Pierre Bertrand (cardinal)
Encyclopedia
Pierre Bertrand was a French Cardinal, theologian, and canonist.
His noble parentage is known to us through the manuscript memoir of Grasset, a Celestine monk of the seventeenth century (Discours généalogique de la noble maison de Bertrand et de leur alliance aven celle de Colombier). The legal profession seems to have been the first aim of his education He successively studied and taught law in the Universities of Avignon, Montpellier, Orléans, and Paris.
Prized as one of the best law-regents of his day, he soon reached high positions in the Parliament of Paris, the King's Council, and the Queen's Chancery. His definite calling lay, however, in another direction, and he became a priest.
His priestly career was no less brilliant than his legal success. We find him in rapid succession Dean of Puy-en-Valais, Bishop of Nevers, Bishop of Autun. In 1331 Pope John XXII made him a cardinal for his many services rendered to the Church. Among these services are to be reckoned several charitable institutions founded at Annonay
, and the Collège d'Autun, or Collège Cardinal, established in Paris on behalf of fifteen poor students, five for theology, five for law, and five for the fine arts.
Bertrand's best title to recognition is, however, his defence of the rights of the Church both by word of mouth and also with his pen. Fournier
, in his "Officialitiés du moyen-âge" (Paris, 1880), points out, at the beginning of the Valois dynasty
, a strong tendency of the State towards curtailing the Church's traditional rights. In 1329 took place the famous Conférence de Vincennes, where Pierre de Cugnieres, speaking for Philippe de Valois, bitterly complained of undue extension of ecclesiastical privileges (e.g., ordaining clerics for the sole purpose of enjoying the privilegium fori
; causes des veuves, or widow's causes drawn to ecclesiastical court
s; the free use of censures to enforce the Church's privileges; appeals to the Church form the decision of civil courts, etc.).
Pierre Bertrand, then Bishop of Autun, was the principal spokesman of the clergy. He replied in a spirit of conciliation to all charges bearing on minor points, but strongly upheld what he considered the essential rights of the Church. Following on the lines of the Bull Unam Sanctam
of Boniface VIII, he summed up his plea in four statements:
His views are to be found in Libellus adversus Petrum de Cugneriis and De origine et usu jurisdictionum published in Paris in 1495 and 1584 respectively, and later inserted in volume XIV of the Magna Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum (Cologne, 1618).
Many other writings of Cardinal Bertrand (apologetical, canonical, pastoral) have not been published and are reported to be in the Vatican Library
.
His noble parentage is known to us through the manuscript memoir of Grasset, a Celestine monk of the seventeenth century (Discours généalogique de la noble maison de Bertrand et de leur alliance aven celle de Colombier). The legal profession seems to have been the first aim of his education He successively studied and taught law in the Universities of Avignon, Montpellier, Orléans, and Paris.
Prized as one of the best law-regents of his day, he soon reached high positions in the Parliament of Paris, the King's Council, and the Queen's Chancery. His definite calling lay, however, in another direction, and he became a priest.
His priestly career was no less brilliant than his legal success. We find him in rapid succession Dean of Puy-en-Valais, Bishop of Nevers, Bishop of Autun. In 1331 Pope John XXII made him a cardinal for his many services rendered to the Church. Among these services are to be reckoned several charitable institutions founded at Annonay
Annonay
Annonay is a commune in the north of the Ardèche department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department, although it is not the capital, which resides in the smaller town of Privas.-Geography:...
, and the Collège d'Autun, or Collège Cardinal, established in Paris on behalf of fifteen poor students, five for theology, five for law, and five for the fine arts.
Bertrand's best title to recognition is, however, his defence of the rights of the Church both by word of mouth and also with his pen. Fournier
Fournier
* Fournier RF-4 is a motor glider* Museo Fournier de Naipes is a playing card museumFournier is a surname:*Alain Fournier, computer graphics researcher*Alain-Fournier, French writer*Alphonse Fournier , Canadian politician...
, in his "Officialitiés du moyen-âge" (Paris, 1880), points out, at the beginning of the Valois dynasty
Valois Dynasty
The House of Valois was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, succeeding the House of Capet as kings of France from 1328 to 1589...
, a strong tendency of the State towards curtailing the Church's traditional rights. In 1329 took place the famous Conférence de Vincennes, where Pierre de Cugnieres, speaking for Philippe de Valois, bitterly complained of undue extension of ecclesiastical privileges (e.g., ordaining clerics for the sole purpose of enjoying the privilegium fori
Privilegium fori
The privilegium fori, Latin for "Privilege of the forum", is a generic term for legal privileges to be tried in a particular court or type of court of law....
; causes des veuves, or widow's causes drawn to 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; the free use of censures to enforce the Church's privileges; appeals to the Church form the decision of civil courts, etc.).
Pierre Bertrand, then Bishop of Autun, was the principal spokesman of the clergy. He replied in a spirit of conciliation to all charges bearing on minor points, but strongly upheld what he considered the essential rights of the Church. Following on the lines of the Bull Unam Sanctam
Unam sanctam
On 18 November 1302, Pope Boniface VIII issued the Papal bull Unam sanctam which historians consider one of the most extreme statements of Papal spiritual supremacy ever made...
of Boniface VIII, he summed up his plea in four statements:
- the secular power is from God;
- yet, it is not by itself enough for the government of the people, for which spiritual jurisdiction is also required;
- although nothing prevents the two powers from being in the same hands; # still, whether in the same or different hands, they stand in a certain relation of subordination, the spiritual power being the higher of the two.
His views are to be found in Libellus adversus Petrum de Cugneriis and De origine et usu jurisdictionum published in Paris in 1495 and 1584 respectively, and later inserted in volume XIV of the Magna Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum (Cologne, 1618).
Many other writings of Cardinal Bertrand (apologetical, canonical, pastoral) have not been published and are reported to be in the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
.