Dietrich I, otherwise Theoderich (died 1039 or 1040), was

Bishop of Meissen The Bishop of Dresden-Meissen is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in the Archdiocese of Berlin. The diocese covers an area of and was erected as the Diocese of Meissen on 24 June 1921. Th ...

from 1024 to late 1039 or early 1040.

Life

Dietrich was consecrated as Bishop of Meissen by

Humfrid Humfrid was the count of Barcelona, Girona, Empúries, Roussillon, and Narbonne from 858 to 864. He also bore the title margrave of Gothia (''Gothiæ marchio''), as he held several frontier counties.The source for his famous title is the ''Annales ...

Archbishop of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Roman ...

. There is no information on his previous life or career. He founded St. Afra's Priory, Meissen. He took part in the

Synod of Frankfurt A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

of 1027 convened by

Emperor Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

, of which Wolfhere of Hildesheim gave an account.Heinz Wolter: ''Die Synoden im Reichsgebiet und in Reichsitalien von 916 bis 1056'', pp. 332-338 (Konziliengeschichte, ed. Walter Brandmüller, Reihe A: Darstellungen). Schöningh, Paderborn u.a. 1988. During his episcopate Meissen and

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

became a theatre of war between the Emperor and

Mieszko II Lambert Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death. He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was prob ...

. The Emperor destroyed the temples and idols 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 ...

and excluded those who refused to convert to Christianity from any position of power or privilege.Eduard Machatschek: ''Geschichte der Bischöfe des Hochstiftes Meissen in chronologischer Reihenfolge (...)'', pp. 43-50. Dresden 1884 Dietrich died either at the end of 1039 or in the first half of 1040. He was buried in

Meissen Cathedral Meissen Cathedral or the Church of St John and St Donatus (german: Meißner Dom) is a Gothic church in Meissen in Saxony. It is situated on the castle hill of Meissen, adjacent to the Albrechtsburg castle and forms a critical centrepiece of the ic ...

but no monument has survived.

References

Roman Catholic bishops of Meissen 1040 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Germany-RC-bishop-stub