Arnulf I, known as Arnulf of Arzago, was the

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 ...

from 970 to 974.Brian Stock (1983), ''The Implications of Literacy: Written Language and Models of Interpretation in the 11th and 12th Centuries'' (Princeton University Press), p. 163. Arnulf belonged to the Milanese nobility.Gerhard Schwartz (1913), ''Die Besetzung der Bistümer Reichsitaliens unter den sächsischen und salischen Kaisern mit den Listen der Bischöfe, 951–1122'' (B. G. Teubner), p. 76. He was elected on 16 December 970 to succeed Walpert, who had died on 9 November.Enrico Besta (1954), "Età ottoniana", ''Storia di Milano'', Vol. 2: Dalla invasione dei barbari all'apogeo del governo vescovile, 493–1002 (Fondazione Treccani degli Alfieri per la storia di Milano), p. 480.Enrico Cattaneo (1989), ''Terra di Sant'Ambrogio: la Chiesa milanese nel primo millennio'' (Vita e Pensiero), p. 221. He was the great uncle of the chronicler

Arnulf of Milan Arnulf of Milan, or Arnulfus Mediolanensis ( 1018–1077) was a medieval chronicler of events in Northern Italy. He was the great-nephew of Archbishop Arnulf I of Milan. Arnulf was born in the late 10th or early 11th century. He gives eyewitness ...

, who describes him as "truly declining evil and doing good" (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''vere declinans a malo et faciens bonum''). The only recorded act from his three years and four months as archbishop is his attendance at

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 Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

's ''

placitum In the early Middle Ages, a (Latin for "plea") was a public judicial assembly. origins can be traced to military gatherings in the Frankish kingdoms in the seventh century. After the Frankish conquest of Italy in 774, were introduced before the ...

'' (court) in Milan on 30 July 972.Fedele Savio
''Gli antichi vescovi d'Italia dalle origini al 1300 descritti per regioni: La Lombardia, Parte 1: Milano''
(Libreria Editrice Fiorentina, 1913), p. 373. On that occasion, in the palace attached 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 ...

, Otto granted a privilege to the

monastery of Bobbio Bobbio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di San Colombano'') is a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Columbanus. ...

"with the licence and permission of the archbishop Arnulf" (''de licentia et permissione archiepiscopi Arnulphi''). This may indicate that Arnulf held

comital Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

(public) authority in Milan and its ''

contado A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

'' (district). Arnulf died on 16 April 974. He was buried in the winter cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore. asserted that it was Arnulf I who acquired from the

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

the statue of the brazen serpent that now stands in the

. It is now generally believed to have been given to Archbishop Arnulf II by Emperor

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...

.Pamela A. V. Stewart
''Devotion to the Passion in Milanese Confraternities, 1500–1630: Image, Ritual, Performance''
PhD diss. (University of Michigan, 2015), p. 225n.

References

Further reading