Liutward by Vercelli

Liutward von Vercelli († June 24, 900 or 901) was Bishop of Vercelli from 880 and until 887 the most important political advisor to the Frankish King and Emperor Charles III .

Life

Liutward came from Swabia and was educated in Reichenau Monastery . He made the acquaintance of Charles III early (perhaps 872). After the death of Karl's father Ludwig in 876, Karl took over the rule in Alemannia. Liutward rose to Karl's most important advisor, took over the management of the chancellery and in 878 was made Karl's Arch Chancellor. Apparently since 882/83 he also held the dignity of archkapellans. Liutward significantly shaped the politics of Charles and above all influenced his papal and Italian policies. From 880 he was also Bishop of Vercelli and maintained good relations with the papacy , which made Charles' coronation as emperor easier in 881. He also acted as a mediator between the emperor and the pope and organized their meeting in Ravenna at the beginning of 882.

When Karl took over the legacy of his brother Ludwig III in 882 . came and thus ruled the whole of Eastern Franconia, there was a conflict between Liutward and the influential Archbishop of Mainz Liutbert . Liutbert had under Ludwig III. acts as Arch Chancellor, but was now subject to Liutward, who remained Charles Arch Chancellor. In the Mainz continuation of the Annales Fuldenses , which arose in the vicinity of Liutbert, Liutward is therefore disparagingly referred to in the entry for the year 882 as pseudoepiscopus ("false bishop"). In 882 Liutward organized the peace treaty with the Normans , which is sharply criticized in the Mainz continuation of the Fulda Annals, while the Bavarian (or Regensburg) continuation judges Liutward more favorably. Liutward apparently preferred a diplomatic solution. The concept of settling Normans as border guards failed in Eastern Franconia, but if successful this could have had far-reaching consequences, as the later successful settlement of Normans in Western Franconia in 911 shows. In 885, Karl also gained control of western Franconia and for the last time united the crumbling Carolingian empire under one ruler, at least for a few years.

Liutward was entrusted with several diplomatic missions in the following years. He was still in Karl's favor and enjoyed his trust, from which he also benefited materially. Liutward's high prestige was also expressed in the fact that Notker Balbulus dedicated the first version of his sequence collection ( Liber Ymnorum , around 884) to Liutward. But it finally came to a conflict with the great nobles, especially from Alemannia, who wanted to overthrow Liutward and intrigued against him. In June 887 Liutward was ousted after he was even accused of adultery with Karl's wife Richgard (is) (Richardis) . His successor was, of all people, Liutwards rival Liutbert. Liutward himself then turned to Arnolf von Kärnten , but no longer played a role politically. Liutward spent the last years of his life in Italy. He died during a Hungarian invasion .

literature

• Ludwig Friedrich Karl von Kalckstein:  Liutward, Bishop of Vercelli . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1884, p. 20 f.
• Klaus Herbers:  Liutwart, Bishop of Vercelli. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 5, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-043-3 , Sp. 142-143.
• Hagen Keller : To the fall of Charles III. About the role of Liutwards von Vercelli and Liutbert von Mainz, Arnulf von Kärnten and the east Franconian greats in the deposition of the emperor . In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages 22, 1966, pp. 333–384.
• Simon MacLean: Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the End of the Carolingian Empire . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003.
• Rudolf Schieffer:  Liutward. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-428-00195-8 , p. 724 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Karl Schmid: Liutbert von Mainz and Liutward von Vercelli in the winter of 879/80 in Italy . In: History, Economy, Society. Festschrift for Clemens Bauer on his 75th birthday . Edited by E. Hassinger, JH Müller, H. Ott. Berlin 1974, pp. 41-60.

Remarks

1. ↑ See Simon MacLean: Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the End of the Carolingian Empire . Cambridge 2003, p. 178.
2. ^ Hagen Keller: On the fall of Charles III . In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages 22, 1966, here p. 336f .; Simon MacLean: Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the End of the Carolingian Empire . Cambridge 2003, p. 178ff.
3. ↑ Cf. Hagen Keller: To the fall of Karl III . In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages 22, 1966, here p. 340ff.
4. ↑ Johannes Fried : The way into history. The origins of Germany up to 1024 . Berlin 1994, p. 430f.
5. ^ Karl Schmid: Liutbert von Mainz and Liutward von Vercelli in the winter of 879/80 in Italy . In: History, Economy, Society. Festschrift for Clemens Bauer on his 75th birthday . Edited by E. Hassinger, JH Müller, H. Ott. Berlin 1974, here p. 42ff.
6. ^ Hagen Keller: On the fall of Charles III . In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages 22, 1966, here p. 347ff.