Christian (Archbishop of Mainz)

Christian von Buch (c. 1130 - August 23, 1183) - Probst of Merseburg , then Archduke of the Holy Roman Empire , then from 1165 until his death, Archbishop of Mainz . Repeatedly executed diplomatic missions of Emperor Frederick I in Italy .

Christian Fod Buch was the heir to two Thuringian noble families, and . With the support of the Landgrave of Thuringia Ludwig II, he began a spiritual career as a probst in Merseburg, and then probst of the Cathedral of . In 1160, after the assassination of Archbishop Mainz diocese came under interdict . After that, part of the Mainz canons gathered in Frankfurt and was elected there as the new archbishop of Christian. Others, however, elected . In turn, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa organized a cathedral in Lodi , at which, with the support of Pope Victor IV, deposed both applicants and enthroned his relative Konrad von Wittelsbach to the episcopal throne on June 20, 1161 ^[2] .

In 1162, Christian took an important position in the immediate environment of the emperor. He became a probst of the Mainz Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Servius in Maastricht and served as chancellor of the empire. In 1163, he accompanied the emperor on his campaigns in Italy. Since the end of the summer of 1164, he was a legate of the emperor in Italy, where he facilitated the return of the emperor-supported antipope Paschalius III to Rome . By his direct participation in April 1165, Sardinia was given to the Pisans in flax, due to which the rivalry of the latter with Genoa intensified. Thus, he proved his loyalty, and when Konrad von Wittelsbach refused to recognize Easter III, the Mainz chair was transferred to Christian ^[3] . This appointment was recognized in the empire, but not by Pope Alexander III . In July 1167, Christian was with the emperor when he besieged Rome . The negotiations that Conrad von Wittelsbach conducted on the part of the party of Alexander III ended unsuccessfully, and the pope himself managed to escape from the city. After this, Frederick was able to occupy the city, and on July 30 Paschal was solemnly elevated to the throne of St. Peter. Soon, however, an epidemic broke out in the city, and the emperor was forced to leave Rome. In September, Christian was sent to Saxony , where the archbishop of Magdeburg, the Landgrave of Thuringia, Albrecht the Bear and the archbishop of Cologne Rainald von Dassel united against Heinrich Leo ^[4] .

In the fall of 1170, the emperor sent the archbishop of Mainz with the embassy of Byzantium with a proposal for an alliance. Relations with Byzantium, which worsened in the 1160s, were apparently improved, and the next year the Byzantines sent a return embassy. Negotiations on the basis of the marriage project lasted until 1174 ^[5] . At the end of 1171, Christian was again sent to Central Italy, where he was drawn into a conflict between cities. He mainly dealt with this for the next few years ^[6] . In 1173, Christian besieged the Byzantine Ancona , but was forced to retreat after six months. Matrimonial negotiations with the kingdom of Sicily also did not lead to success. In September 1174, imperial troops entered Italy under the command of the emperor himself. In late October, he launched a siege of Alessandria, but despite the support of Christian, who prevented Italian cities from uniting and helping the city, he did not succeed, and in April 1175 lifted the siege ^[7] . In 1177, Christian met with the emperor, and no later than in the same year he resigned as legate. In 1178, he came into conflict with Margrave Conrad of Monferrath , whom he became a prisoner in September 1179. Christian received freedom from the end of 1180 on the humiliating conditions of a large cash payment and the loss of his empire’s position. After that, Christian remained in Italy. In August 1183, he died in Tuskul ^[8] .