THIONVILLE (DIEDENHOFEN), COUNCILS OF

In 806 charlemagne announced his intention of dividing his empire between his three sons, Pepin, Charles, and Louis. After his death in 814, three ecclesiasticalpolitical synods were held at Thionville (Theodonis Villa, Germ. Diedenhofen) near Metz, the last two of which, in fact, concerned quarrels between descendants of Charlemagne.

(1) In October 821, on the occasion of the marriage of Lothair, the eldest son of Louis the Pious, a synod of 32 bishops issued four decrees respecting the maltreatment of subdeacons, deacons, priests, and bishops; the decrees were then confirmed by Louis and Lothair.

(2) In February 835, 15 months after Louis had abdicated at Soissons under extreme pressure from Lothair and had done penance for alleged crimes, he was rehabilitated at a synod of 43 bishops at Thionville, each bishop presenting, at the request of Louis, a written opinion on the advisability of his restoration. On receiving a unanimous vote, Louis was escorted to Metz and crowned there (Feb. 22, 835), after which he and the synod returned to Thionville to pronounce sentence upon Abp. ebbo of reims and other bishops who, siding with Lothair, had harassed Louis.

(3) Four years after the death of Louis his three surviving sons, Lothair, Louis the German, and the young Charles, their disputes settled, solemnly approved at Thionville in October 844 six decrees that appealed to the princes to keep the peace among themselves (can. 1), to fill vacant sees with worthy men and to recall all exiled bishops (can. 2), to see that monasteries were taken out of lay hands (can. 3, 5), to ensure that Church property be restored (can. 4), and to reaffirm the ancient dignity of the clerical state (can. 6).

Bibliography: j. d. mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio (Graz 1960) 14:389–394, 657–670, 807–808. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Leges 1:228–229. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Concilia 2.2:696–703. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Capitularia 2.1:112–116. c. j. von hefele Histoire des conciles d'après les documents originaux, tr. and continued by h. leclerq (Paris 1907–38) 4.1:31–34, 89–92, 116–117. Histoire de l'église depuis les origines jusqu'à nos jours, ed. a. fliche and v. martin (Paris 1935) 6:213–214, 224–225, 272.

[l. e. boyle]