Heriveus of Reims (died 2 July 922) was a

West Frankish In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...

churchman and political advisor. In 900, he was consecrated

archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese a ...

, holding this position until his death. Heriveus's tenure was marked by the genesis of the

duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a result of the Norman c ...

and the growing discord between the Carolingian king

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a mem ...

and his

Robertian The Robertians (sometimes called the Robertines in modern scholarship) are the proposed Frankish family which was ancestral to the Capetian dynasty, and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries. The Capetians appear first ...

rival Robert of Neustria.

Biography

Heriveus was born to a noble Frankish family. The Reims historian Flodoard, who knew Heriveus well, states that he was the nephew of

Hucbald Hucbald ( – 20 June 930; also Hucbaldus or Hubaldus) was a Benedictine monk active as a music theorist, poet, composer, teacher, and hagiographer. He was long associated with Saint-Amand Abbey, so is often known as Hucbald of St Amand. Deeply i ...

, count of Ostrevent and

Senlis Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and other ...

, who was a son-in-law of

Eberhard of Friuli Eberhard (c. 815 – 16 December 867) was the Frankish Duke of Friuli from 846. His name is alternatively spelled Everard, Evrard, Erhard, or Eberard; in Latinized fashion, ''Everardus'', ''Eberardus'', or ''Eberhardus''. He wrote his own name ...

. Heriveus is attested as a notary in the office of King

Odo Odo or ODO may refer to: People * Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian * Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka * Yuya Odo (born 1990), J ...

in 894, serving under the archchancellor Walter of Sens. After Charles the Simple succeeded Odo in 898, Heriveus continued to serve in the royal chancery, now led by

Fulk of Reims Fulk the Venerable (died June 17, 900) was archbishop of Reims from 883 until his death. He was a key protagonist in the political conflicts of the West Francia, West Frankish kingdom that followed the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire in the ...

. Following Fulk's murder in 900, Heriveus succeeded him as archbishop of Reims, and was ordained by the suffragan bishops of the province on 6 July 900. As archbishop, Heriveus was a committed pastor and effective administrator. He oversaw several translations of saints' relics, including the movement of the body of St Remigius to a new position behind the altar in the

abbey of Saint-Remi An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

. He rebuilt several Reims fortifications which had been damaged or destroyed by the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

, including that at Mouzon on the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

. In 902, he concluded an agreement with Archbishop Hatto of Mainz concerning the church of Reims's property rights in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

and dedicated a new church in

Kusel Kusel (; written ''Cusel'' until 1865) is a town in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kusel-Altenglan ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and is also the district seat. The well-known operatic tenor Fritz Wunderlich was ...

. In 909, Heriveus convened a provincial synod at Trosly. The surviving acts state that the council had been called in order to address the recent devastation wrought upon the region by the Vikings and to condemn other moral failings. Heriveus and his provincial bishops implored clerics to avoid sinful behavior and laymen to respect ecclesiastical property and rights, and called for monasticism to be revived. In 911, following the

Siege of Chartres Siege of Chartres may refer to: *Siege of Chartres (911) The Battle of Chartres The Siege of Chartres was part of the Viking incursions. In 858, Norsemen raided and burned down the Burgundian city of Chartres (now in the Eure-et-Loir department ...

, where Robert of Neustria and

Richard, Duke of Burgundy Richard, Duke of Burgundy (858–921), also known as Richard of Autun or Richard the Justiciar, was Count of Autun from 880 and the first Margrave and Duke of Burgundy. He eventually attained suzerainty over all the counties of Burgundy save M� ...

defeated the Northmen, King Charles the Simple agreed the

Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte The treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911) is the foundational document of the Duchy of Normandy, establishing Rollo, a Norse warlord and Viking leader, as the first Duke of Normandy in exchange for his loyalty to the king of West Francia, followi ...

with the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

leader

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

, ceding him the city of Rouen and territories along the Seine which would become the duchy of Normandy. Heriveus participated in this process, and continued to correspond with Archbishop Witto of Rouen on the matter of the Normans' conversion 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 ...

. For most of his episcopacy, Heriveus remained a loyal supporter of Charles the Simple. In 920, many of his Charles's nobles were alienated by the king's favoritism of the upstart Count

Hagano Hagano was a petty nobleman (''mediocris'') who achieved influence in Lotharingia and West Francia during the rule of Charles the Simple (898–922). He was a relative of Charles' first wife, Frederuna, and was originally from Lotharingia. Though ...

. Heriveus played a key role in effecting a reconciliation. In 922, however, the nobles again rebelled, and this time Heriveus too broke from the king, rallying behind Robert, duke of the Franks and brother of the late king Odo, Heriveus and other nobles dramatically defected. Robert was crowned king at the

in Reims by Archbishop Walter of Sens on 29 June 922. Heriveus was evidently in ill health at this time, for he died just days later on 2 July. He was succeeded in the archbishopric by Seulf.

References

{{Authority control Archbishops of Reims 922 deaths 10th-century French archbishops