Bruno the Saxon

Last updated

Bruno the Saxon (Latin: Bruno Saxonicus), also known as Bruno of Merseburg (German: Brun von Merseburg) or Bruno of Magdeburg, was a German chronicler of the eleventh century and author of the Historia de Bello Saxonico ('History of the Saxon War'). [1]

Contents

Life

Little is known of his life. Bruno was probably from an aristocratic background. He was a Saxon monk belonging to the household of Archbishop Werner of Magdeburg, who was a vigorous opponent of Henry IV and one of the leaders of the Saxon uprising against the emperor. [2] After the death of the archbishop in 1078 at the hands of peasants, Bruno attached himself to Werner of Wolkenburg, Prince-Bishop of Merseburg, to whom, in 1082, he dedicated the work, "De Bello Saxonico" by which he is chiefly known. As its name indicates, it is a record of the struggles of the Saxons with the Emperor Henry IV. The author begins with an account of the youth of Henry and the evil influence exerted over him by Archbishop Adalbert of Hamburg-Bremen after he had passed from the stern tutelage of Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne. He then traces the relations of the emperor with the Saxons and narrates at length the causes and events of the Saxon rebellions, ending with the election of Hermann of Luxemburg as king in 1081. [3]

Historia de Bello Saxonico

Bruno sought to justify the rebellion of the Saxons and the election of the first anti-king, Rudolf, and to show how by his oppressive government King Henry had forfeited any right to rule, both for himself and his dynasty. Bruno also devoted considerable attention to Henry’s dispute with Pope Gregory VII, ten of whose letters he reproduced in his history. But while supporting the pope against the king, he made clear, both in his own words and through letters which he copied, that the German rebels were deeply disappointed by the Gregory’s absolution of Henry at Canossa in December 1076, and his attempt to remain neutral after the more intransigent rebels had elected a rival king at Forchheim in March 1077. Bruno was at pains to stress that this election was conducted with the full knowledge and involvement of a papal legate, and indeed followed the standards of probity laid down by canon law. Hence there could be no doubt about its validity. [4] Bruno described the dissatisfaction of the Saxons to the actions of Gregory VII. The German rebels reproached Gregory VII for not supporting the anti-king Rudolf. The letters to which they refer, which Bruno reproduced in full, were those sent by Gregory in the summer of 1077 to his legates, and to the clergy and people of Germany, setting out the terms by which a judgement might be made between the respective claims of Henry and Rudolf to be the rightful king. [5]

Criticism

There has been a difference of opinion regarding the historical value of Bruno's work. It was written during the contentions between Henry and Pope Gregory VII, and the author has been classed with those partisans who, either through ignorance or malice, endeavoured to lower Henry in the esteem of his subjects. Bruno indeed supported the pope's cause, and his Saxon sympathies manifest themselves at times in his writings, but of his sincerity and his expressed purpose to narrate the truth there can be no doubt. He made the most of his sources of information and, in spite of occasional omissions, gives a vivid picture of the times from the point of view of an interested contemporary. The letters of Saxon bishops and other original documents which he includes in his history give added value to the work.1

Editions

Notes

  1. ↑ "English Historical Review xciv". 1979: 723–37.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ Bachrach and Bachrach, 'Bruno of Merseburg', p. 383.
  3. ↑ "Bruno the Saxon". CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Bruno the Saxon".
  5. ↑ Cowdrey, H.E.J. (2002). The Register of Pope Gregory VII 1073-1085. An English Translation. Oxford. pp. 236–8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Related Research Articles

The 1070s was a decade of the Julian Calendar which began on January 1, 1070, and ended on December 31, 1079.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1080</span> Calendar year

Year 1080 (MLXXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Gregory VII</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 1073 to 1085

Pope Gregory VII, born Hildebrand of Sovana, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road to Canossa</span> Ritual submission of Henry IV

The Road to Canossa or Humiliation of Canossa, or, sometimes, the Walk to Canossa was the journeying to Canossa Castle in 1077 of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, and his subsequent ritual submission there to Pope Gregory VII. It took place during the Investiture controversy and involved the Emperor seeking absolution and the revocation of his excommunication by the Pope who had been staying at the castle as the guest of Margravine Matilda of Tuscany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf of Rheinfelden</span> Elected anti-king in 1077 in opposition to the Salian emperor Henry IV

Rudolf of Rheinfelden was Duke of Swabia from 1057 to 1079. Initially a follower of his brother-in-law, the Salian emperor Henry IV, his election as German anti-king in 1077 marked the outbreak of the Great Saxon Revolt and the first phase of open conflict in the Investiture Controversy between Emperor and Papacy. After a series of armed conflicts, Rudolf succumbed to his injuries after his forces defeated Henry's in the Battle on the Elster.

Lambert of Hersfeld was a medieval chronicler. His work represents a major source for the history of the German kingdom of Henry IV and the incipient Investiture Controversy in the eleventh century.

Otto of Nordheim was Duke of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxon revolt of 1073–1075 and the Saxon revolt of 1077–1088 against King Henry IV of Germany.

Burchard of Basle, also known as Burkart of Fenis, Burchard of Hasenburg or Burchard of Asuel, was a Bishop of Basel in the eleventh century and a supporter of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (1056–1106).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden–Meissen</span> Catholic diocese in Germany

The Diocese of Dresden–Meissen is a Latin Church diocese of Catholic Church in Germany with its seat in Dresden. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishopric of Merseburg</span>

The Bishopric of Merseburg was an episcopal see on the eastern border of the medieval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where Merseburg Cathedral was constructed. The see was founded in 967 by Emperor Otto I at the same time in the same manner as those of Meissen and Zeitz, all suffragan dioceses of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg as part of a plan to bind the adjacent Slavic ("Wendish") lands in the Saxon Eastern March beyond the Saale River more closely to the Holy Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermann of Salm</span> German anti-king

Herman(n) of Salm, also known as Herman(n) of Luxembourg, the progenitor of the House of Salm, was Count of Salm and elected German anti-king from 1081 until his death.

Siegfried I was the Abbot of Fulda from 25 December 1058 until 6 January 1060, and from January 1060 until his death in February 1084, he was Archbishop of Mainz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertha of Savoy</span> 11th century empress of the Holy Roman Empire

Bertha of Savoy, also called Bertha of Turin, was Queen of Germany from 1066 and Holy Roman Empress from 1084 until 1087 as the first wife of Emperor Henry IV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benno II of Osnabrück</span>

Benno II was Bishop of Osnabrück from 1068 until his death. He served as a close advisor and architect of Emperor Henry IV. In 1080 he founded the Benedictine abbey of Iburg Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saxon revolt of 1077–1088</span> Civil war in the Holy Roman Empire

The Saxon revolt was a civil war fought between 1077 and 1088, early in the history of the Holy Roman Empire. The revolt was led by a group of opportunistic German princes who elected as their figurehead the duke of Swabia, Rudolf of Rheinfeld, who became the anti-king. Rudolf was a two-way brother-in-law of the young King Henry IV of Germany, who had been crowned at the age of six and had taken the reins of power at age sixteen. The Great Revolt followed the Saxon Rebellion of 1073–75.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto the Great</span> Holy Roman Emperor from 962 to 973

Otto I, traditionally known as Otto the Great, was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son of Henry the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor</span> Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1084–1105) of the Salian dynasty

Henry IV was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor—the second monarch of the Salian dynasty—and Agnes of Poitou. After his father's death on 5 October 1056, Henry was placed under his mother's guardianship. She made grants to German aristocrats to secure their support. Unlike her late husband, she could not control the election of the popes, thus the idea of the "liberty of the Church" strengthened during her rule. Taking advantage of her weakness, Archbishop Anno II of Cologne kidnapped Henry in April 1062. He administered Germany until Henry came of age in 1065.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert (archbishop of Trier)</span>

Robert, also spelled Ruotbert or Rotbert, was the archbishop of Trier from 931 until his death. He played a leading role in the politics of both Germany and France, and especially of the Lotharingian territory in between. He was a patron of scholars and writers and a reformer of monasteries.

Tedald was archbishop of Milan from 1075 to 1085.

Werner of Steusslingen was the archbishop of Magdeburg from 1063 until his death. His episcopate was dominated by the Investiture Contest. He was an ally of King Henry IV of Germany until 1073, when he joined the first Saxon revolt. Imprisoned in 1075 and released the following year, he joined the second Saxon revolt in 1077. He was killed at the battle of Mellrichstadt.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.