Geilo, Bishop of Langres
Encyclopedia
Geilo (died 888) was the Bishop of Langres from 880 until his death. His episcopate coincided mostly with the emperorship of Charles the Fat
and after 885 he is a leading ecclesiastical figure at the imperial court. Geilo increased the landholdings and comital rights of the diocese of Langres immensely in his short tenure, a sign of political sagacity.
Geilo has been painted as a villain, an amibitious prelate trying to extend his see's temporal authority as far as it could go under the reign of weak Carolingians. He was the abbot of Tournus
during the last years of the reign of Charles the Bald
. In 879, he crowned Boso of Provence
in Mantaille; Boso in turn made him Bishop of Langres. He quickly changed sides and supported Carloman II in 880, being confirmed in his diocese, and even staying with the king at the siege of Vienne
throughout the year.
When Carloman died in 884, Geilo was instrumental in bringing Charles the Fat to the throne in West Francia. It is likely that he in fact crowned Charles rex in Gallia on 20 May 885 at Grand
in his diocese. Geilo even developed a special West Frankish seal for Charles and met him at the Siege of Paris
in 885.
On 15 January 887, at the royal palace of Sélestat
in Alsace
, Geilo received four imperial charters. He was commended for building up his city's walls and rewarded with all the ex officio lands of a count in the city of Langres and its environs. He was also granted the fiscal rights of a count, including that of minting
, and the revenues from the markets of Langres and Dijon
. The policy of episcopal empowerment in the cities of Burgundy during the 880s was largely a result of increased Viking
activity in that area.
On 18 May 887, Geilo attended a provincial church synod at Chalon-sur-Saône
whereat the peace of the church was discussed, probably in light of the decline of Charles' health and the rising tide of opposition from Arnulf of Carinthia
's quarters. Geilo was subsequently present at the assemblies of Weiblingen, whereat Charles' son Bernard
was supposed to be declared heir, and of Kirchen
, whereat Louis of Provence was adopted as Charles' son. It is possible that Geilo had escorted Louis and his mother, Ermengard
, to Kirchen. The events of Sélestat and Kirchen probably realised a long-sought goal of Charles': to negate the usupration of Boso. By granting lands probably once held by Boso to Geilo and thus securing Geilo as Boso's de facto successor in northern Provence as well as adopting Louis and thus bringing Boso's heir back into the Carolingian family, Charles succeeded in reestablishing full imperial sovereignty in Provence.
On Charles' death, he supported Guy III of Spoleto
for the West Frankish throne, even crowning him at Langres
in 888, but Guy's attempt failed and Geilo died later that year.
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...
and after 885 he is a leading ecclesiastical figure at the imperial court. Geilo increased the landholdings and comital rights of the diocese of Langres immensely in his short tenure, a sign of political sagacity.
Geilo has been painted as a villain, an amibitious prelate trying to extend his see's temporal authority as far as it could go under the reign of weak Carolingians. He was the abbot of Tournus
Tournus
Tournus is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-Geography:Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway.-Sights:...
during the last years of the reign of Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
. In 879, he crowned Boso of Provence
Boso of Provence
Boso was a Frankish nobleman from the Bosonid-family, who was related to the Carolingian dynasty, who rose to become King of Provence ....
in Mantaille; Boso in turn made him Bishop of Langres. He quickly changed sides and supported Carloman II in 880, being confirmed in his diocese, and even staying with the king at the siege of Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
throughout the year.
When Carloman died in 884, Geilo was instrumental in bringing Charles the Fat to the throne in West Francia. It is likely that he in fact crowned Charles rex in Gallia on 20 May 885 at Grand
Grand, Vosges
Grand is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Grand is known for its Roman amphitheatre, mosaics and aqueduct.- External links :*...
in his diocese. Geilo even developed a special West Frankish seal for Charles and met him at the Siege of Paris
Siege of Paris (885-886)
The Siege of Paris of 885 to 886 was a Viking siege of Paris, then capital of the kingdom of the West Franks. It was, in hindsight, the most important event of the reign of the Emperor Charles the Fat and a turning point in the fortunes of the Carolingian dynasty and the history of France.The...
in 885.
On 15 January 887, at the royal palace of Sélestat
Sélestat
Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.-Geography:...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, Geilo received four imperial charters. He was commended for building up his city's walls and rewarded with all the ex officio lands of a count in the city of Langres and its environs. He was also granted the fiscal rights of a count, including that of minting
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
, and the revenues from the markets of Langres and Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
. The policy of episcopal empowerment in the cities of Burgundy during the 880s was largely a result of increased Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
activity in that area.
On 18 May 887, Geilo attended a provincial church synod at Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
whereat the peace of the church was discussed, probably in light of the decline of Charles' health and the rising tide of opposition from Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
's quarters. Geilo was subsequently present at the assemblies of Weiblingen, whereat Charles' son Bernard
Bernard, son of Charles the Fat
Bernard or Bernhard was the only child of Charles the Fat. He was born of an unknown concubine and was thus illegitimate. Charles tried to make him his heir, but failed in two attempts....
was supposed to be declared heir, and of Kirchen
Kirchen
Kirchen is a town and climatic spa in the district of Altenkirchen in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 12 km southwest of Siegen. Among its notable features is the Freusburg castle....
, whereat Louis of Provence was adopted as Charles' son. It is possible that Geilo had escorted Louis and his mother, Ermengard
Ermengard of Provence
Ermengard was the only surviving daughter of Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 876, she married Boso, from the Bosonid, Count of Vienne, who declared himself King of Provence in 879....
, to Kirchen. The events of Sélestat and Kirchen probably realised a long-sought goal of Charles': to negate the usupration of Boso. By granting lands probably once held by Boso to Geilo and thus securing Geilo as Boso's de facto successor in northern Provence as well as adopting Louis and thus bringing Boso's heir back into the Carolingian family, Charles succeeded in reestablishing full imperial sovereignty in Provence.
On Charles' death, he supported Guy III of Spoleto
Guy III of Spoleto
Guy of Spoleto , sometimes known by the Italian version of his name, Guido, or by the German version, Wido, was the Margrave of Camerino from 880 and then Duke of Spoleto and Camerino from 883. He was crowned King of Italy in 889 and Holy Roman Emperor in 891...
for the West Frankish throne, even crowning him at Langres
Langres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
in 888, but Guy's attempt failed and Geilo died later that year.
Sources
- Bautier, R.-H. "Les diplômes royaux carolingiens pour l'église de Langres et l'origine des droits comtaux de l'éveque." Chartes, sceaux et chancelleries. Études de diplomatique et de sigillographie médiévales. vol. I, Paris, 1990, pp 209–242.
- MacLean, Simon. Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire. Cambridge University Press: 2003.
- Reuter, Timothy (trans.) The Annals of Fulda. (Manchester Medieval series, Ninth-Century Histories, Volume II.) Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992.