Winfrid Bonifatius

672/675

Winfrid is born in Wessex, England.

approx. 680

He joines the monastery Aet Exanceastre, and changes few years later to the monastery Nursling near Winchester.

702/705

Ordination to the priesthood.

718-719

First journey to Rome where pope Gregor II sends him on a mission to the Germanic peoples. To reorganise the church Gregor II sends Bonifatius to Thuringia, which is already regarded as Christian. Furthermore he gives Winfrid the name Bonifatius, the name of a saint of the previous day.

721-722

Mission in Hesse and Thuringia.

722-723

Second journey to Rome. He is ordained to bishop of mission by pope Gregor II. Order to reorganise in the Hesse-Thuringia area as well as for the mission in Saxony.

723-732

Endeavours of Bonifatius to arrange the church in Hesse and Thuringia in a "canonical" way, meaning to include the Roman church organisation. Construction of several churches and monasteries. Bonifatius evolves more and more from missionary into organiser.

723

Bonifatius destroys many sites of pagan rituals such as the sanctified oaktree near Geismar which is dedicated to Donar.

732

Pope Gregor III (731-741) appoints Bonifatius to archbishop.

733/735

Journey to Bavaria

737

Begin of the third jorney to Rome. The pope promotes the missionary to a papal legate for the Germanic area which implies an option for drastic reforms.

738

Bonifatius leaves Rome and devotes himself to the reform of the Bavarian church, the tribal area should be divided into four canonicly organised dioceses with the help of duke Odilo.

739

Canonical arrangement of the Bavarian church province by Bonifatius with the dioceses Salzburg, Regensburg, Freising and Passau. Six years later the diocese Eichstätt follows.

741-747

Pippin the Younger and Karlmann follow the Franconian majordomo Karl Martell. Both are much more open towards Bonifatius’ objectives.

21 April 743

Concilium Germanicum, first reform synod in the realm of the Francs (Austrasia), which was, in accordance with the Carolingians,  supposed to work against the secularisation of the clergy. As metropolitan Bonifatius receives the suzerainty over the bishops.

744

Synods in Les Estinnes and Soissons which partly only repeat the decisions of 743. Sign for a slowdown of the reforms.

12 March 744

The monastery of Fulda, the centre of Bonifatius’ activity, is founded. It is supposed to become a role model for a Benedictine abbey.

745-747

Other synods are held but Bonifatius loses ground and the initiative vests more and more with local powers.

747

This is also fortified by the decision of Karlmann, who is the most important of Bonifatius’ supporters, to end his life as a monk. From there onwards Pippin rules alone and negotiates directly with the pope, without consulting with Bonifacius.

746/747

Bonifacius is assigned the diocese of Mainz.

751

Pippin is crowned king of Franconia, with the pope’s approval.

751

Monastery Fulda receives the papal "Exemtionsprivileg". This is a document which exempts the monastery from the Franconian church organisation and makes the monastery legaly directly responsible to the pope. Thus Bonifatius wanted to protect the monastery beyond his death. Thereon Fulda becomes one of the leading monasteries in the Franconian realm.

753-754

Visitation and missionary journey to Frisia.

5 June 754

Martyr death of the archbishop and his 51 associates in Dokkum. On this day the confirmation of new converts was to take place. But a group of pagans surprises Bonifatius and kills him and his associates. His remains are entombed in the monastery of Fulda and a short time later the adoration of Bonifatius as saint begins.