Saint Rimbert

Saint Rimbert (or Rembert) (c. 830 - 11 June 888 in Bremen) was archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, in the northern part of the Kingdom of East Frankia from 865 until his death in 888. He most famously wrote the life of Saint Ansgar, the Vita Ansgari, one of the most popular hagiographies of the middle ages. Little is directly known about Rimbert, much of the information available regarding his life comes from the Vita Rimberti, a hagiography written by an unknown author, likely produced some time in the 10th century. While his place of birth is uncertain it is widely accepted by historians that Rimbert was Danish. As a monk he trained in Turholt (Torhout), after which he shared a missionary trip to Scandinavia with his mentor Ansgar, Bishop of Hamburg. Upon Ansgar's death in 865, Rimbert was unanimously elected Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. Upon his election, Rimbert travelled with Bishop Theodric of Minden and Abbot Adalgar of Corvey to the court of Louis the German, who sent him to Archbishop Liudbert of Mainz to receive his consecration, which he received with the aid of Luidhard of Paderborn and Thoedric. Rimbert continued much of the missionary work that had begun under Ansgar, despite the lack of royal or papal support for the missionary effort. As Archbishop, he maintained the poorhouse in Bremen that had been established by Ansgar and founded a monastery at Bücken. He also continued to preach to the Danes at Hedeby. Rimbert furthermore obtained market, coinage and toll rights for the city of Bremen in 888 from Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia and thus considerably improved the financial state of the archbishopric. In 884 he personally led a Frisian army against the Vikings, and following the victorious Battle of Norditi was able to drive them permanently out of East Frisia. It was also chronicled in the Vita Rimberti that Rimbert had performed numerous miracles, many of which are associated with his missionary work in Sweden.