He came from an old North German noble family, and was born at the family seat of Schauenburg castle, on the river
Weser in
Lower Saxony, about 50 km southwest of
Rinteln. He was born as the third son of the Holstein and Schoenenberg Count Adolf III, between 1200 and 1205. He performed many church functions. In 1229 he became a priest of the cathedral chapter in
Lübeck. In 1236 he was a parish priest in
Hamburg, and in 1238 he was elected pastor in
Magdeburg. However, his opponent in this election was wounded and the accused Bruno escaped. In addition, the Magdeburg Archbishop excommunicated him. Bruno, however, went to
Rome and obtained from
Pope and forgiveness. In 1244, the Pope
Innocent IV appointed him a papal priest. On 20 September 1245, the same Pope appointed him a Bishop of Olomouc. It ended with numerous disputes regarding the election of the local bishop. He was ordained bishop in 1247. This year, the Bishop was also accepted by the Czech King Wenceslaus I. Bishop Bruno received special favor from the king after he stood on the side of Wenceslaus I. (Václav I.) in his dispute with his son Przemysl (Přemysl) and later helped to reconcile father and son. In ecclesiastical matters, Bishop Bruno actively sought to reform the ecclesiastical administration. He renewed the old and established a new
deanery. He called
synod, he established new church offices. He also dealt with church property. Near the old settlement, he founded a new town of
Kroměříž with a castle. After the fire damaged the
Saint Wenceslas Cathedral in
Olomouc in 1265, he renewed it in the
Gothic style. He is considered to be a pioneer of the colonization of medieval Moravia, he had previously inhabited uninhabited areas, mainly in the central part (
Drahanská vrchovina) and in the north of Moravia (areas between
Oder and
Ostravice). For example, in his 1267 letter, for the first time
Ostrava (Moravian) was mentioned. In addition to the castle in Kroměříž, he also founded the castles
Mírov,
Blansek,
Fulštejn,
Šaumburk and others. He also contributed to the founding of the towns of
Uherské Hradiště and
Brušperk. Most probably, his name was also called the town of
Braniewo in
Warmia (). After the death of King Wenceslaus, the bishop became an adviser and diplomat of the young king
Ottokar II, as well as a supporter of the royal power in Moravia (the king was also
Moravian ruler). In the years 1254–1255 and 1267–1268 he accompanied the king in the Crusades to
Prussia. Together with the king, Bishop Bruno sought the Pope to raise the Olomouc bishopric to the rank of archbishopric, as well as the establishment of two new bishoprics in Prussia, which were to be subordinated to him. For the King Ottokar II, he gained
Styria, where in the years 1262–1269 he was the hetman. He managed to negotiate the marriage of the king with
Kunigunda of Halych, granddaughter of the king
Béla IV of Hungary. He supported the Pope's King Ottokar II in his efforts for the Roman royal crown. Often, he also stood in the ranks of the armies of King Ottokar II, which at the time was not yet among the clergy as extraordinary. In 1276, he persuaded King Ottokar II to intervene in
Vienna Rudolf I of Germany. In the
Battle on the Marchfeld, Bishop Bruno did not participate. After the defeat of Ottokar II, he paid homage to Rudolf. He entrusted him with the administration of northern Moravia. In 1279, Bishop Bruno was ordained a bishop of Prague
Tobiáš z Bechyně. Bruno von Schauenburg died in 1281. He was buried in front of the main altar in the Church of St. Maurice in Kroměříž, which he established himself. ==Works==