Ulrich of Augsburg
Encyclopedia
Saint Ulrich sometimes spelled Uodalric or Odalrici, was Bishop of Augsburg
and a leader of the Roman Catholic Church
in Germany
. He was the first saint
to be canonized
.
, Switzerland
or near Augsburg and studied at the monastery of St. Gall
. Ulrich's family were Alamanni
and Swabia
n. He personally lived in simplicity and poverty.
He was a son of Hupald, Count of Dillingen (d. 909) and Dietpirch of Swabia (also known as Theoberga). His brother Theodbald, Count of Dillingen was killed in the Battle of Lechfeld
(10 August 955). His other brother Manegold was also named as Count in Medieval chronicles and ancestor of later Counts of Dillingen. An unnamed sister served as a nun in Buchau. His other sister Liutgard was mother to Adalbero, administrator of the Bishopric of Augsburg in the 970s. This nephew died the same year as Ulrich. The cause of his death is unknown.
His maternal grandfather was Burchard I, Duke of Swabia
. Burchard was reportedly the second husband of Liutgard
. Liutgard was the widow of Louis the Younger
. The siblings of Liutgard included Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
. This family was connected with the dukes of Alamannia and the Ottonian dynasty.
Through the influence of his uncle, Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
, and other relatives, Ulrich was appointed bishop of Augsburg
by Henry I of Germany
, and was consecrated on 28 December 923. He sought to improve the low moral and social condition of the clergy, and to enforce a rigid adherence to the laws of the Church. Ulrich hoped to gain this end by periodical visitations, and by building as many churches as possible (he also restored the city's cathedral
), to make the blessings of religion more accessible to the common people. His success was largely due to the good example he set his clergy and diocese. For the purpose of obtaining relics he went on two journeys to Rome, in 910, and in 952 or 953.
Magyars repeatedly attacked in the territories of Bavaria
and Swabia
. Ulrich served as general in the defense of Augsburg. He built a stone wall fortification around the city. During these attacks many churches and buildings were destroyed, which Ulrich later rebuilt.
Ulrich attended several imperial meetings and synod
s, such as at Ingelheim in 948, Augsburg 952, Rome in 972 and again at Ingelheim in 972.
German emperor Otto I the Great granted Ulrich the right to mint coins.
When Ulrich was too old and weak to say Mass, angels are said to have come to him to assist him. After he died in 973 he was buried at the St. Afra
church he had rebuilt in Augsburg; the burial was performed by Bishop Wolfgang of Ratisbon. Later the St. Ulrich and Afra church was built in the same spot.
Ulrich demanded a high moral standard of himself and others. A hundred years after his death, a letter apparently written by him, which opposed celibacy, and supported the marriage of priests, suddenly appeared. The forger of the letter counted on the opinion of the common people, who would regard celibacy as unjust if St. Ulrich, known for the rigidity of his morals, upheld the marriage of priests (cf. "Analecta Boll.", XXVII, 1908, 474). Ulrich was also steadfastly loyal, as a prince of the empire, to the emperor. He was one of the most important props of the Ottonian policy, which rested mainly upon the ecclesiastical princes. He constantly attended the judicial courts held by the king and in the diets
. He even took part in the Diet held on 20 September 972, when he defended himself against the charge of nepotism
in regard to his nephew Adalbero, whom he had appointed his coadjutor on account of his own illness and desire to retire to a Benedictine abbey.
During the struggle between Otto I and his son Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
, Ulrich had much to suffer from Liudolf and his partisans. When in the summer of 954 father and son were ready to attack each other at Illertissen in Swabia, at the last moment Ulrich and Bishop Hartbert of Chur
were able to mediate between Otto and Liudolf. Ulrich succeeded in persuading Liudolf and Conrad, Duke of Lorraine
, Otto's son-in-law, to ask the king's pardon on 17 December 954. Before long the Magyars entered Germany, plundering and burning as they went, and advanced as far as Augsburg, which they besieged with the fury of barbarians. It was due to Ulrich's ability and courage that Augsburg was able to hold out against the besiegers until the Emperor Otto arrived. On 10 August 955, the Battle of Lechfeld
took place and the invaders were finally defeated. The later assertion that Ulrich himself took part in the battle is incorrect, as Ulrich could not have broken through the ranks of the Magyars, who were south of him, although north of the emperor.
As morning dawned on 4 July 973, Ulrich had ashes strewn on the ground in the shape of a cross; the cross sprinkled with holy water, and he was placed upon it. His nephew Richwin came with a message and greeting from the Emperor Otto II as the sun rose, and immediately upon this, while the clergy sang the Litany, St. Ulrich died. He was succeeded by Henry
.
(no. 261, fol. 140). Other miniatures are at the Royal Library of Munich
, in manuscripts dating from the year 1454.
Many miracle
s are said to have been wrought at his grave; only 20 years after his death, Ulrich was one of the first saints to be officially canonized by Pope John XV
on July 4, 993 (the first saint to be canonized "officially" by the Vatican
, rather than solely by public accord. Walter of Pontoise
was the last saint in Western Europe
to have been canonized by an authority other than the Pope; he was canonized by Hugh de Boves, the Archbishop of Rouen
in 1153).
Bishop of Augsburg
The Bishop of Augsburg is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg in the Ecclesiastical province of München und Freising.The diocese covers an area of 13,250 km².The current bishop is Konrad Zdarsa who was appointed in 2010....
and a leader of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was the first saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
to be canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
.
Family
Ulrich was born in 890 at Kyburg, ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
or near Augsburg and studied at the monastery of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
. Ulrich's family were Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
and Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n. He personally lived in simplicity and poverty.
He was a son of Hupald, Count of Dillingen (d. 909) and Dietpirch of Swabia (also known as Theoberga). His brother Theodbald, Count of Dillingen was killed in the Battle of Lechfeld
Battle of Lechfeld
The Battle of Lechfeld , often seen as the defining event for holding off the incursions of the Hungarians into Western Europe, was a decisive victory by Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the Hungarian leaders, the harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr...
(10 August 955). His other brother Manegold was also named as Count in Medieval chronicles and ancestor of later Counts of Dillingen. An unnamed sister served as a nun in Buchau. His other sister Liutgard was mother to Adalbero, administrator of the Bishopric of Augsburg in the 970s. This nephew died the same year as Ulrich. The cause of his death is unknown.
His maternal grandfather was Burchard I, Duke of Swabia
Burchard I, Duke of Swabia
Burchard I was the duke of Alamannia from 909 to his death and margrave of Rhaetia, as well as count in the Thurgau and Baar. Born between 855 and 860, he was the son of Adalbert II, count in the Thurgau. He himself married Liutgard of Saxony.By 900, Burchard was already the most powerful man in...
. Burchard was reportedly the second husband of Liutgard
Liutgard
Liutgard of Saxony was the wife and Queen of Louis the Younger, the Frankish King of Saxony and East Francia....
. Liutgard was the widow of Louis the Younger
Louis the Younger
Louis the Younger , sometimes Louis III, was the second eldest of the three sons of Louis the German and Emma. He succeeded his father as the King of Saxony on 28 August 876 and his elder brother Carloman as King of Bavaria from 880...
. The siblings of Liutgard included Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Burchard II was the Hunfriding Duke of Swabia and Count of Raetia. He was the son of Burchard I and Liutgard of Saxony....
. This family was connected with the dukes of Alamannia and the Ottonian dynasty.
Life account
As a child he was sickly; when old enough to learn he was sent to the monastic school of St. Gall, where he proved to be an excellent scholar. He resolved to enter the priesthood, but was in doubt whether to enter the Benedictine Abbey of St. Gall or to become a secular priest. He was sent before April, 910, for his further training to Adalbero, Bishop of Augsburg, who made him a chamberlain. On Adalbero's death (28 April 910) Ulrich returned home, where he remained until the death of Bishop Hiltine (28 November 923).Through the influence of his uncle, Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
Burchard II was the Hunfriding Duke of Swabia and Count of Raetia. He was the son of Burchard I and Liutgard of Saxony....
, and other relatives, Ulrich was appointed bishop of Augsburg
Bishop of Augsburg
The Bishop of Augsburg is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg in the Ecclesiastical province of München und Freising.The diocese covers an area of 13,250 km².The current bishop is Konrad Zdarsa who was appointed in 2010....
by Henry I of Germany
Henry I of Germany
Henry I the Fowler was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and German king from 919 until his death. First of the Ottonian Dynasty of German kings and emperors, he is generally considered to be the founder and first king of the medieval German state, known until then as East Francia...
, and was consecrated on 28 December 923. He sought to improve the low moral and social condition of the clergy, and to enforce a rigid adherence to the laws of the Church. Ulrich hoped to gain this end by periodical visitations, and by building as many churches as possible (he also restored the city's cathedral
Augsburg Cathedral
The Cathedral of Augsburg is a church in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, founded in the 11th century in Romanesque style, but with 14th century Gothic additions. Together with the Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra, it is one of the city's main attractions. It measures 113 x 40 m, and its towers...
), to make the blessings of religion more accessible to the common people. His success was largely due to the good example he set his clergy and diocese. For the purpose of obtaining relics he went on two journeys to Rome, in 910, and in 952 or 953.
Magyars repeatedly attacked in the territories of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. Ulrich served as general in the defense of Augsburg. He built a stone wall fortification around the city. During these attacks many churches and buildings were destroyed, which Ulrich later rebuilt.
Ulrich attended several imperial meetings and synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
s, such as at Ingelheim in 948, Augsburg 952, Rome in 972 and again at Ingelheim in 972.
German emperor Otto I the Great granted Ulrich the right to mint coins.
When Ulrich was too old and weak to say Mass, angels are said to have come to him to assist him. After he died in 973 he was buried at the St. Afra
church he had rebuilt in Augsburg; the burial was performed by Bishop Wolfgang of Ratisbon. Later the St. Ulrich and Afra church was built in the same spot.
Ulrich demanded a high moral standard of himself and others. A hundred years after his death, a letter apparently written by him, which opposed celibacy, and supported the marriage of priests, suddenly appeared. The forger of the letter counted on the opinion of the common people, who would regard celibacy as unjust if St. Ulrich, known for the rigidity of his morals, upheld the marriage of priests (cf. "Analecta Boll.", XXVII, 1908, 474). Ulrich was also steadfastly loyal, as a prince of the empire, to the emperor. He was one of the most important props of the Ottonian policy, which rested mainly upon the ecclesiastical princes. He constantly attended the judicial courts held by the king and in the diets
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
. He even took part in the Diet held on 20 September 972, when he defended himself against the charge of nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
in regard to his nephew Adalbero, whom he had appointed his coadjutor on account of his own illness and desire to retire to a Benedictine abbey.
During the struggle between Otto I and his son Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
Liudolf was the duke of Swabia from 950 until 954. He was the only son of Otto I, king of Germany, from his wife Eadgyth, daughter of Edward the Elder, king of England....
, Ulrich had much to suffer from Liudolf and his partisans. When in the summer of 954 father and son were ready to attack each other at Illertissen in Swabia, at the last moment Ulrich and Bishop Hartbert of Chur
Chur
Chur or Coire is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.-History:The name "chur" derives perhaps from the Celtic kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia....
were able to mediate between Otto and Liudolf. Ulrich succeeded in persuading Liudolf and Conrad, Duke of Lorraine
Conrad, Duke of Lorraine
Conrad the Red was a Duke of Lorraine from the Salian dynasty.He was the son of Werner V, Count of the Nahegau, Speyergau, and Wormsgau. His mother was a sister of Conrad I of Germany. In 941, he succeeded his father in his counties and obtained an additional territory, the Niddagau...
, Otto's son-in-law, to ask the king's pardon on 17 December 954. Before long the Magyars entered Germany, plundering and burning as they went, and advanced as far as Augsburg, which they besieged with the fury of barbarians. It was due to Ulrich's ability and courage that Augsburg was able to hold out against the besiegers until the Emperor Otto arrived. On 10 August 955, the Battle of Lechfeld
Battle of Lechfeld
The Battle of Lechfeld , often seen as the defining event for holding off the incursions of the Hungarians into Western Europe, was a decisive victory by Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the Hungarian leaders, the harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr...
took place and the invaders were finally defeated. The later assertion that Ulrich himself took part in the battle is incorrect, as Ulrich could not have broken through the ranks of the Magyars, who were south of him, although north of the emperor.
As morning dawned on 4 July 973, Ulrich had ashes strewn on the ground in the shape of a cross; the cross sprinkled with holy water, and he was placed upon it. His nephew Richwin came with a message and greeting from the Emperor Otto II as the sun rose, and immediately upon this, while the clergy sang the Litany, St. Ulrich died. He was succeeded by Henry
Henry I, Bishop of Augsburg
Henry I was the Bishop of Augsburg from 973 to his death. He succeeded Saint Ulrich. Unlike under Ulrich, the diocese suffered under Henry's bellicose episcopate....
.
Cult
Places that were named after him are said to be host to healing abilities. Attesting to his early cultus, there is a very beautiful miniature from the tenth century in a manuscript now in the library of EinsiedelnEinsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
(no. 261, fol. 140). Other miniatures are at the Royal Library of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, in manuscripts dating from the year 1454.
Many miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s are said to have been wrought at his grave; only 20 years after his death, Ulrich was one of the first saints to be officially canonized by Pope John XV
Pope John XV
Pope John XV , Pope from 985 to 996, succeeding Boniface VII . He was said to have been Pope after another Pope John that reigned four months after Pope John XIV and was named "Papa Ioannes XIV Bis" or "Pope John XIVb"...
on July 4, 993 (the first saint to be canonized "officially" by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, rather than solely by public accord. Walter of Pontoise
Walter of Pontoise
Saint Walter of Pontoise was a French saint of the eleventh century. Born at Andainville, he was a professor of philosophy and rhetoric before becoming a Benedictine monk at Rebais...
was the last saint in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
to have been canonized by an authority other than the Pope; he was canonized by Hugh de Boves, the Archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
in 1153).
Sources and references
- Gerhard of Augsburg wrote about St. Ulrich's life, the Vita Sancti Uodalrici and several books about his miracles have been written as well.
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes