Suggest an Edit — Annon

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Biography

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Annon, more commonly known in Latin and German sources as Anno II of Cologne (also Hanno), was an eleventh-century archbishop of Cologne and a central figure in the politics and church life of the Holy Roman Empire. He was born in the early eleventh century into a Swabian noble family, the Steusslingen. He received his education at the cathedral school of Bamberg, then a leading centre of learning, and entered imperial service. Emperor Henry III made him a court chaplain and, in 1056, appointed him Archbishop of Cologne, a see that combined great spiritual authority with princely power, including the office of archchancellor for Italy.

During the minority of Henry IV, Annon became one of the dominant secular as well as ecclesiastical actors in the empire. In 1062 he led the Coup of Kaiserswerth, seizing the young king from the Empress-regent Agnes of Poitou and thereby taking a leading share in the regency. He shared power uneasily with other magnates, notably Adalbert of Bremen. Contemporary writers give a mixed verdict: some credit him with restoring order and upholding clerical discipline, while others accuse him of pride, harshness, and nepotism, including the promotion of relatives to important bishoprics. He took part in councils and maintained contact with the reforming papacy of the period.

Annon was an energetic founder and reformer of religious houses. In 1064 he established the Benedictine abbey of Siegburg on the Michaelsberg, bringing monks from Fruttuaria in Italy to introduce a strict observance influenced by contemporary Italian and Cluniac ideals. He also founded the collegiate church of St. Maria ad Gradus in Cologne, supported the reform of Grafschaft Abbey, and promoted other communities. These foundations served pastoral, liturgical, and political ends, extending the influence of the church of Cologne. He encouraged church building and the cult of saints within his diocese.

In 1074 the burghers of Cologne rose against his rule, citing grievances over taxation, jurisdiction, and his autocratic manner; he was forced to flee and later returned with imperial support. He died on 4 December 1075 and was buried at Siegburg Abbey. A cult formed at his tomb, miracles were reported, and a vita was composed in a hagiographical vein. Pope Lucius III canonized him in 1183. His feast is observed on 4 December. Later tradition honoured him as a monastic founder and saint of the Cologne church, while historians have continued to weigh his piety against his political ambition.

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