Hervé, Archbishop of Reims

Heriveus of Reims (died 2 July 922) was a West Frankish churchman and political advisor. In 900, he was consecrated archbishop of Reims, holding this position until his death. Heriveus's tenure was marked by the genesis of the duchy of Normandy and the growing discord between the Carolingian king Charles the Simple and his Robertian rival Robert of Neustria. Biography Heriveus was born to a noble Frankish family. The Reims historian Flodoard, who knew Heriveus well, states that he was the nephew of Hucbald, count of Ostrevent and Senlis, who was a son-in-law of Eberhard of Friuli. Heriveus is attested as a notary in the office of King Odo in 894, serving under the archchancellor Walter of Sens. After Charles the Simple succeeded Odo in 898, Heriveus continued to serve in the royal chancery, now led by Fulk of Reims. Following Fulk's murder in 900, Heriveus succeeded him as archbishop of Reims, and was ordained by the suffragan bishops of the province on 6 July 900. As archbishop, Heriveus was a committed pastor and effective administrator. He oversaw several translations of saints' relics, including the movement of the body of St Remigius to a new position behind the altar in the abbey of Saint-Remi. He rebuilt several Reims fortifications which had been damaged or destroyed by the Vikings, including that at Mouzon on the river Meuse. In 902, he concluded an agreement with Archbishop Hatto of Mainz concerning the church of Reims's property rights in the Vosges and dedicated a new church in Kusel. In 909, Heriveus convened a provincial synod at Trosly. The surviving acts state that the council had been called in order to address the recent devastation wrought upon the region by the Vikings and to condemn other moral failings. Heriveus and his provincial bishops implored clerics to avoid sinful behavior and laymen to respect ecclesiastical property and rights, and called for monasticism to be revived.