Before his monastic career, Bernard was a soldier under
Charlemagne. The death of his mother and father after seven years of military service had a deep impact on Bernard and caused him to spend all his wealth on charitable purposes, dividing it into three parts: for the church, for the poor, for his children. He bought the
monastery in Ambronay, of which he became abbot. In 810, after resistance, he became archbishop of
Vienne. Bernard, like many other clerics, supported the unity of the
Frankish Empire. He took a position on the side of
Lothair I against his father
Louis the Pious, for which he was deposed in the
Synod of Thionville, although this was never carried out. Towards the end of his life, he retired to a spot on the banks of the river
Isère, where the town of
Romans is today. ==References==