A letter from Nicholas I, pope (863, Oct.)

Translated letter:

Nicholas bishop, servant of the servants of God to his beloved Ermentrud, glorious queen. The letters of your love, dearest daughter, exhorting us that we should hear the glorious king Charles, your husband, also our beloved son, the case of bishop Rothad, we have received now a second time. For which, believe me, we are much anguished and pressured on all sides, since we can not persuade you to feel one with us in what you wish, nor again is the case such that we can postpone in any way without offence to God. Truly, daughter, as I may say with your charity, judge yourself rather if it is more fitting to obey God than men. Yet we do not suffer the case of Rothad to be left undiscussed, with life obliging, in the power of God unless the venerable man shall have been first restored to honor and rank, before his case is presented to be decided in our special presence. To whom, I ask, in the whole world of your kingdom, if he ever claimed damage or harm to your sublimity would you postpone his call and not rather avenge the injuries with strict punishment? And should we, as you seem to exhort, not listen to the call of blood of our brother? How shall we stop our ears to his complaints, when we are vehemently terrified that our prayer may be execrable because of this and we call out, as it is written, and are not heard? Certainly out of the sollicitude which we have for the universal church of God, and for the special care which we have to all our brothers principally, even if none complained or called on us, we should have the highest diligence to seek and help with studious zeal. What you wrote, however, that if we listened to our son, there would be no harm but advantage to our church in privileges: we most certainly believe that the privileges of the holy Roman church can sustain no harm, nor can the planting which the heavenly father planted be uprooted, nor can the foundations which the highest architect put in place be moved no matter who or what floods attempt it. Nevertheless, dearest daughter, a great danger remains as much for those who allow their disagreements to diminish her in any way, as for those who strive to violate her by their presumption. About hearing or not hearing our son Charles, your husband, we have sent through our venerable deacon Liudo an explanation we think suitable to you. Truly we, whatever we send to him admonishing or exhorting or even reproving, we do not doubt his salvation or that of his loved ones nor that he will succeed in the keeping his kingdom safe, rather we entrust it altogether to God as author. May divine majesty keep your serenity unharmed, dearest daughter.

Original letter:

Nicholaus episcopus servus servorum dei dilectae Hirmintrudi gloriosae reginae.

Litteras dilectionis vestrae, filia karissima, ut gloriosum regem Karolum, virum vestrum, nostrum autem dilectum filium, in causa Rothadi episcopi exaudiamus, nos ortantes ecce nunc secundo suscepimus. Pro que re, mihi credite, multum anxiamur multumque undique coartamur, quoniam nec nos possumus vobis, ut nobiscum de illo unum sentiatis id ipsumque velitis, suadere, nec rursus causa talis est, quam sine offensione Dei nos valeamus utcumque postponere. Verum, filia, ut cum caritate vestra dicam, si oporteat oboedire Deo magis quam hominibus, ipsa potius iudica. Nos autem causam Rothadi in virtute Dei non patiemur vita comite indiscussam relinqui, praeter si ante idem venerabilis vir pristino fuerit honori ac dignitati redditus, quam coram nostra speciali praesentia decernenda causa ipsius extiterit praesentata. Quis, rogo, in toto orbe regni vestri Iesus aut ledendus clamaret umquam ad sublimitatem vestram, cuius vos vocem postponeretis et non magis ultione districta ipsius iniurias vindicaretis? Et nos, quo modo ortari videmini, ut vocem sanguinis fratris nostri non exaudiamus? Aut quomodo obturabimus aures ad clamores illius, cum vehementer paveamus, ne nostra ob hoc fiat oratio execrabilis clamemusque, sicut scriptum est, et non exaudiamur? Certe pro sollicitudine, quam circa universam Dei ecclesiam retinemus, et pro speciali cura, quam circa cunctos fratres nostros principaliter habemus, etiamsi numquam clamasset, numquam vocasset, a nobis summa diligentia quaeri et competenti debuerat studio adiuvari.

Quod autem scripsistis, quia, si exaudiamus filium nostrum, non detrimentum, sed augmentum ecclesiae nostrae privilegiis generetur: nos certissime credimus, quia privilegia sanctae Romanae ecclesiae nullum possunt sustinere detrimentum nec plantatio, quam caelestis pater plantavit, eradicari nec fundamenta, quae summus posuit architectus, queant quibuslibet et quantislibet fluctuationibus amoveri. Verumtamen, filia karissima, magnum manet periculum tam illis, qui sua desidia ea minui aliquo modo sinunt, quam eis, qui sua praesumptione illa violare contendunt. De exaudiendo vero vel non exaudiendo filio nostro Karolo, coniuge vestro, per Liudonem venerabilem diaconum idoneam vobis, ut remur, misimus rationem. Verum nos, quicquid illi ammonendo vel ortando vel etiam increpando mittimus, ad eius et dilectorum illius salutem atque ad regni ipsius incolomitatem proficere non dubitamus, immo Deo auctore omnino confidimus. Incolumem serenitatem vestram divina conservet maiestas, karissima filia.

Historical context:

Ermentrud apparently sent the pope two letters asking him to hear her husband in the case of bishop Rothad to which he replies that he is unable to postpone action unless the man is first restored to his position. From his indignant response to her assurance that no harm, but only increase of privilege would come to the church, one assumes he took it as a combined threat and attempted bribe.

Printed source:

MGH, Ep.Kar.Aevi 4, ep.64, 376-77.

Date:

863, Oct.