Henry of Marcy
Encyclopedia
Blessed Henry of Marcy was a Cistercian abbot first of Hautecombe (1160) and then of Clairvaux
from 1177 until 1179. He was created Cardinal Bishop of Albano at the Third Lateran Council in 1179.
He was an important figure in the fight against the late twelfth-century movements of Catharism and Waldensianism and took a leading part at III Lateran. He strongly supported the use of force to suppress heresy and a strong alliance between secular and ecclesiastic authority in the use of force.
in Burgundy. He joined the Cistercian order in 1155 or 1156, becoming a monk at Clairvaux before being sent as to become the first abbot of the daughter house of Hautecombe in the Savoy
. His spiritual mentor was Bernard of Clairvaux
.
made a request to the Cistercian General Chapter for a legatine mission to help him deal with the heresy of Catharism which was rampant in his domains. On 13 September 1177, the Cistercian General Chapter decided to send Henry to Languedoc at the heard of a papal legation
which included Peter of Pavia, Cardinal Priest of S. Crisogono; Jean des Bellesmains, Bishop of Poitiers; Pons d'Arsac
, Archbishop of Narbonne; and Gerard, Archbishop of Bourges. Roger of Howden may have accompanied him, as he is the source for the only account of the mission and he includes Henry's letter summarising their accomplishments. On the other hand, he also relied heavily on the letters between Henry and Pietro di San Chrysogono.
In 1178, Henry excommunicated Roger II of Carcassonne for imprisoning William of Dourgne, the Bishop of Albi. This act severely diminished the reputation of Roger II and probably increased the enimosity between Roger and Raymond VI. On the other hand, some modern scholars have suggested that it may have pushed Roger into an alliance with Alfonso II of Aragon
.
Henry encountered Peter Waldo
in 1180, extracting from him a profession of orthodox Catholic faith.
Henry returned to the Langudeoc in 1181 and led a military attack on Roger's town of Lavaur
, which Roger's wife Adelaide immediately surrendered to him without giving a fight. Henry then went on to depose Pons d'Arsac from his see for being "useless and reprehensible." The 1181 expedition received mention in Gaufred de Vigeois and the Chronicon Clarevallensis besides Roger of Howden's Chronicon.
. Beginning in 1187 he preached the Third Crusade
and was in Liège
in March 1188. He did a great deal to mediate between the leaders of the Crusade before his death at Arras
, bringing Henry II of England and Philip II of France
to reconcile, as well as healing the rift between the Emperor Frederick I and Philip I, Archbishop of Cologne
. It was at the Tag Gottes ("God's Day") held in Mainz
in 1188 that he induced Frederick to join the Crusade. He was buried at Arras and is considered beatified. The Cistercians celebrate his day on 14 July. Among his surviving works, his letters (Epistolae) and his De peregrinante civitate Dei are published in the Patrologia Latina
.
Clairvaux
Clairvaux can mean the following:*Clairvaux, a former commune in France, now part of Ville-sous-la-Ferté. It is the home of**Clairvaux Abbey in France**Clairvaux Prison, France, on the site of the abbey*Saint Bernard of Clairvaux...
from 1177 until 1179. He was created Cardinal Bishop of Albano at the Third Lateran Council in 1179.
He was an important figure in the fight against the late twelfth-century movements of Catharism and Waldensianism and took a leading part at III Lateran. He strongly supported the use of force to suppress heresy and a strong alliance between secular and ecclesiastic authority in the use of force.
Early life
Henry was named after his birthplace of Castro Marsiaco, or the Château de Marcy, near ClunyCluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
in Burgundy. He joined the Cistercian order in 1155 or 1156, becoming a monk at Clairvaux before being sent as to become the first abbot of the daughter house of Hautecombe in the Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. His spiritual mentor was Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
.
Militant suppression of the Cathars
In September 1177, Raymond V of ToulouseRaymond V of Toulouse
Raymond V was count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.He was the son of Alphonse-Jordan. When Alphonse died in the Holy Land in 1148, the county of Toulouse passed to his son Raymond, at the time 14 years old....
made a request to the Cistercian General Chapter for a legatine mission to help him deal with the heresy of Catharism which was rampant in his domains. On 13 September 1177, the Cistercian General Chapter decided to send Henry to Languedoc at the heard of a papal legation
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
which included Peter of Pavia, Cardinal Priest of S. Crisogono; Jean des Bellesmains, Bishop of Poitiers; Pons d'Arsac
Pons d'Arsac
Pons d'Arsac was the Archbishop of Narbonne from 1162 until 1181. He was archbishop at an important time in the history of Narbonne and Languedoc in general; a time when heresy, in the form of Catharism, was spreading and gaining power and acceptance while the Roman Catholic Church was forming a...
, Archbishop of Narbonne; and Gerard, Archbishop of Bourges. Roger of Howden may have accompanied him, as he is the source for the only account of the mission and he includes Henry's letter summarising their accomplishments. On the other hand, he also relied heavily on the letters between Henry and Pietro di San Chrysogono.
In 1178, Henry excommunicated Roger II of Carcassonne for imprisoning William of Dourgne, the Bishop of Albi. This act severely diminished the reputation of Roger II and probably increased the enimosity between Roger and Raymond VI. On the other hand, some modern scholars have suggested that it may have pushed Roger into an alliance with Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
.
Henry encountered Peter Waldo
Peter Waldo
Peter Waldo, Valdo, or Waldes , also Pierre Vaudès or de Vaux, is credited as the founder of the Waldensians, a Christian spiritual movement of the Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions of southern Europe...
in 1180, extracting from him a profession of orthodox Catholic faith.
Henry returned to the Langudeoc in 1181 and led a military attack on Roger's town of Lavaur
Lavaur
Lavaur is the name of several communes in France:* Lavaur, Dordogne, in the Dordogne département* Lavaur, Tarn, in the Tarn département...
, which Roger's wife Adelaide immediately surrendered to him without giving a fight. Henry then went on to depose Pons d'Arsac from his see for being "useless and reprehensible." The 1181 expedition received mention in Gaufred de Vigeois and the Chronicon Clarevallensis besides Roger of Howden's Chronicon.
Groundwork for the Third Crusade
Towards the end of his life he was offered the papal crown (1187), but he declined it in favour of Gregory VIIIPope Gregory VIII
Pope Gregory VIII , born Alberto di Morra, was Pope from October 25, 1187 until his death.-Early life:...
. Beginning in 1187 he preached the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
and was in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
in March 1188. He did a great deal to mediate between the leaders of the Crusade before his death at Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
, bringing Henry II of England and Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
to reconcile, as well as healing the rift between the Emperor Frederick I and Philip I, Archbishop of Cologne
Philip I, Archbishop of Cologne
Philip I was the Archbishop of Cologne and Archchancellor of Italy from 1167 to 1191.He was the son of Count Goswin II of Heinsberg and Adelaide of Sommerschenburg. He received his ecclesiastic training in Cologne and Rheims, becoming dean of the cathedral chapter in Cologne and then provost of...
. It was at the Tag Gottes ("God's Day") held in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
in 1188 that he induced Frederick to join the Crusade. He was buried at Arras and is considered beatified. The Cistercians celebrate his day on 14 July. Among his surviving works, his letters (Epistolae) and his De peregrinante civitate Dei are published in the Patrologia Latina
Patrologia Latina
The Patrologia Latina is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1844 and 1855, with indices published between 1862 and 1865....
.