Liudhard

Liudhard (also Leudard, Letard or Letald; † 600 ) was a Frankish bishop in the late 6th century.

Life

To Liudhards origin no details were preserved. Also the diocese over which he presided is unknown. To 580 married Bertha, daughter of the Merovingian Frankish king Charibert I. and Ingo Berga, the pagan Aethelberht I of Kent. She brought Bishop Liudhard as their chaplain to England. By sending a bishop was certainly a missionary activity and the ordination of priests intended, but was handed no Christianization by Liudhard. Perhaps he found when he arrived already a Romano- Britannic Christian community before. Grave finds in the environment of the church indicate conversions by Liudhard. On the other hand, it should probably also be active as a diplomat for Chilperic I of Neustria at the court of Canterbury and was in contact with the bishops of the Frankish Empire. A native of Roman church was rebuilt and St. Martin of Tours, one of the main patrons of the Frankish royal family, consecrated. The St. Martin's Church in Canterbury is now a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Liudhard brought Frankish culture influences to the court Eormenrics and Æthelberhts in Canterbury. He probably died in the year 595 or 600 and was buried in St. Martin's Chapel, the mausoleum of the abbey church, " Peter and Paul ", in Canterbury. He is venerated as a saint. His feast day is February 24.

William of Malmesbury, a historian of the 12th century, reported that the relics were carried around Liudhards during a drought in a procession and then it rained heavily. In the 19th century the " Canterbury Hoard " was found near the St. Martin's Church. Among other objects it contained a commemorative medal in honor Liudhards from the end of the 6th century with the inscription LEV · DΛR · DVS · EP ( iscopu ) S ( "Bishop Liudhard "). It is unknown whether the object was originally intended as a coin and was used secondarily as a medallion, but it is mainly viewed as an original piece of jewelry and amulet.

Swell

Francia Bertha of Kent Franks St Augustine's Abbey Internet History Sourcebooks Project Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England Barbara Yorke
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