Liudhard

Replica of a commemorative medal in honor of Liudhard

Liudhard (also Leudard, Letard or Letald ; † around 600) was a Frankish bishop in the late 6th century.

Life

No information has been passed on to Liudhard's origin. The diocese he presided over is also unknown. Around 580 Bertha , the daughter of the Merovingian Frankish king Charibert I and Ingoberga , married the pagan Æthelberht I of Kent. She brought Bishop Liudhard to England as her chaplain . With the sending of a bishop a missionary activity and the ordination of priests was certainly intended, but no Christianization by Liudhard was handed down. He may already have found a Romano-British Christian congregation upon his arrival. Grave finds in the vicinity of the church indicate conversions by Liudhard. On the other hand, he was supposed to work as a diplomat for Chilperic I of Neustria at the court in Canterbury and maintained contacts with the bishops of the Frankish Empire . A church from Roman times was rebuilt and consecrated to St. Martin of Tours , one of the main patrons of the Franconian royal family. St. Martin's Church in Canterbury is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Liudhard brought Franconian cultural influences to the court of Eormenric and Æthelberht in Canterbury. He probably died in the year 595 or around 600 and was buried in the Martinskapelle, the mausoleum of the abbey church "Peter and Paul" , in Canterbury. He is venerated as a saint . His feast day is February 24th.

William of Malmesbury , a 12th century historian, reported that Liudhard's relics were carried around in procession during a drought and that it rained heavily as a result. In the 19th century, the "Canterbury Hoard" was found near St. Martin's Church. It contained, among other objects, a commemorative medal in honor of Liudhard from the end of the 6th century with the inscription LEV · DΛR · DVS · EP (iscopu) S ("Bishop Liudhard"). It is unknown whether the object was originally intended as a coin and was used secondarily as a medallion, but it is mostly regarded as an original piece of jewelry and amulet .

swell

Beda Venerabilis : Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum , Online in the Medieval Sourcebook (English)
Gregory of Tours : Historia Francorum

literature

Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0719048289 .
Nicholas Brooks : Anglo-Saxon Myths: State and Church, 400-1066 , Hambledon & London, 1998, ISBN 978-1852851545 .

Web links

Liudhard 1 in Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE)
Saint Liudhard at Saints.SQPN.com

Individual evidence

^ Gregory of Tours : Historia Francorum ( History of the Franks ) 9.26
↑ Beda: HE 1.25
^ Nicholas Brooks: Anglo-Saxon Myths: State and Church, 400-1066 , Hambledon & London, 1998, ISBN 978-1852851545 , p. 108.
↑ Barbara Yorke : The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain, 600-800 , Pearson, 2006, ISBN 978-0-582-77292-2 , p. 122.
^ ^A ^b Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0719048289 , p. 73.
↑ Nicholas Brooks: Anglo-Saxon Myths: State and Church, 400-1066 , Hambledon & London, 1998, ISBN 978-1852851545 , pp. 95-96.
↑ Beda: HE 1,26
↑ Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0719048289 , p. 87.
↑ ^a ^b Saint Liudhard at Saints.SQPN.com
^ John Godfrey: The Church in Anglo-Saxon England , Cambridge University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-52110-904-8 , pp. 90 and 167.
^ William of Malmesbury (author), David Prees (ed.): The deeds of the bishops of England , Boydell, 2002, ISBN 978-085115884-6 , p. 7.
↑ Philip Grierson , Mark Blackburn : Medieval European Coinage 1. The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th centuries) , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007 (paperback), ISBN 978-0521031776 , pp. 158-160.
↑ Barrie Cook, Gareth Williams (ed.): Coinage and history in the North Sea world, c. AD 500-1200 , Brill, 2006, ISBN 978-900414777-5 , pp. 15 and pp. 165-166.

personal data
SURNAME	Liudhard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Leudard; Letard; Lethal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Frankish bishop
DATE OF BIRTH	6th century
DATE OF DEATH	595 or around 600

[1] Gregory of Tours : Historia Francorum ( History of the Franks ) 9.26

[he1-25-2] Beda: HE 1.25

[nic108-3] Nicholas Brooks: Anglo-Saxon Myths: State and Church, 400-1066 , Hambledon & London, 1998, ISBN 978-1852851545 , p. 108.

[4] Barbara Yorke : The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain, 600-800 , Pearson, 2006, ISBN 978-0-582-77292-2 , p. 122.

[nic73-5] A ^b Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0719048289 , p. 73.

[nic95-6] Nicholas Brooks: Anglo-Saxon Myths: State and Church, 400-1066 , Hambledon & London, 1998, ISBN 978-1852851545 , pp. 95-96.

[7] Beda: HE 1,26

[8] Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0719048289 , p. 87.

[sqpn-9] Saint Liudhard at Saints.SQPN.com

[10] John Godfrey: The Church in Anglo-Saxon England , Cambridge University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-52110-904-8 , pp. 90 and 167.

[11] William of Malmesbury (author), David Prees (ed.): The deeds of the bishops of England , Boydell, 2002, ISBN 978-085115884-6 , p. 7.

[12] Philip Grierson , Mark Blackburn : Medieval European Coinage 1. The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th centuries) , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007 (paperback), ISBN 978-0521031776 , pp. 158-160.

[13] Barrie Cook, Gareth Williams (ed.): Coinage and history in the North Sea world, c. AD 500-1200 , Brill, 2006, ISBN 978-900414777-5 , pp. 15 and pp. 165-166.