Arn, Bishop of Würzburg
Encyclopedia
Saint Arn or Arno von Endsee (died 13 July 892) was the Bishop of Würzburg from 855 until his death. He was a pupil of Bishop Gozbald, who died on 20 September 855; Arn was elected bishop in his place. Arn was a warrior-prelate, recorded fighting against almost every external foe of the Germans at one point in his career or another.
In his first year in office, the cathedral of Würzburg
was destroyed by lightning and Arn had to rebuild it. He was an active participator in the East Frankish government of Louis the German
(who appointed him), Charles the Fat
, and Arnulf of Carinthia
.
In 871, Louis the German
held an assembly at Frankfurt
and from there sent Arn and Ruodolt, Margrave of the Nordgau, to defend the border between the Duchy of Bavaria
and Great Moravia
because he had heard that the Moravians were planning an invasion. The Moravians had constructed a very large, circular wall to force the Germans through a very narrow opening and thus cut them off from fleeing. Arn, however, aware of the trap, caught a Moravian army leading back a Bohemian bride offguard and forced it into the trap. The Moravian were forced to abandon their horses and flee on foot. In 872, however, he assisted Carloman of Bavaria
against Svatopluk of Moravia and was defeated.
In 884, Arn and Henry of Franconia
led the forces of all East Francia against a Viking
army invading Saxony
and were victorious. In 892, Arn, on the advice of Poppo, Duke of Thuringia
, had undertaken an expedition against the Wends
and was killed, either during a mass on the Chemnitz near Frankenburg or, after withdrawing to Sandberg
(perhaps Wiederau
or Taurastein), in a decisive battle with the Slavs. Poppo was deposed from his office for his poor counsel and Arn was replaced by Rudolf
, a member of the Conradine family.
He is buried in St-Aegidien in Colditz
and was immediately reckoned a martyr. He was finally canonised in the 18th century. Around 1250, a chapel was built in his honour at Mittweida
.
In his first year in office, the cathedral of Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
was destroyed by lightning and Arn had to rebuild it. He was an active participator in the East Frankish government of Louis the German
Louis the German
Louis the German , also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian, was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Frankish Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.He received the appellation 'Germanicus' shortly after his death in recognition of the fact...
(who appointed him), Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...
, and Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
.
In 871, Louis the German
Louis the German
Louis the German , also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian, was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Frankish Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.He received the appellation 'Germanicus' shortly after his death in recognition of the fact...
held an assembly at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and from there sent Arn and Ruodolt, Margrave of the Nordgau, to defend the border between the Duchy of Bavaria
Duchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria was the only one of the stem duchies from the earliest days of East Francia and the Kingdom of Germany to preserve both its name and most of its territorial extent....
and Great Moravia
Great Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
because he had heard that the Moravians were planning an invasion. The Moravians had constructed a very large, circular wall to force the Germans through a very narrow opening and thus cut them off from fleeing. Arn, however, aware of the trap, caught a Moravian army leading back a Bohemian bride offguard and forced it into the trap. The Moravian were forced to abandon their horses and flee on foot. In 872, however, he assisted Carloman of Bavaria
Carloman of Bavaria
Carloman was the eldest son of Louis the German, king of East Francia , and Hemma, daughter of the count Welf...
against Svatopluk of Moravia and was defeated.
In 884, Arn and Henry of Franconia
Henry of Franconia
Henry , a son of Count Poppo of Grapfeld, one of the first Babenbergs, was the most important East Frankish general during the reign of Charles the Fat. He was variously titled Count or Margrave of Saxony and Duke of Franconia....
led the forces of all East Francia against a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
army invading Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
and were victorious. In 892, Arn, on the advice of Poppo, Duke of Thuringia
Poppo, Duke of Thuringia
Poppo II or Boppo II was the Duke of Thuringia from 880 until his deposition in 892. His title was dux Sorabici or dux Thuringorum, sometimes marchio . Before that his title was comes ....
, had undertaken an expedition against the Wends
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
and was killed, either during a mass on the Chemnitz near Frankenburg or, after withdrawing to Sandberg
Sandberg
Sandberg is a Swedish or Dutch surname which may refer to:-People:*Anders Sandberg, Swedish researcher, science debater, futurist, and author.*Artie Sandberg , American professional football player in the National Football League...
(perhaps Wiederau
Wiederau
Wiederau may refer to:*Wiederau , a small village, part of the municipality Pegau, south of Leipzig in Saxony.*Wiederau , a small village in Saxony, part of the municipality Königshain-Wiederau....
or Taurastein), in a decisive battle with the Slavs. Poppo was deposed from his office for his poor counsel and Arn was replaced by Rudolf
Rudolf I, Bishop of Würzburg
Rudolf I was the Bishop of Würzburg from 892 until his death. He was the youngest son of Udo of Neustria.In 892, he was appointed as bishop to replace Arno, who had been killed during a campaign against Great Moravia. At the same time, his brother Conrad the Elder became Margrave of Thuringia,...
, a member of the Conradine family.
He is buried in St-Aegidien in Colditz
Colditz
Colditz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, near Leipzig, located on the banks of the river Mulde. The town has a population of 5,188 ....
and was immediately reckoned a martyr. He was finally canonised in the 18th century. Around 1250, a chapel was built in his honour at Mittweida
Mittweida
Mittweida is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, in the Mittelsachsen district. It is situated on the Zschopau River, 18 km north of Chemnitz, and 54 km west of Dresden....
.
Sources
- Reuter, Timothy (trans.) The Annals of Fulda. (Manchester Medieval series, Ninth-Century Histories, Volume II.) Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992.
- "Arno (Bischof zu Würzburg)." Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, by the Historischen Kommission bei der Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Band 1, Seite 577. (Retrieved 14 June 2007, 3:51 UTC)