Adalberon, bishop of Laon

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Not be confused with Adalberon, archbishop of Rheims (d. 988 or 989).

Adalberon, or Ascelin (d. 1030 or 1031) was a French bishop and poet.

Life

He studied at Reims and became bishop of Laon in 977. When Laon was taken by Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, in 988, he was put into prison, whence he escaped and sought the protection of Hugh Capet, king of France. Winning the confidence of Charles of Lorraine and of Arnulf, archbishop of Reims, he was restored to his see; but he soon took the opportunity to betray Laon, together with Charles and Arnulf, into the hands of Hugh Capet. Subsequently he took an active part in ecclesiastical affairs, and died on July 19, 1030/1031.

Works

Adalberon wrote a satirical poem in the form of a dialogue dedicated to Robert II of France, in which he showed his dislike of Odilo, abbot of Cluny, and his followers, and his objection to persons of humble birth being made bishops. The poem was first published by H. Valois in the Carmen panegyricum in laudem Berengarii (Paris, 1663), and in modern times by J. P. Migne in the Patrologia Latina, volume cxli. (Paris, 1844). He seems to be famous in French history because of a poem in which he made mention of (the) three orders in society : "oratores, bellatores, laboratores" : the clergy ("praying Church"), nobles and chivalry ("the fighting church"), and, third, the labouring people ("church of toiling"), the last one supporting the others, and all supporting the whole edifice of mankind. This idea was incorporated into the "three social orders" of the Ancien Régime in France.

Sources

"Histoire de la France", ed. George Duby, Larousse 1988, tome I, P.301;
Franco Gardini, in "The Medieval World",ed. Jacques le Goff,1987, Eng.transl. 1990, Collins & Brown,P.75. Not in the more pragmatic (?) English literature. -

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