Adalbero (French ''Adalbéron''; died 23 January 989) was the

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 ...

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of Kings Lothair and

Louis V Louis V may refer to: * Louis V of France (967–987) * Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and V of Germany (1282–1347) * Louis V, Duke of Bavaria (1315–1361) * Louis V, Elector Palatine (ruled 1508–1544) * Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt L ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Biography

Nearing the end of the rule of

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pi ...

over West Francia, Archbishop Adalbero and Queen Emma led a political party in favor of the Franks allying with the Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire in the Frankish courts. In a series of letters sent to Empress Theophanu, Emma's sister-in-law, Adalbero expressed loyalty on behalf of himself, Queen Emma, and her son King Louis V (Adalbero's lord at the time). It was

Emperor Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Hen ...

who had named Adalbero archbishop, along with the other clergy members who were given their positions by the emperor and is why Adalbero had felt such loyalty towards them. However, not all clergy felt the same way, and so they created a political party to oppose Queen Emma in the Frankish courts, one whose goal was to reinstate the policies of her husband, King Lothair, and expand the Frankish kingdom eastward, to gain the territory of Lorraine, Adalbero's home. The opposing party eventually prevailed when Louis disregarded the advice given to him by Adalbero and Emma, which was to seek friendship with

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

, Theophanu's son. This unfortunate turn of events forced Adalbero to step down from his position as archbishop and flee. This act was perceived as treason by Louis, and Adalbero was called to trial at an assembly of leading Franks at Compiègne. The sudden death of Louis V prevented this trial from taking place, and allowed Adalbero to give his support for

Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (; french: Hugues Capet ; c. 939 – 14 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, ...

as rightful heir and denounce the Carolingian claimant,

Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine Charles (953 – 22 June 992×995) was the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 977 until his death. Life Born at Reims in the summer of 953, Charles was the son of Louis IV of France and Gerberga of Saxony and the younger brother of King Lothair. He w ...

. Upon the death of Louis V, in 987, Adalbero and

Gerbert of Aurillac Pope Sylvester II ( – 12 May 1003), originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a French-born scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He endorsed and promoted study of Arab and G ...

addressed the electoral assembly at Senlis in favour of

Duke of the Franks, to replace the Carolingian monarch. Adalbero pleaded: :"Crown the Duke. He is most illustrious by his exploits, his nobility, his forces. The throne is not acquired by hereditary right; no one should be raised to it unless distinguished not only for nobility of birth, but for the goodness of his soul." Capet was elected and crowned at Noyon, 3 July 987 by Adalbero.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adalberon House of Ardenne–Verdun Archbishops of Reims 10th-century French archbishops Year of birth unknown 989 deaths

Biography

See also

References