Ansegisus (the Latinized form of Ansegis) was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk, Abbot of St. Michael's, at Beauvais, and in 871 became Archbishop of Sens. After

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ...

was crowned Emperor by

Pope John VIII Pope John VIII ( la, Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century. John devoted much of his papacy ...

, he asked the Pope to appoint Ansegisus papal legate and

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

over

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. With a papal legate of French nationality, amicably disposed towards the Emperor, Charles the Bald thought he could more easily extend his influence as emperor over those countries. The Pope yielded to Charles' wish, but when the bishops, assembled at the

Synod of Ponthion Ponthion () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It is located southeast of Châlons-en-Champagne. History Ponthion was a royal pfalz (crown estate) under both the Merovingian (mainly Neustrian branch) and the Carolin ...

, were asked to acknowledge the primacy of Ansegisus, they protested, especially

Hincmar Hincmar (; ; la, Hincmarus; 806 – 21 December 882), archbishop of Reims, was a Frankish jurist and theologian, as well as the friend, advisor and propagandist of Charles the Bald. He belonged to a noble family of northern Francia. Biography Ea ...

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese a ...

, against what they considered an infringement on their rights. Though Ansegisus retained the title, it is doubtful whether he ever exercised the powers of Primate of France and Germany. Ansegisus died on 25 November 879, or 883.

References

Sources

* 9th-century deaths French Benedictines Archbishops of Sens 9th-century archbishops 9th-century French archbishops Year of birth unknown 879 deaths 883 deaths {{france-RC-bishop-stub