Walter of the Mill

Walter, falsely of the Mill ( neulat. Offamilius, Italian Gualtiero Offamilio, the autograph form of the name is Gualterius ) (* in Sicily; † after June 1190, Palermo ) was Archbishop of Palermo from 1169 to 1190 and a leading member of the Familiarenkollegiums at the court of William II of Sicily.

Origin and career

An English origin Walters was first postulated by Rocco Pirri in Sicilia Sacra with the non- contemporary nickname Ophamilius and then generally nachgeschrieben. Already in 1887 ( sic) has William Behring, a high school teacher in the East Prussian Elbing shown that it is in Of the Mill ( Ophamilius ) to a misinterpretation of the Greek, without this knowledge would have been rezipiert in Italy and Sicily. Nearly a hundred years later, an American has repeated this observation in the scientific literature, this realization is gradually, but outside of the medical profession is the English origin Walters an apparently ineradicable myth, even if Englishmen played a role in the history of Sicily in the 12th century have. However Πρωτοφαμιλιάριος does not occur as self-expression. In the autograph signature Walter familiarius only used the term when he is not at all omitted. Equating with Gualterus Anglicus is not durable, but it can be regarded as the author of a hymn to St. Agatha.

Walter was archdeacon of Cefalù, then dean of Agrigento, canons of the court orchestra and teacher of the sons of William I, this task but had to share 1166 with Peter of Blois. The family was based in Sicily, known are the names of his mother Bona and two brothers: Bartholomew was bishop of Agrigento since 1171. Another brother John is attested in 1174.

In the transformation of the Familiarenrats after the expulsion of Stephen of Perche, he managed to largely reduce the influence of the other familiars. Only the magister notarius and later Vice-Chancellor of Salerno Matheus could claim a similar influence, so that Richard of San Germano could call the two as "pillars of the empire ". Hugo Falcandus declared him in the final sentence of his Historia to the actual rulers.

In September 1169 Walter was ordained in Palermo archbishop after Pope Alexander III. had given its approval despite the opposition of Queen Margaret. In the control of the Church's elections, which had been granted to the king of Sicily in the Treaty of Benevento, he was the principal adviser, in domestic policy he tried to balancing the tension and avoid conflict, which is why the era of William II of posterity appeared in a transfigured light. Walters resistance to the survey Monreales to the archbishopric was unsuccessful. Even he founded the Cistercian abbey of Santo Spirito and operational construction of the new cathedral, which was consecrated in 1185. The former Greek Abbey of S. Trinità di Ligno he also contributed to the Cistercians.

In foreign policy, he promoted the settlement with the Western Empire by the marriage of William's aunt Constance with Henry VI. The sworn duty of the Sicilian nobility to the Hohenstaufen Eventualnachfolge at a national assembly in 1184 Troy goes back to his initiative, where he was able to prevail against the Vice-Chancellor Matheus. After the death of William in 1189 his staufer friendly policy was not a majority, as well as Pope Celestine III. acted against a succession of Henry. In January 1190 had Walter Tancred of Lecce in Palermo crowned King and leave his old rival Matheus the field.

Walter died during the year 1190 and was buried in the cathedral. 1728 the sarcophagus was transferred to the newly created crypt.

The end of 1191 his brother Bartholomew was collected with the consent of Tancred Archbishop of Palermo.