he received permission for a mission and stayed until 831. Then he was called back by Emperor Ludwig the Pious in order to promote the missionary undertakings in the north as bishop (from 832 as archbishop) from Hammaburg .

Thereupon Gauzbert was consecrated by Ansgar, Ebo and a third bishop to the mission bishop with the consecrated name Simon and sent by Ebo to Sweden to continue Ansgar's work there. As a base Ebo had him by himself 823 in today Münsterdorf in Holstein house of prayer "Cella Welana" founded on the sturgeon in the protection of already under Charlemagne built Wallburg "Esseveldoburg" ( Itzehoe ) to. Gauzbert began evangelizing in Sweden, probably in 836. He was well received by King Björn in Birka, built a church and began his missionary work. In 845, however, he was forcibly expelled by a popular uprising; his nephew Nithard was murdered.

After his expulsion from Sweden, Gauzbert, at the intercession of the powerful Count Cobbo , who had also been Vogt of the Diocese of Osnabrück since 833 and who had weakened it economically in 845 by alienating his traditional tithe income and made it dependent, was made Bishop of Osnabrück by King Ludwig the German appointed. There he held office until his death on April 11, 860. With his work for Gauzbert, Cobbo obviously pursued selfish intentions, because the impoverished diocese was assigned to a needy man who officiated in considerable financial and moral dependence on Cobbo.

Although Gauzbert never gave up his episcopal rights in Sweden and Ansgar later wanted him to return, he never went to Sweden again. Instead, he asked Ansgar to represent the Swedish Mission. Gauzbart only continued to ordain priests for Sweden himself.

Ansgar resumed missionary work in Sweden in 851, initially by sending the priest Ardgar there. In 853 he went to Birka himself, where he did missionary work for more than a year. There he left his pupil Rimbert as head of the mission in 854 until Gauzbert sent the priest Ansfrid , a native of Denmark, to Birka as his successor. Rimbert later succeeded Ansgar as Archbishop of Bremen, and Ansfrid followed him in Birka.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gautbert . In: Heinrich August Pierer , Julius Löbe (Hrsg.): Universal Lexicon of the Present and the Past . 4th edition. tape 7 . Altenburg 1859, p. 19 ( zeno.org ).

literature

predecessor Office successor
Goswin Bishop of Osnabrück
847–860 		Egbert
personal data
SURNAME Gauzbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gosbert; Gautberti; Gautbert; Gaudberd; Goibrecht; Gauthert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mission bishop in southern Sweden and Bishop of Osnabrück
DATE OF BIRTH 8th century or 9th century
DATE OF DEATH 9th century