Hugues Géraud (died 30 August 1317) was a 14th-century Roman Catholic bishop, serving as

bishop of Cahors The Diocese of Cahors (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cadurcensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Cahors'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the whole of the department of Lot. In the beginning it was a suffragan o ...

from 1313 until his dismissal in 1317 for attempting to murder

pope John XXII Pope John 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 Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

by poison and witchcraft, for which he was burned at the stake.

Life

During his time as bishop he was tried for embezzlement and – thinking he had lost his case – he decided to poison the pope. He enlisted Pons de Vassal and Isar d’Escodata, both members of the papal court, and procured poisons and wax figurines to bewitch the pope. He first tested the bewitchment against the pope's nephew Jacques de Via. Three wax figurines, representing Pope John XIII and his advisors Bertrand du Pouget and

Gaucelme de Jean Gauscelin de Jean (died 3 August 1348) was a French cardinal. He was born at Cahors in the family related (by the marriage alliance) to the family of Pope John XXII. From 1312 he was archdeacon of Paris. Pope John XXII shortly after his election t ...

, were hidden in loaves and given to messengers to carry into the episcopal palace. However, the messengers' strange behaviour drew the attention of the papal guards, who discovered the figurines. On 23 March 1317 Géraud and everyone else implicated in the plot were arrested. Influential figures from south-west France gravitated towards Géraud's entourage, including Gaillard de Preyssac (

bishop of Toulouse The Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Haute-Garonne and its seat is Toulouse Cathedral. Archbi ...

and nephew of

pope Clement V Pope Clement V (; – 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 death, in April 1314. He is reme ...

), Arnaud de Pellegrue (cardinal and rival to John XXII at his election as pope) and the viscount of Bruniquel (Clement V's nephew by marriage). Questioning began on 22 April at the château de Noves and on 5 May the pope commissioned

Pierre des Prés Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

and Arnaud de Capdenac to continue the enquiry. The suspects were questioned in secret, meaning the names of major figures implicated in the plot were not revealed. The plot quickly unravelled, with Géraud admitting everything without being tortured and the pope praising des Près's "prudence, faithfulness and experience". During the questioning Jacques de Via died. On 21 August the pope personally questioned Géraud, who nine days later was found guilty of witchcraft, sacrilege and the murder of Jacques de Via. He was dismissed from his bishopric, handed over to the secular arm and burned at the stake in front of the episcopal palace in Avignon. de Preyssac also lost his diocese, but de Pellegrue went unpunished. 1317 also saw the pope issue a

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

expanding inquisitors' rights when investigating witchcraft and sorcery, followed by another in August 1326 entitled '' Super illius specula'' which made sorcery practically equivalent to heresy. This campaign against sorcery was continued by John's successors from

pope Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII (, , ; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was a cardinal and inquisitor, and later, head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death, in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope and reformed monasti ...

Antipope Alexander V Peter of Candia, also known as Peter Phillarges () ( 1339 – 3 May 1410), named as Alexander V (; ), was an antipope elected by the Council of Pisa during the Western Schism (1378–1417). He reigned briefly from 26 June 1409 to his death in 1 ...

. At the pope's request Pierre des Prés also presided over the trials of Géraud's accomplices, most notably those of Pierre de Saleilles in September 1322 and of Bernard Gasc (a bishop ''in partibus'' who had blessed the wax figurines) on 26 November 1322

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geraud, Hugues Bishops of Cahors 1317 deaths Failed assassins People executed by burning French people executed for witchcraft 14th-century executions by France