The Gandersheim Conflict, Part 2

The Archbishop of Mainz and the Bishop of Hildesheim each wanted jurisdiction over the wealthy Gandersheim Abbey. This conflict reached a peak of pettiness when the abbey was to be reconsecrated on 14 September 1000 after being rebuilt due to a fire years earlier.

Archbishop of Mainz Willigis had postponed the consecration by a week after Bishop of Hildesheim Bernward had already received an invitation. Willigis knew that Bernward would be tied up in other court matters a week later. When Bernward showed up on the 14th, thinking he was going to take part in the ceremony and yet finding no preparations made, he decided to perform a Mass anyway. He publicly preached against the acting abbess, Sophia (who favored Willigis), which caused a riot.

On the 21st, Willigis appeared for the consecration and made a point of Bernward's absence, calling it a breach of duty and demanding that he appear the next day or Willigis would consecrate the abbey alone. Bernard had already planned for this: he sent Bishop of Schleswig Ekkehard to take his place at Gandersheim, a solution supported by canon law. Although Bernward would have preferred being at Gandersheim himself, he was able to avoid giving Willigis the sole spotlight and the opportunity to criticize Bernard for his absence.

Willigis convened a synod at Gandersheim to deal with the rights of Gandersheim once and for all, but Bernward was already on his way to Rome to appeal to Pope Sylvester II and Emperor Otto III (Sophia's nephew). Bernward reached Rome on 4 January, A representative from Ekkehard with details of the incident at Gandersheim arrived on the 7th.

Although Willigis was an important member of the court from the time of Otto's father, Bernward had familiarity on his side: Bernward and Sylvester (Gerbert of Aurillac prior to becoming pope) were tutors to Otto III in his youth. A papal letter dated 13 January was sent to Willigis to demand he hand off the rights to Gandersheim to the bishops of Hildesheim.

Willigis and Sophia still opposed Bernward. Another synod in June held by a papal legate was disrupted when armed men loyal to Willigis prevented the reading aloud of the papal letter transferring rights. Willigis tried to invite Bernward to a meeting in August, but Bernward claimed (and perhaps was) ill and sent Ekkehard and the German historian Thangmar as his representatives. Willigis did not believe the story of illness. Otto called for another meeting in December, postponed until 6 January 1002 because of weather, and then cancelled when Otto died on 23 January.

Otto's successor was Henry II ("the Saint"), son of Henry the Quarrelsome who had caused much trouble years earlier for Otto and the kingdom. A man in his 30s who needed no regent and had his own mind, he called both bishops to a meeting in 1006 at which he declared the conflict over and gave Bernward the task to finally plan the consecration ceremony. During the ceremony, Henry (who attended) officially declared that Gandersheim Abbey was to be in the hands of the bishops of Hildesheim. Willigis was allowed to participate in the consecration.

Fifteen years later the conflict arose again, but I really want to get back to the regency of Otto III before we forget. We'll resume how things were going with Otto's mother and paternal grandmother. See you tomorrow.

The Gandersheim Conflict, Part 1

A significant controversy during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III while he was still under the regency of his mother, Theophanu, was the conflict over Gandersheim Abbey in 987. Gandersheim in Lower Saxony had been founded not long before but had been richly endowed with relics of Popes Anastasius I and Innocent I. It housed secular canonesses. Its original location put it under the jurisdiction of the bishops of Hildesheim.

The controversy arose when Sophia, a daughter of Otto II and therefore Otto III's aunt, wanted to become invested as a canoness there. Because she was from a royal family, she did not want the ceremony to be facilitated by the bishop of Hildesheim, Osdag. She preferred the Archbishop of Mainz, Willigis, who was also chancellor of Germany.

Willigis decided this was an opportunity to claim jurisdiction over Gandersheim for Mainz. Technically, the abbey had been founded in the territory of Hildesheim, but had moved to Gandersheim which was across the border and inside the archdiocese of Mainz.

Theophanu mediated between the two and the disagreement was settled by having both Willigis and Osdag perform the investiture of Sophia. But the issue was not over.

The young Otto III was being tutored by Bernward of Hildesheim. In 993, Bernward became Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim. Everyone seemed on friendly terms, but according to one historian, Thangmar, Sophia was not friendly to the bishops of Hildesheim, even when Bernward succeeded Osdag. She had her fellow canonesses treat him coldly when he visited the abbey. When Pope Sylvester II (who, as Gerbert of Aurillac had been Otto's other tutor) gave his old colleague Bernward authority over Gandersheim, Bernward was blocked from entering the abbey by soldiers who were organized by Sophia.

A fire in 973 had destroyed part of the abbey. It was supposed to be reconsecrated on 14 September 1000, and Sophia, acting in place of the seriously ill abbess, asked Archbishop Willigis to perform the ceremony. The date was set and announced, Bernward was invited, and on 14 September Bernward showed up, thinking he would reconsecrate the abbey. Willigis, however, had postponed the date until a week later when he knew Bernward would be otherwise occupied at court. Bernward, therefore, found no preparations ready for the ceremony.

Bernward celebrated a Mass there anyway and publicly blamed Sophia for not being able to consecrate the abbey. The Mass turned into a riot. One week later, he got his revenge on Willigis and the plan to exclude him. I'll tell you the rest next time.

Otto III's Regency, Part 1

Otto III (980 - 23 January 1002) became King of Germany at the age of three on the death of his father, Otto II. He was in line to be Holy Roman Emperor, but had to go through a regency period until he was older. He was able to claim the title King of Italy in April 996, and Holy Roman Emperor in May.

Otto's closest male relative after the death of his father was Henry the Quarrelsome (pictured here), who claimed the regency. Henry had tried to usurp Otto II's position and had been imprisoned for it, but was released upon Otto II's death. Against the objections of Otto III's mother, Theophanu, and Theophanu's mother-in-law, Adelaide of Italy, Archbishop of Cologne Warin granted Henry the regency. The two women had had their differences in the past (and probably in the present), but each was a Holy Roman Empress, and neither wanted to see someone else have control of the empire.

The women's concerns were well-founded. Henry ruled less on behalf of Otto and more (according to Gerbert of Aurillac) in a style of joint kingship. Henry took (abducted) Otto to Saxony where he campaigned for the German throne for himself. Not everyone supported this, and some of the nobles removed themselves to a place where they could plan to oppose him. The civil war that would have resulted led to Henry backing down from his claims so long as he was restored as Duke of Bavaria (a title he had lost when he first opposed Otto II).

In 984 the regency then passed to Theophanu. She kept much of her husband's court intact, and Archbishop of Mainz Willligis, technically by his office the chancellor of Germany, handled a lot of the administration. In 986, at an Easter celebration, Theophanu managed to see the major dukes of Germany (Henry the Quarrelsome, Conrad I of Swabia, Henry III of Carinthia, and Bernard I of Saxony) pay tribute to the five-year-old king of Germany, taking roles in the ceremony as steward, chamberlain, cupbearer, and marshal.

When he turned six, Otto began being tutored by Gerbert of Aurillac and court chaplain Bernward of Hildesheim.

Things were relatively calm (although Adelaide found some of her previous authority lessened). The first real challenge came when the Great Gandersheim Conflict broke out, involving two of the loyal servants we have already met as well as Otto's great aunt whom we have not. I'll tell you about that tomorrow.