Clement IV

Clement IV ( GUI Foucois or Foulques or Foucault ), (born a November 23rd at the end of XIIe century to Saint-Gilles, close to Nimes - died the November 29th 1268 with Viterbe, Italy) was the 183e Pape of the Catholic church. Its pontificate extended from the February 5th 1265 with the November 29th 1268).

GUI Foulques, troubadour, lawyer, large lawyer, were married and had children (and a descent attested until our days) before entering, widower, in the orders, and starting a career with the service of the Church. It was bishop of Puy, honoured with an emolument of canon in the noble Chapter of Brioude (1259), then archbishop of Narbonne. To advise holy Louis, it became Pape under the name of Clément IV . During its three years and half of pontificate, it followed an ambitious policy and was the friend of holy Thomas d' Aquin.

The family of Clement IV: his/her parents, his descent

Louis Foulques or Foucault, known as Fulcodi, middle-class man of Saint-Gilles in Gard, lawyer, had of his wife Marie Laure Salvanhiac, several children:

GUI , which follows,
Nicolas, priest of Saint-Gilles,
Marie, wife of Laurent Forton,
Jeanne, wife of Pierre Sauvaire,
Anne, wife of Louis Gros which had children of which Pierre Gros, priest of Saint-Gilles, to which his/her uncle Gui, then pope, wrote the March 7th 1265: “We do not want that Cécile and Mabilie, our daughters, have other husbands that those which they could have had if we were remained simple clerk! ”… and it reduced moreover emoluments of this ecclesiastical nephew to only one in order not to be taxed with Népotisme.

GUI Foulques , known as Fulcodi , known as the Large , was born with Saint-Gilles (Gard), close to Nimes, Languedoc, the November 23rd 1190. He died the November 29th 1268, in the palate of the popes of Viterbe in Italy.

He had married by contract of the January 16th 1239 Margueritte Ruffi, girl of Jacques and Cecile of Sault. Several children were born from this union. In 1265, it only remained:

Mabilie which became nun in Nimes after 1267 and which died in 1307 according to the documents quoted above,
Cécile Fulcodi which married by contract of the February 2nd 1274 his/her cousin Pierre Ruffi. From this union were born several children of which Guidon Ruffi, whose descent remains to date.

Genealogical information on the descent of the pope Clément IV comes from the parts of the lawsuit which was informed for its heritage, was begun towards 1272 and was finished only in 1339. Most of these parts are reproduced in the évêché cartulaire of Maguelone. These parts quote more than 60 people connected with the pope Clément IV.

The work of Clement IV before his pontificate

Doctor in civil law, he became a professor and famous lawyer. He inquires in Venaissin for the account of Alphonse of Poitiers (fine 1253-beginning 1254) Widowed, he was ordered priest in 1255 and was named archdeacon of Puy, priest of Saint-Gilles then bishop of Puy in 1257, archbishop of Narbonne in 1259. To advise Saint Louis, in a time Minister of Justice, to advise of the pope Urbain IV, it was created cardinal bishop of Sabine in 1261. Legate in England for a mediation between Henri III and its prelates and barons in 1264, it was on a journey when it was elected pope (the 183e) after the death of Urbain IV. He returned then to Perugia to Italy, disguised as a monk, before capping the tiara, the February 5th 1265, under the name of Clément IV.

The work of Clement IV during his pontificate

The principal business of its pontificate was the realization of the devolution, wished by Urbain IV, of the Royaume of Sicily to Charles of Anjou, brother of the King de France Louis IX, charged with holding head with the ambitions imperialists of Manfred de Hohenstaufen, wire naturalness of the emperor Frederic II of Hohenstaufen, and of the party Gibelin. After the death of Manfred in 1266 with the Battle of Bénévent, the pope intervened in the election of Conradin, nephew of Manfred and the last going down from Frederic II. But after Charles of Anjou had made carry out Conradin, Clément IV saw itself constrained to be opposed to the ambitions of Charles. In same time, it supported the double marriage which bound the families of Hungary and Sicily. This policy ambitious but expensive, that a firm resumption in hand accompanied by the Church by the Curie, did of Clement IV one of the creators of the pontifical taxation and of what is already the requirement, the reserve in the Holy See of the collation of the ecclesiastical benefit.

Clement IV was to be on the throne of the most intransigent Pierre saint of rigorous and most theocratic of the popes of XIIIe century, acting quasi simultaneously on all the plans, continuing work of his predecessors Gregoire IX and Urbain IV, but by pushing it until his extreme logical:

He authorizes torture in the causes of heresy (November 3rd, 1265), privileges the Dominican ones and the direction of the fight against the heresy entrusts to them. With regard to the Jews relaps, it orders punishments going until death, and exhorts Saint Louis to be established against the blasphemers of the temporal sorrows able to inspire terror to them.

Clement IV and Islam

At the end of the 13th century, many Musulman S was installed in Spain, ground historically Christian.

In this Spain submitted to catholic sovereigns, the mudéjares live in their aljamas. Most remain in the valley of Èbre and the area of Valence. But the king d' Aragon was seen admonishing by the pope Clément IV who expressed the bottom of the catholic thought on the question: “… There are examples of the dangerous business which is to have of the Moslems in your fields… It is certainly also reasonable to keep at home so perfidious enemies and malfaisants, or to even have them for neighbors to put a snake in the bosom or fire in its center… Your Creator… suffers while these Moslems celebrate the name of Mahomet among the Christians… You become your own adversary if you persecute the Moslems in their own grounds, but patiently protect them in yours. Once all that discussed… it is indubitable that it would be in conformity with your excellent works which you exile these people out of the borders of your fields. ”

The Pope spoke, it cannot have Moslems in Christian kingdom there.

Clement IV and Roger Bacon

Roger Bacon, monk franciscain and scientist of reputation, was the first to realize error of the Calendrier Julien compared to the solar year. He proposed in 1264 with Clément IV to rectify it. He indeed had a great regard for Clément IV, his guard. In addition, its astronomical observations being worth to him to be marked of magic and causing the hatred of its contemporaries, Clément IV required of him a detailed disclosure of its inventions. Roger Bacon sent to him some instruments of Mathématiques which he had invented, like its main work, the Opus majus , work in which it defends a reform necessary of sciences, and which seem an encyclopedia gathering the Grammaire and the Logique as well as mathematics and the Physique.

Clement IV and nepotism

Perhaps by reserve towards the nepotism already installed with the Curia, Clément IV is one of the rare popes not to have created any cardinal.

Clement IV spent the two last years of his life to Viterbe, in company of saint Thomas d' Aquin, whose Summa Theologica will be essential during all the Moyen-âge.

Its contemporaries rented his Ascétisme, its fight against the Corruption in general and the Népotisme in particular. It was considered soft and not involved.

Died of Clement IV: origin of the insulation of the conclave

The election of a pope proceeds since 1271 well off any external pressure, the Conclave ( cum clave : under key) being world cup.

This insulation exists since in 1271 in Viterbe, the cardinals not managing to agree to find a successor with Clément IV at the end of three years of deliberations, were locked up and launched at the dry bread and to encourage them to elect a new pope quickly.

The elected official, Gregoire X, set up this practice in rule, except for the bread and of water.

Bond with the prophecy known as of Malachie Saint

Currency 22 in the Prophétie of Saint Malachie: “ Draco depressus ” (the overcome dragon)

According to a certain number of authors, the weapons of Guy Foulques represented an eagle holding in its greenhouses a dragon. It seems that this reading is faulty because two specimens of its seal, preserved at the Public records (J. 340 n°23 and J. 473 n° 13ter) represent a left arm with the closed fist, placed horizontally and on which are superimposed three ears laid out stacks some (Robert-Henri Bautier).

The native house of Clement IV

Its native house known as “Romance House” was restored with the XIXe century and is classified historic building.

The tomb of Clement IV in Viterbe

Clement IV is the first of all the popes which had armorial bearings on its tomb, with Viterbe.

Sources

Encyclopedia of the popes of Stephan Arthur and Michel Bonnet
Dictionnaire chronological of the popes of Pierre Normalized
Dictionnaire of medieval France of Jean Favier
Cercle Genealogical of Languedoc
Robert-Henri BAUTIER, " A large ignored pope of XIIIe century: Clement IV (GUI Foucois) " in Bulletin of the French Club of the medal n° 81, p. 34-42, with photographs of the seals.

Random links: