Alric ( December 1036), also known as Alrico, Adalric, and Odelric, was a medieval Lombard

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from 1007 or 1008 until his death. Alric was a member of the

Arduinici The Arduinici were a noble Frankish family that immigrated to Italy in the early tenth century, possibly from Neustria. They were descended from and take their name after one Arduin (Harduoin). The first of the Arduinici to enter Italy was Roger, ...

dynasty, the son of

Manfred ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Gothic fiction. Byr ...

marquis of Susa The March or Marquisate of Turin ( it, marca di Torino) was a territory of Kingdom of Italy (HRE), medieval Italy from the mid-10th century, when it was established as the Arduinic March ( la, marca Arduinica). It comprised several counties in Pie ...

, and his wife Prangarda. His brother Ulric Manfred succeeded to his father's titles. With Ulric's help,

Emperor Henry II Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler o ...

invested Alric as

bishop of Asti The Diocese of Asti ( la, Dioecesis Astensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Piedmont, northern Italy, centered in the city of Asti. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Turin since 1515.

in 1007 or 1008 in opposition to

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, who had supported

Arduin ''Arduin'' is a fictional universe and fantasy role-playing system created in the mid-1970s by David A. Hargrave. It was the first published "cross-genre" fantasy RPG, with everything from interstellar wars to horror and historical drama, altho ...

's claims against the emperor. Alric was confirmed as bishop by

Pope John XVIII Pope John XVIII ( la, Ioannes XVIII; died June or July 1009) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from January 1004 (25 December 1003 NS) to his abdication in July 1009. He wielded little temporal power, ruling during th ...

, without the approval of Arnulf II,

archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has l ...

. To appease Arnulf, Ulric and Alric were required to walk barefoot carrying (respectively) a dog and a bible to the

Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio (official name: ''Basilica romana minore collegiata abbaziale prepositurale di Sant'Ambrogio'') is a church in the center of Milan, northern Italy. History One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by ...

in Milan before humbling themselves before Arnulf. Alric made many donations to monasteries and other religious institutions, both on his own and with his brother and Ulric's wife,

Bertha of Milan Bertha of Milan or Bertha of Luni (c. 997-c. 1040), was a duchess of Turin by marriage to Ulric Manfred II of Turin, and regent for her daughter Adelaide of Susa in 1033. She is sometimes identified with the Bertha who was married to Arduin of Ivr ...

. Alric was a loyal supporter of the next archbishop of Milan,

Aribert Aribert ( it, Ariberto) is a Germanic given name, from ''hari'' ("host") and ''beraht'' ("bright"). It may refer to: * Aribert (archbishop of Milan) * Prince Aribert of Anhalt (1866–1933), regent of Anhalt *Aribert Heim (1914–1992), Austrian Sc ...

. Around 1028, Alric, along with his brother Ulric, Archbishop Aribert and Bishop Landulf of Turin acted to suppress a heretical movement which had developed at Monforte. Alric died in the battle of Campomalo (near Pavia) in December 1036, fighting against vassals who had rebelled against Archbishop Aribert.Bresslau, ''Jahrbücher'', I, p. 373, and II, p. 370

References

*L. Vergano, 'Alrico' i
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
– Volume 2 (1960) *H. Bresslau, ''Jahrbücher des Deutschen Reichs unter Konrad II.'', 2 vols. (1884), accessible online at
archive.org
*S. Hamilton, 'Inquiring into adultery and other wicked deeds': episcopal justice in tenth- and early eleventh-century Italy,' ''Viator'' 41:2 (2010), 21–44. *H. Fichtenau, ''Heretics and Scholars in the High Middle Ages, 1000-1250'' (1998).

Notes

Clergy from Turin 11th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Asti 1036 deaths {{11C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub