(48) 1. RANIERO (?-ca. 1101)

(1) Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, I, col. 888; and Mas Latrie, Trésor de chronologie d'histoire et de géographie, col. 11180, no. 13, say that he may be confused with Cardinal Rangier, O.S.B. (1091). Cristofori, Cronotasi dei cardinali di Santa Romana Chiesa, confuses him with Cardinal Ascanio (ca. 1105).

(49) 4. UBERTI, O.S.B.Vall., Bernardo degli (ca. 1060-1133)

Birth. Ca. 1060, Florence. Of a noble and rich family. Son of Bruno degli Uberti. Grandson of Corbizo degli Uberti. Nephew of Cardinal Pietro Igneo Aldobrandini, O.S.B.Vall. (1072).

Education. Entered the Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictines) at Vallombrose.

Priesthood. Ordained (no further information found). On July 1, 1085, he made a donation to the monastery of S. Salvi, in Florence, for his father's eternal repose. He made another donation for his father and grandfather on April 26, 1089. Abbot of the monastery of S. Salvi in 1092. In 1098, he was elected 7th superior general of his order after the death of Abbot Almarius on December 5, 1097. He was called to Rome by Pope Urban II and promoted to the cardinalate.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest of S. Crisogono in a consistory celebrated ca. 1097 (1). Subscribed papal bulls issued on August 30, 1099; and March 23 and April 14, 1100. He was replaced in his title in 1099. On March 7, 1100, at the monastery of S. Salvi, he presided over a meeting of all the abbots of the Vallombrosan congregation; important resolutions on the organization and discipline of the monastery federation were enacted; Bernardo signed the resolutions of the meeting as Bernardus indignus Cardinalis B. Petri Apostolorum Principis, et dictus Abbas Vallisumbrosae; as the abbot was often absent from Vallombrosa, the prior of the monastery functioned as his representative. Subscribed papal bulls issued between April 14, 1100 and October 26, 1106. At the beginning of 1101, he was named legate in Lombardy and at the same time, advisor to Countess Marthilde; on April 7, 1101 he was in Grosseto; on May 4, 1101, in Governolo, at his intervention, the countess restituted some lands to the pope; on the following May 14, in the presence of the countess, the legate decided a legal case in favor of the monastery of S. Benedetto Po. On November 30, 1101 and March 4, 1102, he was at the Lateran palace. He soon returned to his legation. In 1102, he was in Milan for the election of Grosulano as archbishop of that city. In July 1102, he decided a dispute, together with Archbishop Grosulano, in Monza. On the following August 18, he was in Pavia. In October, 1102, Countess Mathilde made a donation to S. Apollonius in Canossa in the presence of the legate; on October 18, he was with the countess in Panzano, On November 17, 1102 the countess renewed the deed of donation of Canossa, in presence of the legate, by which she had given to the Roman church her whole property, as she had once done under Pope Gregory VII; also in that year, he went to Carpi, where Bishop Buonsignore of Reggio, in presence of Cardinal Bernardo, made a donation for the monastery of Marolo. In the March of 1103, Cardinal Bernardo was with Countess Mathilde in Castro Panciano. On May 1, 1104, the legate witnessed a donation of the bishop of Mantua in Piadena. In August of that same year, the legate went to Parma, in order to try to keep the faithful loyal to Pope Paschal II in his struggle against Emperor Heinrich V; when the legate arose to speak publicly, a large riot of the citizenry developed and he was driven out by force; Countess Mathilde, with armed troops, demanded a satisfaction from the city. Around the year 1104, in the legate's presence, a contract between the abbot of Polirone and the bishop of Mantua was completed. In September 1104, he appears again as an advisor to Countess Mathilde in Cosogno; and as a judge in a dispute in Modena. On March 20, 1105, Bernardo was at the Lateran palace and signed a papal bull. In August 1105, in Parma, he tried unsuccessfully to recruit troops for Pope Paschal II in his fight against the German king. In 1106, he solved a controversy between the abbot of S. Maria di Pomposa and the clergy of S. Michele di Soleria. Attended the Council of Guastalla in October 1106. At the council, the pope confirmed the choice of the inhabitants of Parma and elected Cardinal Bernardo their bishop; in the choosing of the cardinal as bishop of Parma, Countess Mathilde was probably the driving force. At the same time, the people of Parma submitted themselves to the obedience of Pope Paschal II.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Parma in October 1106. In the first days of November 1106, the pope went to Parma and consecrated the cathedral of S. Maria as well as the new bishop (2). At the same time, the pope named the bishop of Parma as his vicar for Lombardy. As papal vicar, he issued an order to the monastery S. Pietro in Pavia at the end of 1106. Soon thereafter, he was in Carpi with Countess Mathilde; and in May to June 1109, he was in San Cesareo. In February 1111, Bishop Bernardo was in Rome in the company of the pope and with him was likewise imprisoned by Emperor Heinrich because of the investitures controversy; Countess Mathilde obtained from the emperor his release. Attended the coronation of Emperor Heinrich V in Rome on April 13, 1113. In June 1114, Bishops Bernardo and Buonsignore of Reggio, and Countess Mathilde were "apud montem Baruntionis". On May 1, 1122, Pope Callistus II renewed the apostolic protection of the abbey of S. Maria in Praglia (diocese of Padua) by switching it to the bishop of Parma. In the schism of 1130, Bishop Bernardo stood with Pope Innocent II; as Lothar of Saxony, in the autumn of 1132, appeared for the first time in Italy, the pope hurried to the bishop of Parma, although the latter was already rather ill; on behalf of the pope, the bishop met with Lothar in Verona.

Death. December 4 (or 12), 1133, Parma. Buried in the cathedral of Parma (3).

Sainthood. Inscribed in the Roman Martyrology, his feast is celebrated on December 4; the feast was approved by Popes Alexander VII and Clement IX, with its own lessons, for the diocese of Parma. In his congregation, he considered their third founding father, together with Saints Benedict and Giovanni Gualberto, founder of the Benedictine branch of Vallombrosa.

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1792, I, pt. 1, 193-195; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, I, col. 890-894, no. XXIII; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. Les cardinaux du XIè siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1927. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1928, p. 150-151, no. 31; Gams, Pius Bonifatius. Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae. 3 v. in 1. Graz : Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1957, p. 745; Ganzer, Klaus. Die entwicklung des auswärtigen kardinalats im hohen mittelater ; ein beitrag zur geschichte des kardinalkollegiums vom 11. bis 13. jahrhundert. Tügingen : Niemeyer, 1963. (Bibliotek des Deutschen Historischen Instituts in Rome, band XXVI), p. 51-55, n. 16; Hüls, Rudolf. Kardinäle, Klerus und Kirchen Roms: 1049-1130. 1 aufl. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer, 1977. (Bibliothek des Deutschen Historischen Instituts in Rom: Bd. 48), p. 172-174, no. 5; Klewitz, Hans-Walter. Reformpapsttum und Kardinalkolleg. Die Entstehung des Kardinalkollegiums. Studien über die Wiederherstellung der römischen Kirche in Süditalien durch das Reformpapsttum. Das Ende des Reformpapsttums. Darmstadt : Hermann Gentner Verlag, 1957, p. 122, no. 3; Mas Latrie, Louis. Trésor de chronologie d'histoire et de géographie pour l'étude et l'emploi des documents du moyen âge. Paris : Librairie Victor Palmé, 1889, col. 1181, no. 23; Regesta pontificum Romanorum ab conditio Ecclesia. Ad annum post Christum natum MCXCVIII. Graz : Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1956. 2 v. Reprint. Originally published : Lipsiae : Veit et comp., 1885-1888. Original t.p. included : Regesta pontificum Romanorum ab condita ecclesia : ad annum post Christum natum MCXCVIII. Editionem secundam correctam et auctam edidit Philippus Jaffè ; auspiciis Gulielmi Wattenbach; curaverunt S. Loewenfeld, F. Kaltenbrunner, P. Ewald, I, 702.

Webgraphy. Biography by Raffaele Volpini, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 9 (1967), Treccani; his portrait and biography, in Italian, Wikipedia; his image and biographical data, in English, CatholicSaints.Info; biography, in Italian, Santi e Beati; biography, in Italian, p. 4; biography, also in Italian (under "Uberti'); biography, in Danish, Annas Rome Guide; his engraving, 19th century, Biblioteca Panizzi, Reggio Emilia, Italy; his portrait by Alessandro Magnasco (called "Lessandrino"), Fondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi, Parma, Italy; Cathedral of Parma and the cardinal's chapel, flickr.

(1) This is according to Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, I, pt. 1, 194; Hüls, Kardinäle, Klerus und Kirchen Roms: 1049-1130, p. 172-174, no. 5; and his biographical entry, linked above. Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, I, col. 894, no. XXIII, says that he may have been created cardinal towards 1092.
(2) According to Ganzer, Die entwicklung des auswärtigen kardinalats im hohen mittelater, p. 54, after his promotion to the episcopate, the bishop appeared in documents as "venerabili fratri Bernardo, Parmensi episcopo"; and Ganzer adds that the title of S. Crisogono appears occupied in 1107 and 1110 by Cardinal Berardo, who later was bishop of Marsi; Bernardo appeared only as "vicarius S.R.E.", but no more as cardinal. In a document from June 1, 1124 to Abbot Hermann of Polirone, Pope Callistus II mentioned Bernardo as a witness of an earlier legal transaction and said thereby of him: "in presentia venerabilium fratrum nostrorum Bernardi, qui tunc temporis apostolice sedis more presbiter et legatus, nunc Parmensis episcopus est". Ganzer concludes, based on this document, that Bernardo was ruled out from the number of cardinals.
(3) Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, I, col. 894, transcribed this inscription from the tomb of the cardinal indicating that its authenticity is dubious: