Rainald of Dassel facts for kids
Rainald of Dassel (born around 1120 – died 14 August 1167) was a very important person in the Middle Ages. He served as the Archbishop of Cologne, which is a high church leader. He was also the main advisor, or Archchancellor, for the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in Italy. Rainald had a big impact on the emperor's decisions and on the politics of the time.
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Early Life and Education
Rainald came from the noble family of the Counts of Dassel. His family owned a lot of land in a region called Saxony. As a younger son, he was expected to join the church. His older brother, Ludolf, took over the family lands.
Rainald's father sent him to school at the Hildesheim Cathedral. Later, he likely studied in Paris, France. He was known for his excellent learning even by 1130. He became a member of the church group at Hildesheim Cathedral.
Church Career Begins
Around 1146, Rainald started working as a subdeacon. This is a junior church official. He traveled with Abbot Wibald of Stavelot to the Pope's court in Rome. By 1148, he was made a provost. This meant he was in charge of a church or a group of priests.
Rainald became a very important person in Hildesheim. He even helped build the first stone bridge over the Innerste river there. He went to a big church meeting, the Council of Reims, in 1148. There, he spoke out against a rule about what priests should wear.
In 1153, Rainald became provost of two more monasteries. These were St Maurice in Hildesheim and St Peter's Abbey in Goslar. Soon after, he also became provost of churches in Münster, Maastricht, and Xanten. However, when he was offered the top church job in Hildesheim, he said no.
Working for the Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa became King of the Romans in 1152. He quickly noticed Rainald's skills. Rainald showed his political talent when he was sent to meet Pope Eugene III in Rome. After Frederick became Holy Roman Emperor in 1155, he chose Rainald as his main advisor, or chancellor.
Disagreements with the Pope
Rainald played a key role in the growing conflict between the emperor and the Pope. At a meeting in October 1157, Rainald made it clear what he wanted. He wanted to strengthen the emperor's power, especially in Italy. He also wanted to make the German church more independent from the Pope.
Rainald was a strong and sometimes harsh leader. Even though he was a church official, he was also a skilled fighter. He greatly influenced Emperor Frederick's decisions. The conflict with the Pope became very serious at the meeting in 1157. Rainald argued strongly with the Pope's representative. He disagreed with the Pope using a word that could mean "gift" or "land given by a lord." Rainald thought the Pope was trying to show he had power over the emperor.
Rainald did not want to completely separate Germany from the Pope. But his strong personality pushed the emperor further than he might have wanted. In 1158, Rainald traveled to Italy. He helped prepare the way for the emperor's military campaign there.
Becoming Archbishop of Cologne
In January 1159, Rainald entered the city of Milan in Italy. The city had been taken by the emperor in 1158. But the people of Milan drove Rainald out and almost killed him. While he was still with the emperor's army, he was chosen to be the Archbishop of Cologne. He also became the Archchancellor of Italy.
When Pope Adrian died in 1159, two different popes were chosen. This caused a big split, or schism, in the church. Rainald supported the emperor's chosen pope, who was called Victor IV. At a church council in 1160, Rainald acted as the emperor's representative. He tried to convince the kings of France and England to support Victor IV, but he did not succeed.
In 1162, Emperor Barbarossa attacked Milan again. The city was eventually destroyed. In 1163, Pope Alexander III removed Rainald from the church. This happened because Rainald had loudly said that the emperor had the right to choose the Pope. Rainald continued to help the emperor in Italy. When Victor IV died, Rainald quickly chose a new pope, Paschal III, without waiting for the emperor's permission. Rainald wanted to force the emperor to continue fighting for his power.
Bringing Relics to Cologne
In 1164, Rainald returned to Germany. He brought with him the bones of the Three Magi to Cologne. He had taken them from Milan as a gift from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Today, these bones are still in the Cologne Cathedral.
More and more people in Germany started to oppose the official Pope. Rainald finally convinced the English king to support Paschal III. Rainald also hoped that making Charlemagne a saint in Aachen in 1165 would help his goals. A new alliance was formed. The English king's daughter, Matilda, was engaged to the Saxon duke Henry the Lion. During this time, Rainald also supported a famous poet known as the Archpoet.
In 1167, Rainald was back in Italy. He was actively preparing for the emperor's arrival. Along with another archbishop, Christian I of Mainz, Rainald led an army. They won a battle against a much larger Roman army in May 1167. Then they surrounded the city of Rome.
Rainald died soon after, probably from a disease called malaria. His body was brought back to Cologne. He was buried in the Lady Chapel of the Cologne Cathedral.
