Victorids
Encyclopedia
Diocese of Chur
The Diocese of Chur comprises the Swiss Cantons of Graubünden , Schwyz, Glarus, Zurich, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri.-History:A Bishop of Chur is first mentioned in 451/ 452 when its Bishop Saint Asimo attended the Synod of Milan, but probably existed a century earlier...
. The family is termed after the continued use of the name Victor.
Rhaetia was a part of the Frankish Empire
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
from the sixth century at least. It was governed along Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
lines. The ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Rhaetia was attached to the archdiocese of Milan, but beginning around 600 the influence of the Frankish church increased. In the province the secular and ecclesiastic powers were consolidated in the hands of one family, that of the Victorids, who had ties to the Merovingian dynasty in Gaul. The Victorids came to hold the offices of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and praeses
Praeses
Praeses , is a Latin word meaning "Seated in front of, i.e. at the head ", has both ancient and modern uses.-Roman imperial use:...
(the highest judicial function, a Roman title).
The founder of the family was Zacco, who was granted military command of the region by the Frankish king and probably held the office of dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
(duke). The first Victorid duke was Victor I
Victor I, Bishop of Chur
Victor I was an 7th-century bishop of Chur, the first of the Victorid family which was to control the bishopric and the province of Rhaetia until the early ninth century.On 10 October 614 he signed the canons of the Fifth Council of Paris on church discipline...
, who moved away from the Archdiocese of Milan and towards the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
church. The Victorids were thus able to control the old Roman imperial fisc
Fisc
Under the Merovingians and Carolingians, the fisc applied to the royal demesne which paid taxes, entirely in kind, from which the royal household was meant to be supported, though it rarely was...
al lands, the ecclesiastic properties, and the military resources of the region. Under Zacco's successors the offices of duke and praeses were united and eventually the episcopal title was accepted as well. The Victorids had their hand in the foundation of Faveras (circa 730) and the monks of Faveras probably contributed to the foundation of Müstair
Müstair
Müstair is a village in the Val Müstair municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In 2009 Müstair merged with Fuldera, Lü, Switzerland, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Tschierv and Valchava to form Val Müstair....
(Tuberis). The Victorid bishop was Tello
Tello
Tello was the Bishop of Chur from 758/759 until his death. He was the last member of the ecclesiastical dynasty of the Victorids to wield power in Rhaetia through his control of the bishopric...
(758–763) began the construction of the cathedral, which has an unusual crypt and was renovated in the Romanesque style
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
. Under the Carolingians the power of the Victorids diminished and they were replaced. The last Victorid bishop was Victor III
Victor III, Bishop of Chur
Victor III was the Bishop of Chur from after 800 until his death. He was the last member of the Victorid family to hold the bishopric of Chur and the secular power in Rhaetia concurrently....
(died c. 836), who fought against the secular forces seeking to take back power and property from the diocese, but ultimately failingly.
Sources
- Schmidhauser, John R. "The European Origins of Legal Imperialism and Its Legacy in Legal Education in Former Colonial Regions." International Political Science Review / Revue internationale de science politique, Vol. 18, No. 3, Contrasting Political Institutions. Institutions politiques contrastées. (Jul., 1997), pp 337–351.
- "Istorgia ecclesiastica dal Grischun." Lexicon istoric retic.