BY THE LATE LEARNED JOHN LAWRENCE MOSHEIM, D. D. AND CHANCellor of tHE UNIVERSITY OF GOTTINGEN. LONDON: PRINTED FOR R.. BAYNES, 25, .IVY-LANE, PATERNOster-row. 1819. THE TWELFTH CENTURY. PART I. The EXTERNAL HISTORY of the CHURCH. CHAPTER I. Concerning the prosperous events that happened to the church during this century. A PART I. ern pro gospel. CONSIDERABLE part of Europe lay yet in- CENT. volved in Pagan darkness, which reigned XII. more especially in the northern provinces. It was, therefore, in these regions of gloomy super- Several of stition, that the zeal of the missionaries was prin- the northcipally exerted in this century; though their vinces reefforts were not all equally successful, nor the ceived the methods they employed for the propagation of light of the the gospel equally prudent. Boleslaus, duke of Poland, having conquered the Pomeranians, offered them peace, upon condition that they would receive the Christian doctors, and permit them to exercise their ministry in that vanquished province. This condition was accepted, and Otho, bishop of Bamberg, a man of eminent piety and zeal, was sent, in the year 1124, to inculcate and explain the doctrines of Christianity, among that superstitious and barbarous people. Many were converted to the faith by his ministry, while great VOL. III. B numbers 216717 XII. CENT. numbers stood firm against his most vigorous efforts, and persisted with an invincible obstinacy PART I. in the religion of their idolatrous ancestors. Nor The Sclavonians and of Rugen. was this the only mortification which that illustrious prelate received in the execution of his pious enterprise; for, upon his return into Germany, many of those whom he had engaged in the profession of Christianity, apostatized in his absence, and relapsed into their ancient prejudices; this obliged Otho to undertake a second voyage into Pomerania, A. D. 1126, in which, after much opposition and difficulty, his labours were crowned with a happier issue, and contributed much to enlarge the bounds of the rising church, and to establish it upon solid foundations [a]. From this period, the Christian religion seemed to acquire daily new degrees of stability among the Pomeranians; who could not be persuaded hitherto to permit the settlement of a bishop among them. They now received Adalbert, or Albert, in that character, who was accordingly the first bishop of Pomerania. II. Of all the northern princes of this century, inhabitants none appeared with a more distinguished lustre of the isle than Waldemar I. king of Denmark, who acquired an immortal name by the glorious battles he fought against the Pagan nations, such as the Sclavonians, Venedi, Vandals, and others, who, either by their incursions or this revolt, drew upon them the weight of his victorious arm. He unsheathed his sword, not only for the defence and happiness [a] See Henr. Canisii Lectiones Antiquæ, tom. iii. part II. p. 34. where we find the life of Otho, who, A. D. 1189, was canonized by Clement III. See the Acta Sanctor. mensis Julii. tom. i. p. 349. Dan. Crameri Chronicon. Eccles. Pomerania, lib. i. as also a learned Dissertation concerning the conversion of the Pomeranians by the ministry of Otho, written in the German language by Christopher Schotgen, and published at Stargard in the year 1724. Add to these Mabillon, Annal. Benedict, tom. vi. p. 123, 146, 323. |