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Bernard Délicieux (c. 1260-1270 1320) was a Spiritual Franciscan friar who resisted the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...
in
Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...
and
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximatel ...
region of southern France.


Early life

Born in
Montpellier, France Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. In 2018, 290,053 people li ...
sometime in 1260-1270, Délicieux joined the Franciscan Order in 1284 and worked in Paris prior to the start of the fourteenth century.


Agitator Of Languedoc

In c. 1299, Délicieux became prior of the Franciscan convent in Carcassonne. In 1299, he led a revolt against the city's inquisitors, which prevented the arrest of two heretics sheltered in the Franciscan convent. In July 1300, Délicieux appealed the accusation that Castel Fabre, deceased in 1278 and buried at the Franciscan convent, was a heretic. Délicieux claimed the inquisition registers were fraudulent and contained accusations from non-existent informants. This incident caused the inquisitors to temporarily flee Carcassonne. In 1301, Délicieux befriended the newly appointed viceroy of Languedoc,
Jean de Picquigny Jean de Picquigny was a French noble from Amiens who was viceroy of Languedoc. Known for arresting Bishop Bernard Saisset in 1301 as well as freeing Inquisition prisoners in Carcassonne, along with Bernard Délicieux, in 1303. For these con ...
. Together, they visited King Philip The Fair in October and argued that Carcassonne inquisitor Foulques de Saint-Georges and Bishop Castanet were corrupt and abused their power, and thereby endangered loyalty to the French Kingdom. As a result, friar Foulques was reassigned and support from royal constables to arrest subjects suspected of heresy was reduced. Bishop Castanet was fined 20,000 livres and no longer was the noble (secular) ruler of
Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants ar ...
(only the church). In c. 1302, Délicieux was transferred from Carcassonne to the Franciscan convent in
Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the M ...
, but he travelled extensively throughout Languedoc preaching. In the spring, a second visit to the royal court failed to release the inquisition prisoners from Albi and Carcassonne. In 1303, Délicieux returned to Carcassonne and pressured to reveal the secret accord of 1299, which reversed Carcassonne's earlier excommunication in 1297 by the inquisitor Nicholas d'Abbeville. On August 4, 1303, Délicieux gave a fiery sermon and claimed the 1299 accord admitted people of Carcassonne were (reformed) heretics and, hence, liable to be burned at the stake if they found to have relapsed. The following week, the inquisitor
Geoffroy d'Ablis Geoffroy d'Ablis was a Dominican who led the Inquisition in Carcassonne against Cathars such as Peire Autier from 1303 to 1316. He collaborated with Bernard Gui, the inquisitor at Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of ...
tried to dispel the accusations that the accord was unfair for Carcassonne, but a riot ensued. Based upon encouragement from Délicieux and to reduce tensions between the townsfolk and the inquisitors, Jean de Picquigny, backed by royal troops, forcibly transferred the prisoners from inquisitor's jail to the more humane royal jail. In January 1304, Délicieux and Picquigny met with King Philip The Fair in Toulouse along with Dominican and other church officials as well as town representatives from Carcassonne and Albi. However, Délicieux angered the King by suggesting he was a foreign occupier of Languedoc. Consequently, there was no policy change - the inquisition would continue under oversight from local bishops. In the spring of 1304, Délicieux travelled to Kingdom of Majorca to encourage Prince Ferran to back a revolt in Languedoc as an alternate ruler. However, King Jaume, an ally of King Philip, learned of the plot and beat his son, Prince Ferran, and ejected Délicieux from his kingdom.


First Arrest

On April 16, 1304,
Pope Benedict XI Pope Benedict XI ( la, Benedictus PP. XI; 1240 – 7 July 1304), born Nicola Boccasini (Niccolò of Treviso), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 October 1303 to his death in 7 July 1304. Boccasini entered the ...
wrote a bull ''Ea nobis'' ordering the Franciscans to arrest Délicieux for "saying such things as we must not". However, the order was unfulfilled due to Benedict XI's death. Délicieux's succession plot was uncovered by royal authorities in the fall of 1304 and he travelled to Paris to attempt to gain an audience with King Philip IV. In Paris, Délicieux was placed under house arrest, but unpunished. Upon installment of
Pope Clement V Pope Clement V ( la, Clemens Quintus; c. 1264 – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his de ...
in 1305, Délicieux was transferred to the papal authority, where he formed part of the Pope's entourage that ultimately moved to
Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune ha ...
in 1309. Shortly thereafter (c. 1310), Délicieux was released and joined the Spiritual Franciscan convent in
Béziers Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a subprefecture of the Hérault department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hosts the famous ''Feria de Béziers'', which is centred on bullfighting. A million visitors are attra ...
.


Second Arrest And Trial

In April 1317,
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 b ...
ordered the Spiritual Franciscans from Béziers and Narbonne, including Délicieux, to come to Avignon and answer for their disobedience. Upon arrival, Délicieux was arrested. Over the next year, he was interrogated and tortured.
Bernard de Castanet Bernard de Castanet (c. 1240 – 14 August 1317) was a French lawyer, judge, diplomat, bishop and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Castanet was not a Dominican, though he had an excellent relationship with the order of the Preachers and o ...
created forty charges, which were later expanded to sixty-four charged by
Bernard Gui Bernard Gui (), also known as Bernardo Gui or Bernardus Guidonis (c. 1261/62 – 30 December 1331), was a Dominican friar, Bishop of Lodève, and a papal inquisitor during the later stages of the Medieval Inquisition. Due to his fictional ...
. In short, the charges against Délicieux were: # Disobeying the Franciscan Order as a Spiritual # Treason against the French King # Murdering
Pope Benedict XI Pope Benedict XI ( la, Benedictus PP. XI; 1240 – 7 July 1304), born Nicola Boccasini (Niccolò of Treviso), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 October 1303 to his death in 7 July 1304. Boccasini entered the ...
# Obstructing the Inquisition Délicieux was transferred from Avignon to Carcassonne for his trial, which ran from September 12 to December 8, 1319. The judges and prosecutors were Jacques Fournier, the Bishop of Pamiers and future
Pope Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful ...
, and
Raimond de Mostuéjouls Raimond is both a masculine given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Raimond Aumann (born 1963), German footballer * Raimond Beccarie de Pavie, Seigneur de Fourquevaux (1508–1574), French soldier, politician ...
, the Bishop of St. Papoul. Following torture and threat of excommunication, Délicieux confessed to the charge of obstructing the Inquisition. Délicieux was also found guilty of treason, but not guilty of murdering Pope Benedict XI. No verdict was given for being a Spiritual Franciscan, the original reason for his arrest in Avignon. As punishment, Délicieux was defrocked and sentenced to life in prison in solitary confinement. Though the judges sentencing Délicieux ordered that his penance of chains, bread and water be omitted in view of his frailty, age and prior torture, Pope John XXII countermanded their order and delivered the friar to inquisitor
Jean de Beaune Jean de Beaune was a Dominican inquisitor in Carcassonne during the early 14th century who played a role in precipitating the Apostolic poverty controversy of the period. As related by Nicholas the Minorite, in 1320 de Beaune was ordered to c ...
. Serving this harsh sentence, Délicieux died shortly thereafter in early 1320.


References


Bibliography

* * * Jean-Louis Biget, ''Autour de Bernard Délicieux. Franciscains et société en Languedoc entre 1295 et 1330'', in « Mouvements Franciscains et société française. XIIIe-XXe siècle », André Vauchez ed., Paris, Beauchesne, 1984. *
Barthélemy Hauréau Jean-Barthélemy Hauréau (; 9 November 1812 – 29 April 1896) was a 19th-century French historian, journalist and administrator. Education and appointments Born in Paris, he was educated at the Louis-le-Grand and Bourbon colleges in his nat ...
, ''Bernard Délicieux et l'Inquisition albigeoise, 1300-1320'', Paris, Hachette, 1877. * Stephen O'Shea, ''The Friar Of Carcassonne'', Douglas & McIntyre, 2011. *
Julien Théry, "Une politique de la terreur : l'évêque d'Albi Bernard de Castanet (v. 1240-1317) et l'Inquisition", dans ''Les inquisiteurs. Portraits de défenseurs de la foi en Languedoc (XIIIe-XIVe s.)'', dir. L. Albaret, Toulouse : Privat, 2001, p. 71-87, free access & download online.
*
Julien Théry, "L’hérésie des bons hommes. Comment nommer la dissidence religieuse non vaudoise ni béguine en Languedoc (XIIe-début du XIVe siècle) ?", ''Heresis'', 36-37, 2002, p. 75-117
at p. 115-116.


See also

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delicieux, Bernard 1260s births 1320 deaths French Franciscans 14th-century French Roman Catholic priests Clergy from Montpellier 13th-century French Roman Catholic priests