ADALBERTO, ARCIVESCOVO DI BREMA-AMBURGO

ADALBERTO, archbishop of BREMA-AMBURGO. - Born at the beginning of the 11th century in Goslar, died on 16 March 1072. He studied at Halberstadt; in 1032 he became a canon of Bremen and later provost of Halberstadt until 1045, when he was consecrated archbishop of Bremen-Amburgo. Of a very energetic character, he thought only of the glory of his archdiocese. He took part in the Synod of Sutri without, however, accepting the papal tiara that was offered to him; he won the friendship of Emperor Henry II and that of Popes Leo IX and Victor II; he worked to make his see a centre of spiritual influence and to elevate it to a patriarchate. He sent missionaries to Scandinavia, Greenland, Iceland, the Orkney Islands, among the Wends and the Slavs of northern Germany. In Denmark and the Scandinavian countries he made his influence felt as pontifical vicar and legate, also founding dioceses there. The spirit of independence of the Nordic countries, however, clashed with the creation of a German church, giving rise to serious difficulties. While his merits are unquestionable for the missionary work he carried out in those lands, the same cannot be said of the influence he exerted over the young Emperor Henry IV, whose education he neglected in order to gain favour. In 1066, however, he was dismissed by the emperor with the loss of all his possessions, which were only partially restored to him in 1069 when he regained imperial favour. A. was buried in the cathedral of Bremen, which he had built.