Abbon ( fr. Abbon ; died June 21, 937 ) - Bishop of Soissons (909–937), Kingdom of the West Frankish Empire (922–932).
| Abbon | |||||||
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| fr. Abbon | |||||||
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| Predecessor | Rodoyne | ||||||
| Successor | Guy I of Anjou | ||||||
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| Predecessor | Ruotger | ||||||
| Successor | Ansegiz | ||||||
| Birth | |||||||
| Death | June 21, 937 | ||||||
Biography
The main narrative sources about Abbone are the works of the historian Flodward, “ The History of the Reims Church ” [1] and “ Annals ” [2] .
The origin and early years of Abbon's life are not reported in historical sources . The first testimony of him dates back to 909, when he was elected the new head of the Diocese of Soissons , becoming the successor to the deceased Bishop Rodoin . Already on June 26 of the same year, Abbon took part in the church cathedral in , where they discussed issues of strengthening church discipline [3] [4] .
In July 914, Abbon participated in the funeral ceremony of Bishop . The body of this prelate, who was born and died in Soissons , was buried in the cathedral of the city, next to the grave of Bishop Rodoin. In 918 and 920, Abbot received gifts from the ruler of the West Frankish state Charles III the Simple : for the first time together with Counts Robert of Paris and Herbert II de Vermandois for the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés , for the second time alone - for the in Saint-Mor-de-Fosset [3] .
In the first half of the 920s, Abbon repeatedly participated in the church councils of the clergy of the West Frankish state: in two synods in Soissons (920 and 921 years), as well as in meetings in Trosley (921) and in Reims (923). At the last of them, chaired by Archbishop Reims Seulf , a decree was adopted that those who participated in the battle of Soissons , which led to the death of King Robert, had to atone for their regicide with a triple post [3] .
As far back as 922, after the accession to the throne of the West Frankish state by Robert I, Abbon received the chancellor’s post from the new monarch, becoming the successor to Archbishop Trier [5] . The bishop of Soissons retained this position under the next ruler, King Raul I , as evidenced by the royal charters that have survived to this day. On July 13, 923, the coronation of the new monarch took place at the Abbey of Saint Medard in Soissons. This ceremony, led by Archbishop Sansa Gauthier I , was attended by Abbon [3] [6] .
In the retinue of King Raul, Abbon twice participated in hostilities against the Normans : in 924, on a campaign in Burgundy against Raginold, and in 925, on a campaign against the Scandinavians who ravaged villages near Melen . In these wars, the Franks managed to defeat the Normans on the battlefield. In both cases, the Scandinavians were forced to stop the robberies and seek peace with King Raul [2] .
In History of the Reims Church, Flodoard reports that in 925, Abbon, along with several other prelate- suffrarans of the Reims Archdiocese (including Bishop Bovo II of Chalons ), took part in a council convened at the initiative of Herbert II de Vermandois. At this meeting, the five-year-old count's son Hugo was elected Archbishop of Reims. King Raul I approved the candidacy of the new head of the Reims Archdiocese. However, since Hugo was still a minor and could not fully fulfill his pastoral duties, Count Herbert II instructed Abbon to obtain consent from Pope John X for such a violation of church canons . While in Rome , the bishop of Soissons not only received papal consent to elevate the child to the rank of archbishop, but also persuaded John X to appoint himself co- adjudicator of the Reims Archdiocese until the coming of age of Hugo [1] [3] [4] [6] [7] .
However, already in 928, Abbon lost power over the Reims Archdiocese, as Odalric , Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence , who had fled to France because of attacks on his Arab Archdiocese from Fraxinet, was appointed its new co-auditor by the will of Count Herbert II [3] [ 3] [ 3] [ 7] [8] . In 932, the bishop of Soissons also lost the post of royal chancellor, who passed to the bishop of Troyes Ansegiz [5] .
In the last years of his life, Abbon’s activity decreased significantly. We only know about his participation in the 935 Soissons Cathedral , at which the attempts of secular persons on the prerogatives of the Lanskoy diocese were condemned [3] .
Abbon died on Wednesday, June 21, 937 [3] , leaving a memory of himself as the “henchman” of Herbert II de Vermandois [7] and a man who was more concerned about pleasing those in power than about fulfilling his pastoral duties [6] . Guy I of Anjou , son of Count Fulk I of Red, was elected Abon's successor in the Soissons diocese [3] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Flodoard. History of the Reims Church (Book IV, Chapter 20).
- ↑ 1 2 Flodoard. Annals (years 925 and 937).
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fisquet MH La France Pontificale. Histoire chronologique et biographique des archevêques et évêques de tous les diocèses de France. Métropole de Reims. Soissons et Laon . - Paris: E. Repos, 1864. - P. 28-29.
- ↑ 1 2 Martin E. Abbon 9 . - Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques . - Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1912. - T. I. - Col. 49
- ↑ 1 2 Mas Latrie L. de. Trésor de chronologie, d'histoire et de géographie pour l'étude et l'emploi des documents du moyen-âge . - Paris: V. Palmé, 1889. - Col. 2169
- ↑ 1 2 3 Abbon / Minh J.P. - Dictionnaire de l'histoire universelle de l'église . - Paris: S'Imprime et se Vend Chez J.-P. Migne, Editeur, 1854. - T. 1. - Col. 9-10
- ↑ 1 2 3 McKitterick R. The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 751–987. - London: Longman , 1983. - P. 311-312.
- ↑ Duckett ES Death and Life in the Tenth Century . - Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press , 1967 .-- P. 155.
Literature
- Poupardin R. Abbon 10. - Dictionnaire de Biographie française . - 1932. - T. 1. - Col. 82