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Simon de Cramaud (c. 1345 – 19 January 1423, inPoitiers) was aCatholic bishop, titularLatin Patriarch of Alexandria, andcardinal during theGreat Western Schism of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.[1]
Simon was born before 1360 nearRochechouart,Haute-Vienne, a younger son in a family of minor nobles. He studied law atOrléans and became a well-knowncanonist. Simon taught canon law at theUniversity of Paris, attracting the attention ofJohn, Duke of Berry, one of the uncles of KingCharles VI of France. As a counselor of the duke, Simon performed both administrative and diplomatic tasks. In 1382, he was appointedBishop of Agen, but was transferred toBéziers in 1383, and finally toPoitiers in 1385. He was also appointed toSens in 1390, but never occupied the see – instead he became the titularLatin Patriarch of Alexandria and Administrator of theDiocese of Avignon the following year. In 1409, he was madeArchbishop of Reims and subsequently a cardinal in 1413. From then until his death, he served as the administrator of theDiocese of Poitiers.
Cramaud was a prominent figure in the struggles of the fourteenth-century church, and a partisan of theAvignon Papacy. He championedAvignon Pope Clement VII, but fought Clement's successor,Benedict XIII, any way he could. He presided at theCouncil of Pisa in 1409, and proclaimed the deposition of bothGregory XII and Benedict XIII, thus securing the election ofAlexander V. At theCouncil of Constance, 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[2] to be a precursor to both theological and politicalGallicanism. Simon died on 19 January 1423. He was buried at thePoitiers Cathedral.[1]
His treatiseDe substraccione obediencie (1397), offering multiple lines of reasoning for bringing the Schism to an end, was edited byHoward Kaminsky in 1984. Simon argued that Benedict's followers could withdraw obedience to compel him to seek a solution to the Schism.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Simon of Cramaud".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| International | |
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