Anselm was the Abbot of Farfa between 881 and 883, succeeding John I

John I of Farfa

John I was the Abbot of Farfa from 871/2. He made a few property acquisitions, but his abbacy comes at the start of an obscure period in Farfa's history. He received a confirmation from the Emperor Louis II of all of Farfa's lands on 27 May 872 and another from Charles the Bald in 875...

. His short abbacy is reasonably well-sourced compared to the string of five abbots following him, beginning with Teuto

Teuto

Teuto was the Abbot of Farfa from about 883 until about 888. His abbacy is the first of a string of very unclear ones that cover the years down to 919 at Farfa. He is known to have succeeded Anselm and been succeeded by Nordepert, but little else is certain...

, who were extremely obscure figures even to Gregory of Catino

Gregory of Catino

Gregory of Catino was a monk of the Abbey of Farfa and "one of the most accomplished monastic historians of his age." Gregory died shortly after 1130, possibly in 1133....

, the abbey's historian of the eleventh century.

In 883 Farfa received a "privilege of greatest freedom" (praeceptum optimae libertatis) and a grant of various properties from the Emperor Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...

. This, the last Carolingian

Carolingian

The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...

 grant to Farfa, is dated only to the year and does not name the abbot. It may have been Anselm, but more probably was Teuto. Charles' chief concern seems to have been the depredations of the Duke Guy II of Spoleto

Guy II of Spoleto

Guy II was the eldest son and successor of Lambert I as Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Camerino. He was elected to succeed to these titles on his father's death in 880. He had an ambitious plan of expansion to the south and to the west that conflicted with the Papacy.He received a papal letter...

and other "evil men" (pravi homines) then in rebellion against him. He granted several similar (temporarily successful) privileges to other central Italian institutions in the summer of 883 during the height of the challenge to his authority.