Baldwin (died 6 October 1145) was a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monk and later Archbishop of Pisa, a correspondent of Bernard of Clairvaux, and a reformer of the Republic of Pisa. Throughout his episcopate, he greatly expanded the authority of his diocese, making it the most powerful institution in Liguria and Sardinia, and notably increased its landholdings.

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

named Baldwin a cardinal-priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere no later than in 1137, when he appears for the first time in this dignity. Later that year, he was in the Mezzogiorno, probably in the trail of the Emperor Lothair II. According to Peter the Deacon, he and a son of Pier Leoni (''filium Petri Leonis'') were at

Montecassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

to pacify a revolt when, in July, he participated in a debate over the rule of Cassinese

monasticism Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...

in the presence of the emperor. He was then elected to succeed

Uberto Uberto is an Italian first name, the equivalent of Hubert; variations include Oberto, Ubertino and female forms are Uberta, Oberta, Ubertina. Notable people with this name include: * Uberto Allucingoli, Italian cardinal * Sante Uberto Barbieri, ...

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of his native city and, as the pope was then living there in exile, was consecrated by Innocent himself.According to Ganzer, 90, Baldwin's nomination as archbishop of Pisa took place in the middle of April 1138. Other sources give the year 113

In a letter of 22 April 1138, Innocent conferred on Baldwin the

apostolic legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Cathol ...

ship over Porto Torres, Populonia, Galtelli, and Civita on Sardinia. On 19 July 1139, at the exhortation of Bernard of Clairvaux and Otto of Freising, the emperor-elect

Conrad III Conrad III (german: Konrad; it, Corrado; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III and from 1138 until his death in 1152 k ...

bestowed on him the countship of Pisa, making him the chief secular as well as ecclesiastical authority in the city and its countryside (''contado'', "county"). The whole of that year, however, he spent in Logudoro arranging matters on the island. From 1140 to 1142, Baldwin was in conflict over the comital rights in and around Pisa. From 1138, he had been in a war with the Diocese of Lucca over jurisdiction. He was captured and freed, upon which he conquered the ''castrum Aghinolgum'' ( Montignoso). On 10 November 1144, Baldwin sent aid to Gonario II of Torres in a war against Comita II of Arborea. In 1145, he was created apostolic legate over all Sardinia and

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. He established the legatine seat in Torres, and excommunicating Comita – for oppressing the people and warring against Pisa – and transferring to Gonario the supreme secular authority on the island and personal authority in Arborea. Bernard of Clairvaux even weighed into island politics and sent a letter to Pope Eugene III justifying Baldwin's actions. Baldwin died later that very year and Montignoso was returned to Lucca.

References

Sources

*Ghisalberti, Alberto M. (ed) ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: V Bacca – Baratta''. Rome, 1963. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Archbishop of Pisa 1145 deaths Italian Cistercians Roman Catholic archbishops of Pisa 12th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Year of birth unknown