The cardinal, crowning ;_painting_by_Jules_Eugène_Lenepveu">Charles_VII_of_France;_painting_by_Jules_Eugène_Lenepveu_.html" ;"title="Jules_Eugène_Lenepveu.html" ;"title="Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu">Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu ">Jules_Eugène_Lenepveu.html" ;"title="Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu">Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu
Simon de Cramaud (c. 1345 – 19 January 1423, in
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
) was a Catholic Church, Catholic bishop, titular
Latin Patriarch of Alexandria
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
*Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peo ...
, and Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal during the Great Western Schism of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Simon was born before 1360 near
Rochechouart
Rochechouart (, ; oc, Rechoard, link=no, earlier ''La Ròcha Choard'') is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, west central France. It is a subprefecture of the department.
The name of the town comes from La ...
,
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne (; oc, Nauta Vinhana, ; English: Upper Vienne) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve departments that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitai ...
, a younger son in a family of minor nobles. He studied law at
Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [canonist
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...]
. Simon taught canon law 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 ...
, attracting the attention of
John, Duke of Berry
John of Berry or John the Magnificent ( French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was Regent of France during the minority of his nephew 1380-1388 ...
, one of the uncles of King
Charles VI of France
Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...
. As a counselor of the duke, Simon performed both administrative and diplomatic tasks. In 1382, he was appointed
Bishop of Agen
The Diocese of Agen (Latin: ''Dioecesis Agennensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Agen'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France.
The Diocese of Agen comprises the ''département'' of Lot-et-Garonne, in t ...
, but was transferred to
Béziers
Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...
in 1383, and finally to
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
in 1385. He was also appointed to
Sens
Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris.
Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second city of the d ...
in 1390, but never occupied the see – instead he became the titular
Latin Patriarch of Alexandria
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
*Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peo ...
and Administrator of the
Diocese of Avignon
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Avignon (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Avenionensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Avignon'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese exercises jurisdiction over the terri ...
the following year. In 1409, he was made
Archbishop of Reims
The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...
and subsequently a cardinal in 1413. From then until his death, he served as the administrator of the
Diocese of Poitiers
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Poitiers'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers. ...
.
Cramaud was a prominent figure in the struggles of the fourteenth-century church, and a partisan of the
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon – at the time within the Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire; now part of France – rather than i ...
. He championed
Avignon Pope Clement VII
Robert of Geneva, (french: Robert de Genève; 1342 – 16 September 1394) elected to the papacy as Clement VII (french: Clément VII) by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI, was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election led ...
, but fought Clement's successor,
Benedict XIII, any way he could. He presided at the
Council of Pisa
The Council of Pisa was a controversial ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1409. It attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing Benedict XIII (Avignon) and Gregory XII (Rome) for schism and manifest heresy. The College of C ...
in 1409, and proclaimed the deposition of both
Gregory XII
Pope Gregory XII ( la, Gregorius XII; it, Gregorio XII; – 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario," or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was oppose ...
and Benedict XIII, thus securing the election of
Alexander V
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
. At the
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...
, he was largely responsible for the success of its election method, which granted a vote to certain national delegates along with the cardinals. He is considered by some
["eine wichtige Etappe für die Ausformung des Gallikanismus," according to Bruno W. Häuptli, in ''Biografisch-Bibliografisches Kirchenlexikon''.] to be a precursor to both theological and political
Gallicanism
Gallicanism is the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarch's or the state's authority—over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope. Gallicanism is a rejection of ultramontanism; it has som ...
. Simon died on 19 January 1423. He was buried at the
Poitiers Cathedral
, native_name_lang = French
, image = File:Poitiers Cathédrale Saint-Pierre AL1.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of St Peter in Poitiers
, pushpin map ...
.
His treatise ' (1397), offering multiple lines of reasoning for bringing the Schism to an end, was edited by
Howard Kaminsky
Howard Kaminsky (January 24, 1940 – August 26, 2017) was an American publisher, author and film producer who worked at both Hearst Book Group and the publishing giant Random House. He was the author of many thrillers and literary fiction novel ...
in 1984. Simon argued that Benedict's followers could withdraw obedience to compel him to seek a solution to the Schism.
Notes
References
*
*
*Kaminsky, Howard, ''Simon de Cramaud and the Great Schism'' (New Brunswick, NJ) 1983.
*Kaminsky, Howard. "The Early Career of Simon De Cramaud". ''Speculum,'' vol. 49, no. 3, 1974, pp. 499–534., www.jstor.org/stable/2851753.
* Simon de Cramaud, ''De substraccione obediencie'', ed. Howard Kaminsky, Cambridge, MA: the Medieval Academy of America, 1984.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon of Cramaud
1422 deaths
People from Haute-Vienne
15th-century French cardinals
Latin Patriarchs of Alexandria
Bishops of Agen
Bishops of Avignon
Bishops of Béziers
Bishops of Carcassonne
Bishops of Poitiers
Archbishops of Reims
Canon law jurists
Year of birth uncertain
15th-century peers of France