Adalbert (also Adelbert or Albert; c. 1000 – 16 March 1072) was

Archbishop of Bremen This list records the bishops of the Archdiocese of Bremen, Roman Catholic diocese of Bremen (), supposedly a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Archbishopric of Cologne, then of the bishops of Bremen, who were in personal union archbishops ...

from 1043 until his death. Called ''Vikar des Nordens'', he was an important political figure of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

, and one of the regents for Emperor Henry IV.

Life

Adalbert was possibly born at Goseck Castle in

Hassegau

The Hassegau was a medieval shire (''Gau (territory), Gau'') ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, the son of Count Frederick of Goseck, who served as Saxon

Count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

from 1038, and his wife Agnes of

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

. After his father's death in 1042, his office was assumed by Adalbert's elder brothers Dedo and Frederick II. Adalbert prepared for an ecclesiastical career and became

subdeacon Subdeacon is a minor orders, minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

to the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in 1032, later provost of the

Halberstadt Cathedral The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus () is a Gothic architecture, Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, established by Emperor Charlemagne in 80 ...

, and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of Hamburg-Bremen in 1043 or 1045 with supremacy over the Scandinavian Peninsula and a great part of the Wend lands, and all territory north of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

. Having accompanied the Emperor Henry III on a

christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

campaign in 1045, he also journeyed with him to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1046. Adam of Bremen rumours Adalbert to have refused a candidacy as

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, resulting in the election of Clement II, to continue with the conversion of the

Wends Wends is a historical name for Slavs who inhabited present-day northeast Germany. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people, tribes or groups depending on where and when it was used. In the modern day, communities identifying ...

. Adalbert worked to increase the influence of his see, and thereby also the influence of the

, but encountered competition in Scandinavia from missionary bishops despatched from England and elsewhere who sometimes found greater favour from rulers and ordinary lay people alike.Ildar H. Garipzanov 'Wandering Clerics and Mixed Rituals in the Early Christian North c. 1000- c. 1150', Journal of Ecclesiastical History 63 (2012) 1-17; Janet Fairweather, Bishop Osmund: A Missionary to Sweden in the late Viking Age (Skara 2014) King Sweyn II of Denmark appealed to the Emperor and to

Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (, , 21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historica ...

for an archbishop of his own, which would mean a loss to Hamburg of lands just yielding fruits after two hundred years of Christianization. The whole discussion was cut short by the death of both Pope (1054) and Emperor (1056). Subsequently, Adalbert lost his hold on the imperial court, and the young Emperor, Henry IV, fell under the influence of the Archbishop Anno of Cologne. However, Adalbert gained control of Henry's education, eventually superseding Anno in his confidence and esteem, but again forced to retire from court in 1066-69. Archbishop Adalbert is characterized by Adam of Bremen as:

Generous, prudent, and zealous as he was, his character was marred by indomitable pride, which has caused him to be depicted in the blackest colours.

He died at

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Goslar (district), district of Goslar and is located on the northwestern wikt:slope, slopes of the Harz ...

in 1072.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adalbert of Hamburg 1000s births 1072 deaths Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen 11th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire People from Halberstadt