Berard of Castagna ( – 8 September 1252) was a prelate and diplomat of the Kingdom of Sicily, who served as the archbishop of Bari (1207–1213) and
archbishop of Palermo
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo ( la, Archidioecesis Panormitana) was founded as the Diocese of Palermo in the first century and raised to the status of archdiocese in the 11th century.Frederick II, who was also Holy Roman Emperor after 1220. He played a prominent role in the Sixth Crusade, both in the diplomatic preliminaries and in Frederick's visit to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Origins and early life
Berard was born between about 1167 and 1177. His family and name came from Castagna in the Abruzzo. Contemporary documents give his surname as ''de Castanea'', but a 14th-century copy of the '' Breve chronicon de rebus Siculis'' calls him ''de Castaca'' and, until the 1970s, this was the name by which he was known to scholarship. It was a minor noble family in the orbit of the counts of
Manoppello Manoppello ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' in Abruzzo, in the province of Pescara, south-eastern Italy.
It is famous for having a church which contains an image on a thin byssus veil, a sudarium, known as the Holy Face of Manoppello and which has ...
. It had branched out from the Abruzzo and had possessions in the Basilicata and
Terra d'Otranto
The Terra di Otranto, or Terra d’Otranto (in English, Land of Otranto), is an historical and geographical region of Apulia, largely corresponding to the Salento peninsula, anciently part of the Kingdom of Sicily and later of the Kingdom of ...
.
In 1198, Berard was in the following of Counts Gentile and Manerio of Manoppello when they founded a hospital at Roccamontepiano. In 1200, he worked for their brother,
Walter of Palearia Walter of Palear (or Palearia, also Gualtiero da Pagliaria; died 1229 or 1231) was the chancellor of the Kingdom of Sicily under Queen Constance and the Emperor Henry VI. He was also the bishop of Troia (1189–1208) and later bishop of Catania ...
procurator
Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to:
* Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency
* ''Procurator'' (Ancient Rome), the title o ...
of church lands. He may have been a clergyman already by that time.
Archbishop of Bari
Berard succeeded Doferius as archbishop of Bari in the latter half of 1207 and was consecrated by the papal legate . His first two years in Bari are obscure. No document records his activities prior to July 1209. That month, Frederick II granted the archdiocese two plots for building and the ''
casalis
In the Middle Ages, a ''casalis'' or ''casale'' (Latin and Italian; Old French/ Spanish ''casal''), plural ''casalia'' (''casali'', ''casales''), was "a cluster of houses in a rural setting". The word is not classical Latin, but derives from the La ...
Bitritto
Bitritto ( Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, in southern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in ...
, in the presence of the papal legate, handed over the castle of Bitritto to the archbishop. This grant was confirmed by Frederick II in July 1210.
In the fall of 1212, Berard accompanied Frederick to
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 ...
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...
transferred him to the vacant see of Palermo, which, since it was the capital of the kingdom, was effectively a promotion.
Archbishop of Palermo
Berard attended the
Fourth Lateran Council
The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many bi ...
in 1215, where, at the second session on 20 November, he read aloud a letter from Frederick requesting recognition of his 1212 election as " King of the Romans" (emperor-elect). In 1217, he accepted the
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...
into his diocese.
Berard played an important role in the negotiations that preceded the Sixth Crusade. He accompanied Fakhr al-Dīn, the ambassador of Sultan al-Kāmil of Egypt, on his return journey, arriving in Egypt in September or October 1227. From
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
, he was escorted to
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
for a meeting with the sultan. There he was joined Frederick's other ambassador, Thomas of Aquino, who had been sent ahead in July or August. The envoys sought the return of the city of Jerusalem to the
kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establish ...
in exchange for Frederick's military assistance against the sultan's brother, al-Muʿaẓẓam of Damascus. They subsequently travelled to Damascus for a meeting with al-Muʿaẓẓam. According to the Arab chronicles, al-Muʿaẓẓam told them, "Tell your lord. I am not like others. I have nothing to give him but a sword." Berard returned to Sicily with gifts from al-Kāmil, including an elephant, in January 1228.
Berard embarked with Frederick on the Sixth Crusade at Brindisi in June 1229, in spite of the emperor's excommunication. After the Treaty of Jaffa, he followed Frederick to Jerusalem and assisted at his coronation in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.; . He was present with Frederick when the
Treaty of San Germano
The Treaty of San Germano was signed on 23 July 1230 at San Germano, present-day Cassino, ending the War of the Keys that had begun in 1228. The parties were Pope Gregory IX and Frederick II, king of Sicily and Holy Roman emperor. On 28 August ...
ending the
War of the Keys
The War of the Keys (1228–1230) was the first military conflict between Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Papacy. Fighting took place in central and southern Italy. The Papacy made strong gains at first, securing the Papal States and in ...
was publicly confirmed on 23 July 1230, paving the way for Frederick's absolution.
In 1235, Berard accompanied Frederick from Palermo to
Fano
Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the '' Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by po ...
before going on to
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...
to confer with
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
while the emperor returned to Germany. At Fano in April, Berard was appointed to the Sicilian regency council along with Thomas of Aquino, James of Capua, Peter of Ravello and Henry of Morra. In December 1238, Berard escorted the Empress
Isabella of England
Isabella of England (1214 – 1 December 1241) was an English princess of the House of Plantagenet. She became Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Sicily, Italy and Germany from 1235 until her death as the third wife of Emperor Frederick II.
Life ...
to Lombardy and in February 1240 he escorted her back to Sicily. Frederick's dispute with the papacy was ongoing. In 1238, Berard twice visited Gregory IX, once at
Anagni
Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic center of the Latin Valley.
Geography Overview
Anagni still maintains the appear ...
and once at Rome, in an effort to maintain the peace. He failed and Gregory excommunicated Frederick on 20 March 1239.
After the election of
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.
Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...
, Frederick sent Berard,
Pier delle Vigne
Pietro della Vigna (also Pier delle Vigne, Petrus de Vineas or de Vineis; Capua, ca. 1190 – Pisa, 1249) was an Italian jurist and diplomat, who acted as chancellor and secretary (logothete) to Emperor Frederick II. Falsely accused of ''lèse-maje ...
and Taddeo di Sessa to Anagni to seek the emperor's absolution, but they were excommunicated themselves. Through the intervention of , the
archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Arch ...
, they were granted absolution on 2 September 1243, although Berard's was somewhat delayed on account of his greater culpability as an archbishop.
Berard was Frederick's representative at the First Council of Lyon in 1245. He was unable to persuade the assembled prelates of the emperor's orthodoxy. In 1246, he led a delegation to Innocent IV claiming that he had submitted the emperor to an interrogation and was willing to swear an oath to his orthodoxy. This was rejected. Despite the emperor's excommunication and deposition, Berard returned to the imperial camp, where he was present during the siege of Parma. In gratitude for his services, Frederick granted the church of Palermo further privileges.
Berard was a witness to Frederick's last will, drawn up at
Fiorentino
Fiorentino is one of the 9 communes or ''castelli'' of the Republic of San Marino. It has 2,548 inhabitants (May 2018) in an area of .
Geography
It borders the San Marino municipalities Chiesanuova, San Marino, Borgo Maggiore, Faetano, and Mon ...
in 1250. He was present at Frederick's deathbed and absolved him before his death on 13 December.; . He brought his body back to Palermo for burial in the cathedral. On 27 January 1251, Innocent IV reprimanded Berard and ordered him to cooperate with the papal legate being sent to Sicily.
Berard did not respond to the papal letter and the legate, Marino Filangieri, died in July. A document from August shows that Berard was still regarded as a ''
familiaris
In the Middle Ages, a ''familiaris'' (plural ''familiares''), more formally a ''familiaris regis'' ("familiar of the king") or ''familiaris curiae''In medieval documents, ''curiae'' may also be spelled ''curiæ'' or ''curie''. ("of the court"), ...
''—a member of the royal household—of Frederick's successor,
Conrad IV
Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...
. He died on 8 September 1252 at Palermo. More a politician than a pastor, his episcopate was characterized by an extreme closeness to Frederick and unwavering loyalty in the face of papal opposition.