Arnaud de Pellegrue (died August 1331) was a
cardinal-nephew of
Pope Clement V, the first pope of the
Avignon Papacy.
Biography
He was born in Château Lamothe,
Ancient Diocese of Bazas
The Diocese of Bazas, centred on Bazas in Aquitaine, covered the Bazadais region, known under the Romans as the ''Vasatensis pagus'' after the ancient occupants, the Vasates. In the 2nd century it was part of the Novempopulania, one of the sevente ...
to the "ancient and noble" house of
de la Mothe Pellegrue, a relative (and probably a nephew) of Clement V. His first name is sometimes given as Arnaldo in Italian sources, and his last name varies as Pelagura, Pelaugrue, or Pelagrua as well.
He was elevated as cardinal deacon of
S. Maria in Portico
Santa Maria in Campitelli or Santa Maria in Portico (''Santa Maria in Portico di Campitelli'') is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the narrow Piazza di Campitelli in Sant'Angelo (rione of Rome), Rione Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy. The church ...
on December 15, 1305. He was also the archdeacon of the cathedral chapter of
Chartres
Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...
,
France, where he built two chapels: one dedicated to
Saint Jérôme, and the other to
Saint Christoph. In 1295, he became
vicar general of Clement V in
Comminges
The Comminges (; Occitan/ Gascon: ''Comenge'') is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne. This natural region is norma ...
, and later became vicar general in
Bordeaux.
[Miranda, Salvador. 1998.]
Consistory of December 15, 1305 (I)
"
As
papal legate
300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate.
A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...
to Italy, Pellegrue was absent from Avignon between January 25, 1309 and December 10, 1310.
Pellegrue led the papal army after Clement V declared war on Venice in 1309 over the disputed lordship of the strategic city of
Ferrara
Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
,
[Chambers, 2006, p. 25.] in which Francesco d'Este and his brothers opposed the succession as ''signore'' of Ferrara of their great-nephew Folco in 1308 and turned to Padua and the papacy for support. In May Pellegrue led the papal army though
Asti
Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...
to
Parma,
Piacenza, and
Bologna, augmenting his forces with local mobs as he passed through.
Pellegrue allied himself with the
Lombards, Bologna, and
Florence (from which he lifted the
interdict).
His forces outnumbered the Venetian supporters of Folco by the time he reached Ferrara in August; once there, he laid siege to
Castel Tedaldo Castel Tealdo or Thealto was a former medieval castle forming part of the defenses of Ferrara. Few traces of its existence remain.
The castle stood along the river, west of the town, as did the Castel Novo, and was built in the 10th century by Teal ...
and blocked navigation on the
Po River
The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...
.
According to Venetian reports, the captured forces were subjected to various atrocities, including blinding, when the fortress fell in September.
Ferrara was placed under direct papal rule, and in the ensuing disorders, Francesco was killed in a skirmish, August 23, 1312.
In February 1312 Arnaud was one of the three French cardinals and one Italian conferring with
Guillaume de Nogaret and other agents of
Philip IV of France
Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (french: Philippe le Bel), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre as Philip I from 12 ...
at the
Council of Vienne where the Templars were to be suppressed.
He was named
Cardinal protector of the
Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) in 1313, and also the
Governor of Bologna and the
Governor of Ferrara; the Bolognese requested Pellegrue as Protector in 1311. As cardinal elector, he participated in the papal conclave, 1314-1316 which elected
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334.
He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...
. At the conclave Pellegrue led the
Gascon faction, which numbered ten of the twenty-three total cardinals, all ten being ''creatures'' of Clement V, who were supported by Clement V's nephew, Bertrand de Got,
viscount of
Lomagne and
Raimond Guilhem de Budos.
[Levillain, Philippe. 2002. "John XXII" in ''The Papacy: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. . p. 848.] He died in August 1331 in Avignon.
Notes
References
*Chambers, D.S. 2006. ''Popes, Cardinals & War: The Military Church in Renaissance and Early Modern Europe''. I.B. Tauris. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pellegrue, Arnaud de
1331 deaths
Cardinal-nephews
14th-century French cardinals
Avignon Papacy
Year of birth unknown