Bruno the Great
Brun, also commonly known as Bruno or Brun ( o) of Saxony called, (* 925, † October 11 965 in Reims ) was 940-953 Registrar of the East Frankish - German Empire and then Archbishop of Cologne.
Life
Brun was the third and youngest son of the East Frankish king Henry I, Duke of Saxony, and his second wife Mathilda. He had five siblings: the future King and Roman- German Emperor Otto I the Great, Henry I (c. 920-955 ), Duke of Bavaria, Gerberga, Hadwig and the oldest half-brother Thankmar.
The age of five, he was selected for the clergy and handed over to the bishop Balderich of Utrecht. He attended the Cathedral School in Utrecht until he was called 939 from his brother Otto I to the royal court. Here he was able to complete his education among the bishops Israel and Rather of Verona. Brun was considered one of the most educated men in the empire of his time. 940 he was only 15 years chancellor at the court of his brother and reorganized the chancellery. 951 he was appointed as Erzkaplan also the highest Hofgeistliche.
953 he was elected at the behest of Otto Archbishop of Cologne. In early September it 953 belieh Otto I the Duchy of Lorraine, which he had his rebellious son Konrad removed from the Reds. This was Brun, who pulled himself against Konrad in the war, the second most powerful man in the kingdom behind his brother, against whom he was always loyal.
954 he was appointed guardian of his nephew Lothar of France, the son of his sister Gerberga, Regent of France. Two years later he took over the guardianship of Hugh Capet, the son of his sister Hadwig. As a result, he constantly had to mediate between his two nephews rival to the French crown. In addition, Brun was during the absence of Otto I, together with Archbishop William of Mainz, not only Regent of the Empire, but also guardian of his nephew Otto II, whom he had anointed in Aachen on 26 May 961 the German king.
Brun made his exemplary contribution to the promotion of convent schools. He was also a supporter and promoter of the monastic reform of Gorze, the advocated a strong monasticism under secular rule of the respective sovereigns. As archbishop of Cologne, he had royal by his brother privileges such as the right to fix the city to hold markets, to mint coins and to levy taxes, receive, which further strengthened Cologne's position as the most important city of the Empire. In addition, his court was the intellectual and artistic center in Germany. Here many of the leading scholars and later bishops received their training. In addition to his scholarship and his loyalty towards Otto Brun was considered quite power-conscious, but also as a very pious and humble person.
He died on 11 October 965 in Reims, after he tried once again to mediate between contending his nephew in France. Brun was his own request buried according to where he founded the monastery of St. Pantaleon in Cologne. He is in the Catholic Church as a saint and also in the Protestant church as memorable witness to the faith. His Roman Catholic feast day is his dying day, October 11; His feast day in the Protestant calendar name is a day earlier, on October 10.