Guillaume VI Durand

Biography

Its beginnings, quarrels

Its first station, it obtains it with Banassac, where it deals with the priory of Medard Saint in 1291. He becomes then canon then archdeacon with Mende before becoming bishop the December 17th 1296. He was then not yet priest (thus noneligible with the quality of bishop) but he obtains an exemption of the pope Boniface VIII.

Little time after its catch in hand of évêché it returns in conflict with the barons of Gévaudan, mainly Peyre. Indeed in October 1304, whereas it takes possession of évêché it brings together its canons and declares that it intended to correct the injustice of which its church and victim, and never not to forgive the plot warped by Astorg de Peyre, Guigue de Cénaret and Hugues de Quintinhac. It should be known that, since 1161 and the Bulle of gold obtained by Aldebert III of Tournel, the bishops of Mende have all political power on Mende and the Gévaudan. But part of the capacity is also held by the Viscount of Grèzes, old possession of kings d' Aragon, is recovered by the kings of France in 1258. Grèzes is based out of ground of Peyre, and whose more big city was Marvejols. Moreover, Marvejols was Baillif seneshals of Beaucaire who often passed in addition to the jurisdiction of the bishop.

It also lets the knights of the Guard-Guerin continue their intrigues, although that displeases to him, following its predecessors (of which Aldebert which feared the presence of these knights on the way Régordane).

Guillaume Durand then seeks to legitimate his capacity, it obtains to Chair-God the priories of Fournels, of Brion, Terms, of Saint-Pierre-the-Old man and Bacon, and brings back to Mende relics of the Vraie Crosses offered by the King.

The act of paréage

Guillaume Durand does not appreciate the signed act of the gold Bubble, and the satisfaction of Aldebert in favor of the King, who engages his successors. He wants to thus call in question the place of the King in Gévaudan. Graft 1301 and 1302, it writes a “Memory on the paréage”, where it shows the legitimacy of the temporal power of the church.

He then concludes an act from Paréage with King Philippe Beautiful the, separating the Gévaudan in three grounds: that of the bishop, that of the King and common grounds.

This act thus makes it possible the bishop to become Count of Gévaudan, to which the barons owe allegiance then, it can then beat his currency. This statute of Count-bishop will be preserved besides until the disappearance of Gévaudan at the French revolution. Consequently Mende becomes officially capital civil and religious. A royal baillif being based with Marvejols, whereas a episcopal baillif directs Mende. Justice, the taxes and fines on the common grounds will be the responsibility of the barons, in agreement with the King and the bishop.

The fight against the templiers

Guillaume Durand is very close to King Philippe Beautiful the. This one wishes, with the assistance of the pope Clément V to see disappearing the Ordre from the Temple. In August 1308, the bishop belongs to the eight police chiefs named by the Pope to inform the lawsuit of the templiers. He will thus return a report/ratio the June 5th 1311, which will be worth the hostility of the templiers to him. In this one he recommends to take a “pontifical ordinance rather” than an legal instruction.

The presence of the templiers in Gévaudan is proven by certain marks on the stones (of which a Maltese cross on the rock of Peyre, place of the castle of the barons of the same name), but they were perhaps not very numerous, and did not have any possession. Indeed Gévaudan sheltered mainly the hospital of Midsummer's Day of Jerusalem, rivals of the templiers.

Writings

Random links: