Boso of Merseburg (died 1 November 970) was the first
Bishop of Merseburg
The Bishopric of Merseburg was an episcopal see on the eastern border of the medieval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where Merseburg Cathedral was constructed. The see was founded in 967 by Emperor Otto I at the same time in the same ...
in
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
, and "Apostle of the
Wends
Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various peopl ...
."
Boso, a native of
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, was a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monk of
Saint Emmeram's in
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
, from where he was summoned to the court of
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 ...
, who, considering the conversion of the lately subjugated Wends indispensable to the security of the German Empire, sent Boso to convert them to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. In the beginning Boso's mission appeared useless, because of the hatred of the Wends for the Germans who had deprived them of their liberty. Boso however studied their language in order to preach to them in their own tongue, and gradually gained their trust and respect.
In 967 or 968, Boso was able to provide for the creation of three new bishoprics based at Merseburg,
Meissen
Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrecht ...
and
Zeitz
Zeitz ( hsb, Žič) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.
History
Zeitz was first recorded und ...
. He chose Merseburg as his own bishopric;
Hugo
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...
, another Benedictine monk, became Bishop of Zeitz, and
Burchard Burchard (and all variant spellings) may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Burchard (name), Burchard and all related spellings as a given name and surname
* Burckhardt, or (de) Bourcard, a family of the Basel patriciate
* Burchard-Bélaváry family, an a ...
, of Meissen. All three were consecrated on Christmas Day 968, by their metropolitan,
Adalbert of Magdeburg
Adalbert of Magdeburg (c. 91020 June 981), sometimes incorrectly shortened to "Albert", known as the Apostle of the Slavs, was the first Archbishop of Magdeburg (from 968) and a successful missionary to the Polabian Slavs to the east of what is ...
. Boso continued his missionary labours, but died on a visit to his native Bavaria. He was succeeded by
Gisilher.
References
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boso of Merseburg
People from Bavaria
Roman Catholic bishops of Merseburg
10th-century German bishops
German Benedictines
German Roman Catholic missionaries
970 deaths
Year of birth unknown