The Sacramentary of Henry II – Bamberg Anno Domini 1059

The year was 1059.  Bolesław II the Bold had been duke of Poland for a year now having taken over from his father Casimir the Restorer who passed away in 1058.  Whatever pagan rebellion may have happened in the 1020s and 1030s in Poland was long over.  Poland was once again “Christian” even if worship of the Old Gods persisted for hundreds of years more.  Its southern neighbor, Bohemia had not had major issues with “pagans” since at least 935.

And yet…

Henry II’s Sacramentary

To the southwest of Bohemia, in Upper Franconia, on April 13, 1059 a diocesan synod was taking place at Bamberg and what was firmly on the bishops’ minds were Slavs and, especially, Slav paganism.  It would seem that as late as 1059, the Bamberg province was still predominantly Slavic and largely pagan.

The synodal notes from that meeting were noticed by Philipp Jaffé in time for his edition of Monumenta Bambergensia in 1869 and were later reedited by Erich von Guttenberg,  They reside in the first few folios of the Sacramentary of Henry II’s.  (This is the same Henry II who as Emperor from 1002 till 1024 was engaged in three wars with Bolesław I the Great).  The sacrementary was given by Henry II to the Bamberg Cathedral and resided there as part of the Treasury until the Napoleonic Wars.

Henry II had a special relationship with the Bamberg Archbishopric as he was instrumental to setting it up back in 1007 at the synod in Frankfurt where one of the main reasons for setting up the Bamberg bishopric in the first place (from pieces of bishoprics Würzburg (founded 741) and Eichstätt (founded 745-746)) was the conversion of the Slavs.

Bamberg Slavs

We have previously looked a bit at some of those “Bamberg” Slavs who were known as the Moinu-Winidi and Ratanz-Winidi.  They may have been mentioned in the Life of Saint Emmeram as residing in the area about the year 650.

We’ve also come across them when examining Charlemagne’s Order to Bishop Bernwelf regarding missionary activity to the Slavs of the River Main and Regnitz.  That was about the years 793-794.

Some of the trading emporia established by the Carolingians were located in the nearby Slav area as well as discussed in the Double Capitulary of Thionville (aka the Diedenhofener Kapitular Karls des Grossen).  That was in 805.

Slavs were mentioned too – as a people from whom the bishopric was allowed to collect taxes – in a document issued by Arnulf of Carinthia in 889. That document is allegedly a reconfirmation of the same rights to be found in the foundational documents of the bishopric of Würzburg from the year 741 – see here.

They are also mentioned in the documents from the Frankfurt Synod establishing the Bamberg Bishopric in the year 1007 – another topic for later discussion.

For now, here is a simple document mentioning what happened at the Bamberg synod in 1059.

(This is just a sampling of the documents and these same Bamberg Slavs are further mentioned in various land deeds and diplomata throughout the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th centuries). (The last mention of the Bamberg Slavs appears to be from 1111).

The Bamberg Synod
April 13, 1059

In nomine sanctae et individuae trinitatis.  Notum sit omnibus tam praesentis aetatis quam futurae posteritatis, qualiter ego Guntharius quintus Babenbergensis episcopus propter multimoda meae aecclesiae negocia synodum universorum mihi subiectorum tenui.

Erat enim  plebs huius episcopii, utpote ex maxima parte Sclavonica, ritibus gentilium dedita, abhorrens a religione Chistiana, tam in cognatarum conubiis quam in decimationum contradictione decretis patrum omnino contraria.  Quapropter communi omnium iudicio confirmatum est, ut, qui sponte canonicis decretis nollent obedire, compellerentur intrare; et qui canonice banno constrictus non decimaret, bonis suis a domino suo abdicaretur, donec resipiscere compelleretur.

Huic synodo Eberhardus comes, Wirzeburgensis advocatus, superveniens, decimationes quasdam novalium nostrorum per prolocutorem suum Aepelin de Constat Wirzeburgensi aecclesiae expostulavit.  Sed emo advocato Wolframmo per prolocutorem suum Kaezelinum de Hamfenfeld respondente ac domno Meinardo cartam de eadem re coram omnibus perlegente, synodali iudicio expostulatio illa infirmata est et supradicta decimatio nostrae aecclesiae adiudicata, sucit ego meique fideles protestati sunt domnum nostrum imperatorem Heinricum huius episcopii terminos suo praedio a Wirzeburgensi aecclesia commutasse.

Hii autem sunt testes, qui huic synodo interfuerunt: Herimannus huius Babenbergensis aecclesiae praepositus, qui canonice interrogatus omnium assensu iudicium fecit; Poppo decanus; Kazelin, Penno, Luizo, Adelunc, Gozbreht, Hartunic, Gundolt, Icco, Uodalric, Gunzo, Hartuuic; Meinnard scolasticus; Adalbero decanus de Duristat; Huno, Arnold de Sieslice, Oze de Stafelestein, Sigelo, Ruothart, Nencer, Adalbreht, Uodalric et fere omnis clerus Babenbergensis aecclesiae.

Laici autem isti erant: Cuono palatinus comes, Pertolt et Fridericus filius eius, Gotescalc et Frideric filius eius, Eppo de Nuheim, Gozuuin comes, Adalbreht de Vorst, Sterchere comes, Gozwin comes, Reginboto comes et filius eius Diemar, Kraft comes, Immo, Walpoto.

Iudices isti affuerunt: Gumpreht et filius eius Meingoz, Heriman et Volferat, Ebo, Vocho, Aescuuin, Adelolt de Trubaha et frater eius Hemmo, Erbo de Wizenaha.

Ministeriales autem isti: Wiccer, Mazelin, Arnolt de Sichendorf, Teimo, Toticho et frater eius Babo, Deipolt et alii plures quos nominare longum est.

Acta Idibus Aprilis indictione IIII, anno dominicae incarnationis MLVIII, anno episcopatus domni Guntharii III.