ANSELM of HAVELBERG. — He was first Bishop of Havelberg in Brandenburg (1129–55), then Archbishop of Ravenna (1155–58), with the honorary title of exarch; he died near Milan on 12 Aug. 1158 in the camp of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who was besieging the city. Probably a native of the region of Liège, A. was one of the first disciples of St Norbert, whose funeral he presided over (6 June 1134). He spent more time at the court of the German emperor than in his own diocese, took a lively interest in the political affairs of his time, and was entrusted with several embassies.
In 1135–36 he was deputed by Emperor Lothair to the court of Byzantium and took the opportunity to concern himself with the union of the Churches. Later, at the request of Pope Eugenius III, he put into writing (1149–50) his conversations with the metropolitan of Nicomedia, Nicetas, which constitute his principal work, entitled Dialogues, divided into three books. It deals mainly with the procession of the Holy Spirit, the supremacy of the Pope, and the use of unleavened bread (PL 188, 1091–1248).
Having gone to Thessalonica in April 1155, he again discussed union with Basil of Acrida (cf. J. Schmidt, Des Basiliis aus Akrida, Erzbischof von Thessalonich bisher unedierte Dialoge, Munich 1901); as papal legate during the crusade against the Wends, or North Slavs, who had devastated his diocese (1147), towards the end of his life he succeeded in reconciling Frederick Barbarossa with the Pope. Gifted with real diplomatic talent, he pursued a policy of reconciliation between the Holy See and the German emperor, which sometimes brought him trouble. He zealously promoted the spread of the Order of the Premonstratensians.
Besides the Dialogorum libri tres adversus Graecos, he left: 1) an Epistola apologetica pro ordine canonicorum regularium, addressed to Abbot Egbert of Huysburg (PL 188, 1119–40); 2) Tractatus de ordine pronuntiationis litaniae ad Fridericum, bishop of Magdeburg (published by Winter in Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte, 5 (1882), pp. 144–45); 3) letters to Wibald of Stavelot, collected by Ph. Jaffé (Bibliotheca rerum germanicarum, passim). The treatise De ordine canonicorum regularium (PL 188, 1093–1139) cannot be attributed to him.