Nithard was

bishop of Liège A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, from 1038 to 1042.

Life

Nithard, who had lived in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

for decades, was elected bishop in succession to his uncle

Reginard Reginard was bishop of Liège in the Low Countries from 1025 to 1037, and had the city's first stone bridge over the Meuse built, the Pont des Arches. Life The earliest sources are contradictory on Reginard's background, but it seems likely that h ...

, on the endorsement of

Wazo of Liège Wazo of Liège (c. 985 – 1048) was bishop of Liège from 1041 to 1048, and a significant educator and theologian. His life was chronicled by his contemporary Anselm of Liège. During this period Liège became known as an educational center. W ...

, who had been ahead in the voting and would eventually be elected as his successor. The monastic chronicler Renier of St Laurent recorded that Nithard had kept for himself the riches that his uncle had intended to be used for the benefit of his soul after his death. Alphonse Delescluse, "Nithard", ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

''
vol. 15
(Brussels, 1899), 749-750. Immediately after his election, Nithard travelled to Italy, where his appointment was confirmed by Henry III,

King of the Romans King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German k ...

, at

Nonantola Nonantola ( Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is in the Po Valley about from Modena on the road to Ferrara. History In ancient times the territory of Nonantola was in ...

in January 1038. In August 1039 he attended upon the king in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

. On 17 and 24 January 1040 his presence was again attested in the royal entourage, at

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

and

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

respectively. In Ulm the emperor granted the bishop the County of Haspinga. On 5 June 1040 Nithard was among the bishops who accompanied the king to the

Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy The Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy, also Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy, sometimes known with its German name Stablo, was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Princely power was exercised by the Benedictine abbot of th ...

for the consecration of the new church, built by Abbot Poppo. On 29 December 1040 Nithard was in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

for the consecration of an altar there, and on 3 June 1041 he was at

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

, seeking royal favour for the

Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude, Nivelles The Collegiate Church of St. Gertrude is a historical building in Nivelles, Walloon Brabant, Wallonia, Belgium, which was built in the 11th century. Saint Gertude is the patron saint of cats. History This church was built to serve the Abbe ...

. He died in Liège on 11 August 1042 and was buried in the cathedral, to which he had donated considerable treasures.

References

{{S-end 10th-century births 1042 deaths Prince-Bishops of Liège 11th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire