Pierre de Cros
Encyclopedia
Pierre de Murat de Cros was archbishop of Arles and the chamberlain of the Apostolic Camera
(Latin
: Camerarius Apostolicus) at the outbreak of the Western Schism
. Refusing to support Bartolomeo Prignano
(Pope Urban VI, the former head of the rival Apostolic Chancellery) after the papal conclave, 1378
, de Cros played a critical role in delivering a considerable portion of the Roman Curia
to the rival claimant Robert of Geneva
, who took the name Clement VII. Historian Daniel Williman calls de Cros's actions a "counter-coup".
extraction, and Marie de Montclar. He entered the Order of Saint Benedict
in his youth, and after serving at several French monasteries became bishop of Saint-Papoul
in July 1362. On 9 June 1370 he was transferred to the metropolitan see of Bourges.
Pierre was the brother of Jean de Cros, bishop of Limoges, and both were cousins of Pope Gregory XI
and thus favored by him in the administration of the Curia, after his election in 1370. Jean was named a cardinal-nephew
and one of the first cardinals of Gregory XI upon his ascension to the papacy. Pierre, already the bishop of Bourges and a staff member of the Camera, was named papal chamberlain that same year, succeeding the deceased Arnaud Aubert
(d. 1371). In 1374, he was given the wealthy archbishopric of Arles.
from May 16 to November 7, 1377, where the pope relied on de Cros for his "most important correspondence" rather than the Chancellory. de Cros grew suspicious of the intrigues of Prignano, hearing that he was attending the meetings of the bandaresi in lieu of Senator Gui de Prohins, named as military governor of Rome by Gregory XI.
De Cros also controlled the Apostolice Camere (established 1361), the judicial wing of the Camera, which had "absolute and final" jurisdiction over any case affecting the interests of the Camera, even if already pending in front of other ecclesiastical court
s, and even if they involved issues of theology. This court was not burdened by the ordo iudiciarius, the slow and formalistic rules of the papal courts, but rather gave expedited and summary rulings.
It was in no small part due to the unwillingness of de Cros to coerce the extreme taxation ordered by Gregory XI, that the pontiff found himself bankrupt by his wars against the Visconti and ultimately by the War of the Eight Saints
, fought against a coalition of Italy city states led by the Republic of Florence
, which instigated rebellion in the Papal States
. While Gregory XI was forced to borrow from the Duke of Anjou, de Cros excelled at diplomacy, convincing Bologna to relent in exchange for a lifting of the interdict
.
De Cros drafted and persuaded his cousin Gregory XI to adopt Futuris peculis on March 19, modifying the laws of the papal conclave
. de Cros also persuaded Gregory XI to make Pierre Rostaing, the castellan
of Castel Sant'Angelo
to swear not to turn over the fortress to any papal claimant without the assent of the six cardinals remaining in the Comtat Venaissin
. de Cros, fearing for his own life, moved into the fortress and prepared it for a long siege. Rather than guarding the conclave personally (as he would later do at Fondi
), de Cros deputized the bishop of Valence and Die to perform the task.
De Cros did not accept the election of Prignano as Urban VI, and harbored in Castel Sant'Angelo a group of like-minded cardinals, which included his brother. De Cros met the bardaresi, carrying a battleaxe and followed by a heavily armed entourage, refusing to allow him to escort the cardinals back for a papal coronation
("That fool thinks he’s pope? I surely don’t consider him pope"). Later in the day de Cros and the cardinals went to pay homage to Urban VI although de Cros feigned illness to avoid the coronation. He carried on his duties as chamberlain as though Gregory XI was still in power and Urban VI did not exist, refusing to date his letters according to the latter's election.
As chamberlain of the Camera, de Cros's curial office was one of the few that did not expire during a sede vacante
, as established by the bull Ubi periculum
(1274). De Cros persuaded the entire College of Cardinals to convene in Anagni, himself leaving Castel Sant'Angelo between June 25 and July 1. De Cros issued a formal summons to Prignano to appear before a cameral tribunal in Anagni, and sometime before July 20 declared him excommunicated and deprived of his archbishopric of Bari. Also under the judicial power of the Apostolic Camera, de Cros received the cardinals on August 2, and after hearing accounts of the conclave, declared it null and void and the church to continue in sede vacante
. This meeting was neither a consistory or a conclave but a tribunal with de Cros presiding as an ordinary judge.
De Cros enabled a meeting of the College of Cardinals
at Fondi
on September 20, 1378 which elected Robert of Geneva as Clement VII
. According to Williman, "de Cros used his huge discretionary powers to make himself virtually a regent or protector, a keeper of the papal power sede vacante". It was at this point that de Cros appointed a new procurator and registrar for the Camera, and assisted Clement VII in turning out copious amounts of official-looking documents.
on May 30, 1380; de Cros's deposition was edited and published by J. M. H. Albanes Gallia christiana novissima (1669).
, and creating a true split in the Western Church without precedent among the antipope
s of preceding centuries, who had wielded little popular or international support:
Apostolic Camera
The Apostolic Camera, or in Latin Camera Apostolica or Apostolica Camera, is the central board of finance in the Papal administrative system, which at one time was of great importance in the government of the States of the Church, and in the administration of justice, led by the Camerlengo of the...
(Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: Camerarius Apostolicus) at the outbreak of the Western Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
. Refusing to support Bartolomeo Prignano
Pope Urban VI
Pope Urban VI , born Bartolomeo Prignano, was Pope from 1378 to 1389.-Biography:Born in Itri, he was a devout monk and learned casuist, trained at Avignon. On March 21, 1364, he was consecrated Archbishop of Acerenza in the Kingdom of Naples...
(Pope Urban VI, the former head of the rival Apostolic Chancellery) after the papal conclave, 1378
Papal conclave, 1378
The papal conclave from April 7 to 9, 1378 was the papal conclave which was the immediate cause of the Western Schism in the Catholic Church. The conclave was one of the shortest in the history of the Catholic Church. The conclave was also the first held in the Vatican and in Old St...
, de Cros played a critical role in delivering a considerable portion of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
to the rival claimant Robert of Geneva
Antipope Clement VII
Robert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
, who took the name Clement VII. Historian Daniel Williman calls de Cros's actions a "counter-coup".
Early life
Pierre was born at La Chaul in the diocese of Limoges, the son of Aymar de Murat de Cros, a nobleman of AuvergnatAuvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
extraction, and Marie de Montclar. He entered the Order of Saint Benedict
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
in his youth, and after serving at several French monasteries became bishop of Saint-Papoul
Ancient Diocese of Saint-Papoul
The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Papoul was created in 1317 by Pope John XXII. Its see was at Saint-Papoul, in south-west France, in the modern department of Aude, where there was a Benedictine monastery.It existed until the French Revolution...
in July 1362. On 9 June 1370 he was transferred to the metropolitan see of Bourges.
Pierre was the brother of Jean de Cros, bishop of Limoges, and both were cousins of Pope Gregory XI
Pope Gregory XI
Gregory XI was pope from 1370 until his death.-Biography:He was born Pierre Roger de Beaufort, in Maumont, in the modern commune of Rosiers-d'Égletons, Limousin around 1336. He succeeded Pope Urban V in 1370, and was pope until 1378...
and thus favored by him in the administration of the Curia, after his election in 1370. Jean was named a cardinal-nephew
Cardinal-nephew
A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
and one of the first cardinals of Gregory XI upon his ascension to the papacy. Pierre, already the bishop of Bourges and a staff member of the Camera, was named papal chamberlain that same year, succeeding the deceased Arnaud Aubert
Arnaud Aubert
Arnaud Aubert was nephew of Pope Innocent VI, who appointed him Bishop of Agde , then Bishop of Carcassonne and finally Archbishop of Auch . He was Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church from March 1361 and exercised that post during sede vacante in 1362 and 1370. Vicar and administrator of the see...
(d. 1371). In 1374, he was given the wealthy archbishopric of Arles.
Under Gregory XI
De Cros was the "most important and powerful courtier" of the pope and their bedchambers were joined by a secret staircase. According to Williman, "it is no exaggeration to say that his powers and functions combined those of a minister of finance, a chief justice and a secretary of state as well as major-domo of the papal household". de Cros accompanied Gregory XI in the last year of his reign to AnagniAnagni
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:...
from May 16 to November 7, 1377, where the pope relied on de Cros for his "most important correspondence" rather than the Chancellory. de Cros grew suspicious of the intrigues of Prignano, hearing that he was attending the meetings of the bandaresi in lieu of Senator Gui de Prohins, named as military governor of Rome by Gregory XI.
De Cros also controlled the Apostolice Camere (established 1361), the judicial wing of the Camera, which had "absolute and final" jurisdiction over any case affecting the interests of the Camera, even if already pending in front of other ecclesiastical court
Ecclesiastical court
An ecclesiastical court is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages in many areas of Europe these courts had much wider powers than before the development of nation states...
s, and even if they involved issues of theology. This court was not burdened by the ordo iudiciarius, the slow and formalistic rules of the papal courts, but rather gave expedited and summary rulings.
It was in no small part due to the unwillingness of de Cros to coerce the extreme taxation ordered by Gregory XI, that the pontiff found himself bankrupt by his wars against the Visconti and ultimately by the War of the Eight Saints
War of the Eight Saints
The War of the Eight Saints was a war between Pope Gregory XI and a coalition of Italian city-states led by Florence, which contributed to the end of the Avignon Papacy.-Causes:...
, fought against a coalition of Italy city states led by the Republic of Florence
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...
, which instigated rebellion in the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. While Gregory XI was forced to borrow from the Duke of Anjou, de Cros excelled at diplomacy, convincing Bologna to relent in exchange for a lifting of the interdict
Interdict
The term Interdict may refer to:* Court order enforcing or prohibiting a certain action* Injunction, such as a restraining order...
.
De Cros drafted and persuaded his cousin Gregory XI to adopt Futuris peculis on March 19, modifying the laws of the papal conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
. de Cros also persuaded Gregory XI to make Pierre Rostaing, the castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of Castel Sant'Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...
to swear not to turn over the fortress to any papal claimant without the assent of the six cardinals remaining in the Comtat Venaissin
Comtat Venaissin
The Comtat Venaissin, often called the Comtat for short , is the former name of the region around the city of Avignon in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux, with a small exclave located to the...
. de Cros, fearing for his own life, moved into the fortress and prepared it for a long siege. Rather than guarding the conclave personally (as he would later do at Fondi
Fondi
Fondi is a city and comune in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. Before the construction of the highway between the latter cities in the late 1950s, Fondi had been an important settlement on the Roman Via Appia, which was the main connection from Rome to...
), de Cros deputized the bishop of Valence and Die to perform the task.
During the Western Schism
Papal Coronation
A papal coronation was the ceremony of the placing of the Papal Tiara on a newly elected pope. The first recorded papal coronation was that of Pope Celestine II in 1143. Soon after his coronation in 1963, Pope Paul VI abandoned the practice of wearing the tiara. His successors have chosen not to...
("That fool thinks he’s pope? I surely don’t consider him pope"). Later in the day de Cros and the cardinals went to pay homage to Urban VI although de Cros feigned illness to avoid the coronation. He carried on his duties as chamberlain as though Gregory XI was still in power and Urban VI did not exist, refusing to date his letters according to the latter's election.
As chamberlain of the Camera, de Cros's curial office was one of the few that did not expire during a sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
, as established by the bull Ubi periculum
Ubi periculum
Ubi periculum was a document promulgated by Pope Gregory X during the Second Council of Lyon in 1274 that established the papal conclave as the method of selection for a pope...
(1274). De Cros persuaded the entire College of Cardinals to convene in Anagni, himself leaving Castel Sant'Angelo between June 25 and July 1. De Cros issued a formal summons to Prignano to appear before a cameral tribunal in Anagni, and sometime before July 20 declared him excommunicated and deprived of his archbishopric of Bari. Also under the judicial power of the Apostolic Camera, de Cros received the cardinals on August 2, and after hearing accounts of the conclave, declared it null and void and the church to continue in sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
. This meeting was neither a consistory or a conclave but a tribunal with de Cros presiding as an ordinary judge.
De Cros enabled a meeting of the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
at Fondi
Fondi
Fondi is a city and comune in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. Before the construction of the highway between the latter cities in the late 1950s, Fondi had been an important settlement on the Roman Via Appia, which was the main connection from Rome to...
on September 20, 1378 which elected Robert of Geneva as Clement VII
Antipope Clement VII
Robert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
. According to Williman, "de Cros used his huge discretionary powers to make himself virtually a regent or protector, a keeper of the papal power sede vacante". It was at this point that de Cros appointed a new procurator and registrar for the Camera, and assisted Clement VII in turning out copious amounts of official-looking documents.
Cardinal
On 23 December 1383 Antipope Clement VII named him cardinal-priest of SS. Nereo ed Achilleo; on the following day he was dismissed as camerlengo but retained the archbishopric of Arles until January 1388 (his successor in both posts was François de Conzié). From that time he was known as Cardinalis Arelatensis, the "Cardinal of Arles". In April 1385 he was legate of Antipope before Queen Maria of Naples in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. He died at Avignon on 16 November 1388.Sources
De Cros recounted his version of the outbreak of the Schism in Avignon to the ambassadors of John I of CastileJohn I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
on May 30, 1380; de Cros's deposition was edited and published by J. M. H. Albanes Gallia christiana novissima (1669).
Legacy
According to Williman, de Cros was instrumental in beginning the Western SchismWestern Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
, and creating a true split in the Western Church without precedent among the antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
s of preceding centuries, who had wielded little popular or international support:
"The Western Schism had its roots within the papal Curia. Even before there were two international obediences, or two popes, even before two legal opinions began to be argued about the validity of the April election, and before the ultramontane cardinals and Urban VI had gone to their separate summer refuges of Anagni and Tivoli, the nucleus of the Curia was split in interest and policy between two ministers, the heads of the Chancery and of the Camera, Bartolomeo Prignano and Pierre de Cros."