Arnulf III (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Arnolfo di Porta Argentea'' or ''di Porta Orientale''
[ Landolfo Iuniore, ''Historia''. He makes Arnulf descended from a family of local captains.]) (died 1097) was the
Archbishop of Milan from his election on 6 December 1093 to his death in 1097. He succeeded
Anselm III only two days after his death. Along with Anselm III and
Anselm IV, he was one of a trio of successive archbishops of Milan to side with the pope against the emperor in the late 11th and early 12th century.
Though his election had been valid, he was invested by
Conrad II, but the papal legate declared him a
simoniac and deposed him. Consequently, he was never consecrated. Arnulf went into a brief retirement of penance at the
Abbey of San Pietro al Monte at
Civate
Civate (Lecchese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italy, Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,898 and an area of ...
, where Anselm III had gone for a similar reason during his episcopate. After his brief sojourn there, he was reconciled with
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...
and received the
pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
. According to
Pandulf of Pisa, this was the moment of his consecration.
Bernold of Constance places his consecration in March 1095. It was performed by three great bishops of the
German Gregorian Reform
The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–1080, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...
:
Thimo of Salzburg,
Odalric of Passau, and
Gebhard III of Constance.
Arnulf himself became an enthusiastic reformer and opponent of the
Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV (; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son of Henry III, Holy ...
. He participated in the
Council of Piacenza. From 6 to 26 May that same year (1095), the pope was present at Milan for the transferral of the relics of
Erlembald to S. Dionigi. In 1096, the pope preached the
First Crusade
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...
at S. Tecla in Milanese territory. Only two of Arnulf's acts as bishop survive and he is buried in the Abbey of San Pietro al Monte at Civate. His exile or burial there probably prompted a burst of artistic activity, with
fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
s and sculptures that remain unusually intact.
Notes
Sources
*Landolfo Iuniore di San Paolo. ''Historia Mediolanensis''.
*Ghisalberti, Alberto M. ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: III Ammirato – Arcoleo''. Rome, 1961.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnulf Iii
1097 deaths
11th-century births
11th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops
Archbishops of Milan
Burials in Lombardy