Lambert (died 19 June 931) was the

archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan (; ) 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 has long maintained its own Latin liturgical rite usage, the Amb ...

from his ordination on 5 October 921 until his death. He was related to two prior archbishops: Andrea da Canziano (died 906) and Garimpert, his father and predecessor, who involved him in the administration of the diocese before 921. Lambert, along with Marquis

Adalbert I of Ivrea Adalbert I (died after 28 February 929) was the margrave of Ivrea, the second of the Anscarid dynasty, from the late 890s until his death. In the intermittent civil war which affected Italy from 888 into the 930s, Adalbert initially strove to re ...

and Count Giselbert of Bergamo, led a rebellion against King Berengar I in 921, sparking a long civil war over the Italian throne. The rebels gathered an army outside

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

, but Berengar surprised them and took many prisoners. Berengar's use of

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

as troops raised great indignation and the rebels offered the throne to King

Rudolf II of Burgundy Rudolph II (/885 – 12 or 13 July 937) was King of Upper Burgundy from 912 until 933, and then King of the united Kingdom of Burgundy (the polity later known as the Kingdom of Arles) from 933 until his death in 937. He was also King of Italy fr ...

. Lambert sent troops to the Battle of Firenzuola (29 July 923), where Rudolf established himself on the Italian throne.Valerie Eads, "Firenzuola, Battle of", in ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology'' (Oxford University Press, 2010), vol. 1, pp. 51–52. When northern Italy was devastated by Hungarian raids in 925, while Rudolf was in Burgundy, Lambert and several other high-profile supporters of Rudolf defected. On their behalf, Lambert offered the crown to Count

Hugh of Arles Hugh of Italy ( 880/885 – April 10, 948), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the king of Italy from 926 until 947, and regent in Lower Burgundy and Provence from 911 to 933. He belonged to the Bosonid family. During his reign in ...

Liutprand of Cremona Liutprand, also Liudprand, Liuprand, Lioutio, Liucius, Liuzo, and Lioutsios ( – 972),"LIUTPRAND OF CREMONA" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'', Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford, 1991, p. 1241. was a historian, diplomat, and t ...

; Paolo Squatriti, trans., "Retribution", in ''The Complete Works of Liudprand of Cremona'' (Catholic University of America Press, 2007), pp. 115–17. When in 926 Duke Burchard II of Swabia invaded Italy in support of Rudolf, Lambert invited him to Milan while secretly arranging his ambush. He even allowed him to hunt deer in his private hunting preserve. Burchard was then attacked and killed by the

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

ns on the road from

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

Ivrea Ivrea (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is ...

on 29 April 926. Lambert died on 19 June 931 and was buried in the '' Basilica Vetus''. He was succeeded by Hilduin, the exiled

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

, a relative and appointee of Hugh.Liutprand, "Retribution", p. 132.

References

{{Authority control Date of birth unknown 931 deaths Archbishops of Milan