Ratherius

Ratherius (c.887/890–974) was a teacher, writer, and bishop. His political work led to his becoming an exile and a wanderer. He is also known as Rathier or Rather of Verona.

He was born about 887/890 into a noble family which lived in the territory of Liège. While still a boy he was sent as an oblate to Lobbes Abbey belonging to the Order of Saint Benedict in the County of Hainaut, where he was a diligent student, acquired much learning, and became a monk of the abbey. At an early age he displayed a restless nature, a disposition difficult to get along with, great ambition and harsh zeal. Consequently, notwithstanding his strict orthodoxy, wide learning and sobriety of conduct, he met with great difficulties in every position he assumed, and nowhere attained permanent success. His entire life was a wandering one and not in reality fruitful. As presiding bishop he once commented that if he attempted to enforce the canons against unchaste persons who administered ecclesiastical rites, the Church would be without anyone except boys. And if he put into effect canons against bastards, they would also be excluded.

When Abbot Hilduin of Lobbes went in 926 to Italy, where his cousin, Hugh of Italy, was king, he took Ratherius with him as companion. After many difficulties, Ratherius received from the king the Diocese of Verona in 931. Yet he only ruled his see for two years, soon falling into a quarrel with both the members of his diocese and with the king, so that the latter sent him to prison and had him brought to Como. In 939 he escaped from Como into Provence, where he was tutor in a noble family until he returned to the Abbey of Lobbes in 944.

In 946 he went again to Italy and, after he had been held for some time as a prisoner by Berengar II of Italy, the opponent of King Hugo, he obtained once more the Diocese of Verona. The difficulties that arose were again so great that after two years he fled to Germany and for some time wandered restlessly about the country. He took part in the Italian expedition of Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, the son of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, but was not able to regain his diocese, and in 952 returned to Lobbes.

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