Arnold of Selenhofen (c. 1095/1100 – 24 June 1160) was the archbishop of Mainz from 1153 to his assassination in the Benedictine abbey St. Jakob, where he took shelter from the raging crowd. He was born to a wealthy Mainz family. He studied at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and became the treasurer of the archdiocese of Mainz, then provost of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

. Conrad III made him

archchancellor An archchancellor ( la, archicancellarius, german: Erzkanzler) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the wo ...

of Germany in 1151 and Frederick Barbarossa made him archbishop in 1153. His administration of justice was unforgiving. While he was away in Italy working for the recognition of the Antipope Victor IV in 1159, the leading citizens rebelled. When he returned, he was murdered in front of the monastery of St. Jakob. He was buried in the church of St. Maria ad gradus ( St. Mary of the Steps).

Literature

Johann Friedrich Böhmer Johann Friedrich Böhmer (22 April 179522 October 1863) was a German historian. His historical work was chiefly concerned with collecting and tabulating charters and other imperial documents of the Middle Ages. This work in turn cites: * Johannes ...

: ''Martyrium Arnoldi Archiepiscopi Moguntini''. Stuttgart 1853. (Fontes Rerum Germanicarum 3), pp. 173–217 * Burkhardt, Stefan, ''Mit Stab und Schwert. Bilder, Träger und Funktionen erzbischöflicher Herrschaft zur Zeit Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossas. Die Erzbistümer Köln und Mainz im Vergleich'' (Mittelalter-Forschungen 22), Ostfildern 2008. *Burkhardt, Stefan, ''Vita Arnoldi archiepiscopi Moguntinensis'', Schnell + Steiner, 2014,
12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire 11th-century births 1160 deaths Archbishops of Mainz Assassinated German people Assassinated religious leaders {{Germany-RC-archbishop-stub