Milo of Trier (died 762 or 763) was the son of St. Leudwinus and his successor as

Archbishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.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 ...

. His great-uncle Saint Basinus had preceded his father as

Early life

Milo was the son of the Leudwinus of Trier and Willigard of Bavaria. He was born a nobleman and later styled Count of Trier. His brother was Wido (Gui), Count of Hornbach.

Rotrude of Hesbaye {{Infobox noble, type , name = Rotrude of Hesbaye , title = , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign ...

was possibly his sister.

Lambert of Maastricht Lambert of Maastricht, commonly referred to as Saint Lambert ( la, Lambertus; Middle Dutch: ''Sint-Lambrecht''; li, Lambaer, Baer, Bert(us); 636 – c. 705 AD) was the bishop of Maastricht-Liège (Tongeren) from about 670 until his death. Lam ...

was a kinsman. Milo received a monastic education. Prior to his ecclesiastical career, Milo also had a military career, something he had in common with his putative brother-in-law

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesma ...

. It is not clear whether Milo received anything more than a diaconal ordination.

Archbishop of Trier

As the scion of one of the most powerful Frankish clans in

Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...

, Milo's future seemed secure. He succeeded his father as

Bishop of Reims

When Charles Martel drove Saint Rigobert from

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, Milo was appointed his successor. As bishop, Milo became a controversial figure for the Church. His avarice and fondness of earthly pleasures soon placed him in opposition with the church. Milo did not lead a spiritual life and flagrantly ignored the Rules of Saint Benedict that governed his colleagues.

Paul Fouracre Paul J. Fouracre is professor emeritus of medieval history at the University of Manchester. His research interests relate to early medieval history, the history of the Franks, law and custom in medieval societies, charters, hagiography and serf-lor ...

says that

Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

considered Milo and bishops like him "warlike, adulterous, and prone to help themselves to church property". Milo habitually used church property for his personal and political purposes, usually to indulge his illegitimate sons. He accumulated much of the riches of his dioceses and developed a reputation for corruption.

Pope Zachary Pope Zachary ( la, Zacharias; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of slav ...

counseled Boniface about dealing with disreputable prelates such as Milo. "As for Milo and his like, who are doing great injury to the church of God, preach in season and out of season, according to the word of the Apostle, that they cease from their evil ways." Accounts of Milo's time as bishop are collected in the

Gesta Treverorum The ''Gesta Treverorum'' (''Deeds of the Trevians'') is a collection of histories, legends, wars, records of the Archbishops of Trier (Trèves), writings of the Popes, and other records that were collected by the monks of the St. Matthias' Abbey i ...

Deposition

Politically, Milo was a formidable opponent of Boniface's reforms of the church in the eastern Frankish Empire. However, when Milo's own behavior invited the criticism of

, Boniface seized the opportunity and began a campaign to have Milo replaced. In March 744, Boniface successfully pursued the

Council of Soissons There have been several Catholic Church synods called the Council of Soissons: __NOTOC__ * March 744: Presided over by Saint Boniface. Attended by Hartbert, bishop of Sens. Appointed Abel bishop. * 13 November 833: Presided over by Ebbo, archbisho ...

to remove Milo as Archbishop of Trier. By that time, Milo's behavior had become so repugnant even his formidable political connections could not save him. Though he put up a lengthy resistance, Milo was deposed as bishop and replaced by

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepher ...

Death

Milo was killed by a

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

in a hunting accident in Meulenwald near

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

sometime between 753 and 758. Since the 4th century, it had been a tradition to bury the bishops of Trier in the crypt at St. Maximin's Abbey in Trier. However, due to his controversial life, Milo was not given this honor and was instead buried near the scene of the accident where a memorial, The Cross of Milo, was erected.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milo 8th-century Frankish bishops Archbishops of Trier Order of Saint Benedict Bishops of Reims Roman Catholic bishops of Trier Deaths due to boar attacks 8th-century Frankish saints 760s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain