Robert de Cardeny was a late 14th and early 15th century Scottish cleric. He was the son of one John Cardeny, and brother of the royal mistress Mariota de Cardeny. His early career is obscure. In 1378–80, King

Robert II of Scotland Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of St ...

petitioned the Pope for a

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

in the

diocese of Moray The Diocese of Moray was one of the most important of the medieval dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Its territory was in central northern Scotland. History It was founded in the early years of the 12th century by David I ...

for one ''Robert de Cardun'', despite the fact that the latter already held canonries and prebends in the

diocese of Dunblane The Diocese of Dunblane or Diocese of Strathearn was one of the thirteen historical dioceses of Scotland, before the abolition of episcopacy in the Scottish Church in 1689. Roughly, it embraced the territories covered by the old earldoms of St ...

and

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

. This ''Robert de Cardun'' was both a member of King Robert's household and a student at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. Robert had graduated from Paris in 1381 as Licentiate. In 1392 he was a receiver of the "English Nation" at Paris and custodian of the Nation's seal.Dowden, ''Bishops'', p. 71, n. 1. In 1394 Robert was still in Paris, now as ''Master Robert de Cardeny'' By the time of his provision of the see of Dunkeld in 1398, he already held the position of

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

.Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', pp. 97, 103. He had been provided to the see by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

on 17 November 1398,Dowden, ''Bishops'', p. 70. and had been consecrated as

Bishop of Dunkeld The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first ...

by the November of the following year.Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 97. It was said by Alexander Myln that Robert owed his promotion to the affection which King

Robert III of Scotland Robert III (c. 13374 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. He was also High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles of Earl of Atholl (1367–1390) and Earl of Carrick (1368&ndas ...

had for Cardeny's sister, Mariota, who had been the mistress of King Robert II, Robert III's father. Robert enjoyed an episcopate of nearly 40 years. He secured the obedience of the Abbot of Iona to Dunkeld in 1431, and in 1433 witnessed the foundation charter of the

Collegiate Church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

of Methven.Dowden, ''Bishops'', p. 71. Among other activities, he was an auditor for the parliament of 1429–30. His episcopate saw the building of a new

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

for

Dunkeld Cathedral Dunkeld Cathedral is a Church of Scotland place of worship which stands on the north bank of the River Tay in Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Built in square-stone style of predominantly grey sandstone, the cathedral proper was begun in 12 ...

and the construction of a new chapel devoted to

Saint Ninian Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...

. Robert fathered at least one son with an unmarried woman, Patrick de Cardeny, who became a clerk of the diocese of Dunkeld. Bishop Robert died on either 16 or 17 January 1437.

Notes

References

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) * Myln, Alexander, ''Vitae Dunkeldensis ecclesiae episcoporum'',ed.

Thomas Thomson Thomas Thomson may refer to: * Tom Thomson (1877–1917), Canadian painter * Thomas Thomson (apothecary) (died 1572), Scottish apothecary * Thomas Thomson (advocate) (1768–1852), Scottish lawyer * Thomas Thomson (botanist) (1817–1878), Scottis ...

, rev. edn, 1, rev.

Cosmo Innes Cosmo Nelson Innes FRSE (9 September 1798 – 31 July 1874) was a Scottish advocate, judge, historian and antiquary. He served as Advocate-Depute, Sheriff of Elginshire, and Principal Clerk of Session. He was a skilled decipherer of ancien ...

, (

Bannatyne Club The Bannatyne Club, named in honour of George Bannatyne and his famous anthology of Scots literature the Bannatyne Manuscript, was a text publication society founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history ...

, 1831) * Watt, D.E.R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cardeny, Robert De 14th-century births 1437 deaths Bishops of Dunkeld (pre-Reformation) Medieval Gaels from Scotland Burials at Dunkeld Cathedral 14th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops 15th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops