Walter was born in 967. He was taught to read by his parents. He was sent to the
cathedral school at
Speyer at the age of seven to study under Bishop . Among the authors he studied were
Homer (through the
Ilias Latina),
Martianus Capella,
Horace,
Persius,
Juvenal,
Boethius (the
Consolation of Philosophy),
Statius,
Terence,
Lucan and
Virgil. By 984, he was a
subdeacon. Walter served as a chaplain to the Emperor
Otto III, accompanying him to Venice in April 1001. By 8 August 1004 he was the bishop of Speyer. He described the diocese as a cowpatch (), i.e., a backwater. In 1007, he attended the in support of
Henry II's creation of the
diocese of Bamberg. In 1009, Henry granted him the right to mint coins at
Marbach am Neckar. In 1013–1014, he negotiated Henry's the
coronation as Holy Roman Emperor with
Pope Benedict VIII. Walter took part in the
election of
Conrad II in 1024. Four days after his election, Conrad made a major donation to Speyer and aid the cornerstone for
a new cathedral that would serve as his burial place. The
cathedral school flourished under Walter. An original charter of Walter's, with his seal, dated 7 April 1024, is the oldest in the episcopal archive. He died on 3 December 1027 His epitaph, written by
Ekkehard IV, extols his education and learning. ==Works==