Gotofredo (or Gotifredo) I (died 19 September 979) 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 ha ...

from 974 until his death. Gotofredo first appears as ''Gotefredus clericus ac notarius'' ("Gotofredo, cleric and notary") of Archbishop Walpert in July 962, when he was at San Salvatore di Tolla nel Piacento. Gotofredo was later a

subdeacon Subdeacon (or sub-deacon) is a minor order or ministry for men in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed between the acolyte (or reader) and the deacon in the order of precedence. Subdeacons i ...

and a supporter of the

Ottonians The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...

, for whom he acted as a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. On 25 June 965, he was present with Burchard III of Swabia at the

Battle of the Po A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, where

Guy of Ivrea Guy (or Guido) (940 – 25 June 965) was the margrave of Ivrea from 950 to his death. In 950, his father, King Berengar II of Italy, appointed him to rule in the familial margraviate. His mother was Willa of Tuscany, his elder brother was Adalber ...

was defeated and killed. Guy's younger brother, Conrad Conon, was convinced to leave his family's faction, with the offer of the

March of Ivrea The March of Ivrea was a large frontier county (march) in the northwest of the medieval Italian kingdom from the late 9th to the early 11th century. Its capital was Ivrea in present-day Piedmont, and it was held by a Burgundian family of margra ...

, now vacated. Gotofredo, on behalf 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 Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Henr ...

, bestowed it on him in 970. According to the notice of his death, he had been archbishop for five years, one month, and twenty-three (or twenty-four) days, which, calculated backwards, places the beginning of his tenure in July or August 974, depending on whether it is dated from his election or consecration. His predecessor, Arnulf I, died on 16 April 974. Gotofredo's episcopate was marked by his continued support for the Ottonian dynasty and for German rule of Italy. He died in 979 and was buried in Santa Maria Iemale. He was the last of a series of seven politically active archbishops before a period of quiet descended on the Ambrosian see.

References

{{authority control 979 deaths Archbishops of Milan Year of birth unknown