Nidhard

This article describes the Bishop of Munster. For the cardinal calling himself Nidhard see Johann Eberhard Nidhard .

Nidhard (* before 899; † May 25 after 922 ) was the seventh bishop of Münster from 899 to 921/22 . It is possible that he was then Bishop of Säben / Brixen .

Early years

Nothing specific is known about its origin. He was wrongly assigned an Anglo-Saxon origin. The thesis of a south German background is more likely. It is possible that it came from the family of Count Sighard, who is considered the progenitor of the Counts of Ebersberg . There was possibly a family relationship with Oda , the wife of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia . Because of his family ties, Nithard came to the imperial court. In 898 he received an estate of the monastery Niedernburg for life from the emperor . It is likely that he was a cleric in Passau at the time. Possibly in connection with the political crisis due to the charges against the empress, Nithard, who was well informed about the background, was removed from the imperial court by Arnulf granting him the diocese of Münster.

Time in Münster

There are no sources from Nithard's early days in Münster. In Saxony , the power of the king subordinated to that of the duke or smaller nobles. In addition, the country was affected by the Hungarian invasions . Even the takeover of power by Konrad I in 911 initially did not change the uncertain situation. The Saxon bishops, including Nithard, did not take part in the synods convened by Konrad.

In his sphere of influence in the Münster monastery, an uprising of the regional nobility, especially the Meinhövel, broke out, which had already begun at the time of his predecessor Wolfhelm . The background is not known. Later chronicles even speak of the destruction of the cathedral and the cathedral. Various doubts have been raised about this. Archaeological findings, however, confirm a major fire in the buildings on Domplatz , which may also have damaged the churches. This destruction could well originate from the time of Nithart. The Meinhövel are said to have stolen the relics that Wolfhelm had brought with them. These were only returned centuries later.

He is considered to be one of the supporters of Heinrich I. But after his election, there initially seems to have been no encounter with Nithard. At the meeting of Heinrich with the West Franconian King Charles the Simple , Nithard was present in 921 and was a witness of the Bonn Treaty . In contrast, he apparently did not take part in the Synod of 922. It is possible that he had already left Münster against the background of the uprising. This is supported by the fact that the bishop's chronicle reports neither about his death nor about the place of his burial.

Bishop of Säben?

There are good reasons to equate him with Bishop Nithard von Säben . Säben was close to the Sighardinger's sphere of influence. Nithard is said to have been appointed bishop by the Bavarian Duke Arnulf the Evil one. The appointment of members of the related sexes was part of the ducal policy. The change from Münster to Brixen was actually forbidden by canon law at the time. But there are no sources that report under what circumstances this could happen - provided that it was actually the same person. In the necrologists of the Diocese of Säben / Brixen from the 13th century, the name Nithard is missing. There is some evidence that he did not work as a permanent bishop in Säben or that he had not found recognition. Local tradition says that Nithard died in 935/938 and was buried there. Other reports speak of a resignation . Necrologists call the day of death 25, 26 or 28 May.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese . In: Max Planck Institute for History (ed.): Germania sacra: New series . Volume 37 (=  The Dioceses of the Church Province of Cologne ). tape 7 : Diocese of Münster. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 2003, ISBN 978-3-11-017592-9 , pp. 44–51 ( full view in Google Book Search [accessed December 9, 2015]).

literature

• Wilhelm Kohl: The Diocese . In: Max Planck Institute for History (ed.): Germania sacra: New series . Volume 37 (=  The Dioceses of the Church Province of Cologne ). tape 7 : Diocese of Münster. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 2003, ISBN 978-3-11-017592-9 , pp. 44–51 ( full view in Google Book Search [accessed December 9, 2015]).

predecessor	Office	successor
Wolf helmet	Bishop of Munster 899–922	Rumhold