Despite the tradition that he was a member of the
Confalonieri family, this is not confirmed. When he was not yet a bishop, Anspert received by
emperor Louis II the asset of Ansprand, who had killed the monarch's brother. He was appointed archbishop of Milan on 26 June 868 and under Louis II he was
missus dominicus. An educated man, he asked Irish monks to found the archbishop's
scriptorium in
Milan, a centre for the production of
illuminated manuscripts. On 12 August 875, he moved to
Brescia, where the emperor had just died, and organized his sepulture in the
basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan. In January of the following year, he participated in the coronation of
Charles the Bald in
Pavia, and received from the new king further territories at
Cavenago,
Vimercate and
Ornago. In July 877 he took part in a council at
Ravenna in which he obtained several privileges for the Milanese archbishopric. After Charles the Bald's death (877), Anspert entered into conflict with
Pope John VIII, who favoured
Boso of Vienne as King of Italy, while the Milanese proposed
Carloman of Bavaria. On 1 June 879 he was excommunicated and, in the following October, deposed; however, Anspert remained in charge as the Milanese clergymen supported him. Anspert and John reconciled when they met at the coronation of
Charles the Fat as King of Italy (6 January 880) at Ravenna. During his tenure as archbishop the church of Milan was named as
Ambrosian Anspert died in Milan in December 881 and was buried in the
church of Sant'Ambrogio. ==Sources==