Guillaume de Nogaret
Encyclopedia
Guillaume de Nogaret or William of Nogaret (1260, Saint-Félix-Lauragais
, Haute-Garonne
– 1313) was councillor and keeper of the seal to Philip IV of France
.
, and was, so it was claimed, condemned as a heretic
during the Albigensian crusade
. The family held a small ancestral property of servile origin at Nogaret
, near Saint-Félix-de-Caraman (today's Saint-Félix-Lauragais
), from which it took its name. In 1291 Guillaume was professor of jurisprudence
at the university of Montpellier
, and in 1296 he became a member of the Curia Regis
at Paris
. Since 1306, he was a seigneur of Marsillargues
, Calvisson
, Aujargues
and Congénies
in Languedoc
.
. In 1300 he was sent with an embassy to Boniface, of which he left a picturesque and highly coloured account. His influence over the king dates from February 1303, when he persuaded Philip to consent to the bold plan of seizing Boniface and bringing him forcibly from Italy
to a council in France meant to depose him. On March 7 he received, with three others, a secret commission from the royal chancery to "go to certain places ... and make such treaties with such persons as seemed good to them." On March 12 a solemn royal assembly was held in the Louvre
, at which Guillaume de Nogaret read a long series of accusations against Boniface and demanded the calling of a general council to try him.
Soon afterwards he went to Italy. By the aid of a Florentine spy, Nogaret gathered a band of adventurers and of enemies of the Gaetani
(Boniface's family) in the Apennines
. The great Colonna house, at bitter feud with the Gaetani, was his strongest ally, and Sciarra Colonna
accompanied Nogaret to Anagni
, Boniface's birthplace. On September 7, with their band of some sixteen hundred men, Nogaret and Colonna surprised the little town. Boniface was taken prisoner. Sciarra wished to kill him, but Nogaret's policy was to take him to France and compel him to summon a general council.
The tide soon turned, however. On the 9th a concerted rising of the townsmen in Boniface's favour put Nogaret and his allies to flight, and the pope was free. His death at Rome
on October 11 saved Nogaret. The election of the timid Benedict XI
was the beginning of that triumph of France which lasted through the Avignon captivity
. Early in 1304 Nogaret went to Languedoc
to report to Philip IV, and was rewarded by gifts of land and money. Then he was sent back with an embassy to Benedict XI to demand absolution for all concerned in the struggle with Boniface VIII. Benedict refused to meet Nogaret, and excepted him from the general absolution which he granted on May 12, 1304, and on June 7 issued against him and his associates at Anagni the bull
Flagitiosum scelus. Nogaret replied by apologies for his conduct based upon attacks upon the memory of Boniface, and when Benedict died on July 7, 1304 he pointed to his death as a witness to the justice of his cause.
French influence was successful in getting a Frenchman, Bertrand de Got (Clement V
) elected as Benedict's successor. The threat of proceedings against the memory of Boniface was renewed to force Clement to absolve Nogaret, and Clement had given way on this point when the further question of an inquiry into the condition of the Knights Templar
was brought forward by Philip as a preliminary to their arrest and the seizure of their property in October 1307. Nogaret was active in getting the renegade members of the order to give evidence against their fellows, and the whole proceedings against them bear traces of his unscrupulous and merciless pen. Clement's weak and ineffective resistance to this still further delayed the agreement between him and Philip. Nogaret had become keeper of the seal this year in succession to Pierre de Belleperche.
His talents as an advocatus diaboli
were given still further employment in the trial of Guichard, bishop of Troyes, charged with various crimes, including witchcraft
and unchastity, which was begun in 1308 and lasted till 1313. The trial was a hint to Clement as to what might happen if the oft repeated threat of a trial of Boniface were fulfilled. Absolution was obtained from Clement on April 27, 1311. Guillaume de Nogaret was to go on the next crusade and visit certain places of pilgrimage
in France and Spain
as a penance, but never did so. He died in 1313 with his tongue horribly thrust out, according to the chronicler Jean Desnouelles. He retained the seals till his death and was occupied with the king's affairs concerning Flanders
as late as the end of March 1313.
Saint-Félix-Lauragais
Saint-Félix-Lauragais is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-History:The village was previously called Saint-Félix-de-Caraman or Carmaing...
, Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
– 1313) was councillor and keeper of the seal to Philip IV of France
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
.
Early life
His father was a citizen of ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, and was, so it was claimed, condemned as a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
during the Albigensian crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
. The family held a small ancestral property of servile origin at Nogaret
Nogaret
Nogaret is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-See also:*Guillaume de Nogaret*Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette*Communes of the Haute-Garonne department-References:*...
, near Saint-Félix-de-Caraman (today's Saint-Félix-Lauragais
Saint-Félix-Lauragais
Saint-Félix-Lauragais is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-History:The village was previously called Saint-Félix-de-Caraman or Carmaing...
), from which it took its name. In 1291 Guillaume was professor of jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at the university of Montpellier
University of Montpellier
The University of Montpellier was a French university in Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon région of the south of France. Its present-day successor universities are the University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier 2 University and Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III.-History:The university...
, and in 1296 he became a member of the Curia Regis
Curia Regis
Curia regis is a Latin term meaning "royal council" or "king's court."- England :The Curia Regis, in the Kingdom of England, was a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics that advised the king of England on legislative matters...
at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Since 1306, he was a seigneur of Marsillargues
Marsillargues
Marsillargues is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.The population of the city is 6700 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Marsillarguois.-Geography:...
, Calvisson
Calvisson
Calvisson is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.It lies between Nîmes, Montpellier, the Cevennes and the Camargue and has a strong Protestant history.-Geography:...
, Aujargues
Aujargues
Aujargues is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:...
and Congénies
Congénies
Congénies is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It is situated between Nîmes, Montpellier, the Cevennes and the Camargue and has a strong Protestant Quaker history...
in Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
.
Councillor to Philip IV
His name is mainly connected with the quarrel between Philip IV and Pope Boniface VIIIPope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
. In 1300 he was sent with an embassy to Boniface, of which he left a picturesque and highly coloured account. His influence over the king dates from February 1303, when he persuaded Philip to consent to the bold plan of seizing Boniface and bringing him forcibly from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to a council in France meant to depose him. On March 7 he received, with three others, a secret commission from the royal chancery to "go to certain places ... and make such treaties with such persons as seemed good to them." On March 12 a solemn royal assembly was held in the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, at which Guillaume de Nogaret read a long series of accusations against Boniface and demanded the calling of a general council to try him.
Soon afterwards he went to Italy. By the aid of a Florentine spy, Nogaret gathered a band of adventurers and of enemies of the Gaetani
Gaetani
-Individuals:*Benedetto Gaetani, Roman Catholic priest better known as Pope Boniface VIII*Filippo Gaetani , American musician*Jan de Gaetani , American singer-Groups of people:*Inhabitants of the Italian city of Gaeta...
(Boniface's family) in the Apennines
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
. The great Colonna house, at bitter feud with the Gaetani, was his strongest ally, and Sciarra Colonna
Sciarra Colonna
Sciarrillo Colonna, byname of Giacomo Colonna , was a member of the powerful Colonna family, and a strong enemy of Pope Boniface VIII. During the Outrage of Anagni, in September 1303, Sciarra reportedly slapped the pope in the face. He was brother to Stefano Colonna the Elder.The Colonna family was...
accompanied Nogaret to Anagni
Anagni
Anagni is an ancient town and comune in Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical center in Ciociaria.-Geography:...
, Boniface's birthplace. On September 7, with their band of some sixteen hundred men, Nogaret and Colonna surprised the little town. Boniface was taken prisoner. Sciarra wished to kill him, but Nogaret's policy was to take him to France and compel him to summon a general council.
The tide soon turned, however. On the 9th a concerted rising of the townsmen in Boniface's favour put Nogaret and his allies to flight, and the pope was free. His death at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on October 11 saved Nogaret. The election of the timid Benedict XI
Pope Benedict XI
Blessed Pope Benedict XI , born Nicola Boccasini, was Pope from 1303 to 1304.Born in Treviso, he succeeded Pope Boniface VIII , but was unable to carry out his policies...
was the beginning of that triumph of France which lasted through the Avignon captivity
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
. Early in 1304 Nogaret went to Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
to report to Philip IV, and was rewarded by gifts of land and money. Then he was sent back with an embassy to Benedict XI to demand absolution for all concerned in the struggle with Boniface VIII. Benedict refused to meet Nogaret, and excepted him from the general absolution which he granted on May 12, 1304, and on June 7 issued against him and his associates at Anagni the bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Flagitiosum scelus. Nogaret replied by apologies for his conduct based upon attacks upon the memory of Boniface, and when Benedict died on July 7, 1304 he pointed to his death as a witness to the justice of his cause.
French influence was successful in getting a Frenchman, Bertrand de Got (Clement V
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
) elected as Benedict's successor. The threat of proceedings against the memory of Boniface was renewed to force Clement to absolve Nogaret, and Clement had given way on this point when the further question of an inquiry into the condition of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
was brought forward by Philip as a preliminary to their arrest and the seizure of their property in October 1307. Nogaret was active in getting the renegade members of the order to give evidence against their fellows, and the whole proceedings against them bear traces of his unscrupulous and merciless pen. Clement's weak and ineffective resistance to this still further delayed the agreement between him and Philip. Nogaret had become keeper of the seal this year in succession to Pierre de Belleperche.
His talents as an advocatus diaboli
Devil's advocate
In common parlance, a devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position he or she does not necessarily agree with, just for the sake of argument. In taking such position, the individual taking on the devil's advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative...
were given still further employment in the trial of Guichard, bishop of Troyes, charged with various crimes, including witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
and unchastity, which was begun in 1308 and lasted till 1313. The trial was a hint to Clement as to what might happen if the oft repeated threat of a trial of Boniface were fulfilled. Absolution was obtained from Clement on April 27, 1311. Guillaume de Nogaret was to go on the next crusade and visit certain places of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
in France and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as a penance, but never did so. He died in 1313 with his tongue horribly thrust out, according to the chronicler Jean Desnouelles. He retained the seals till his death and was occupied with the king's affairs concerning Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
as late as the end of March 1313.
External links
- http://congenies.canalblog.com ; specially for the "Nogaret bell" of the church.