Éon de l'Étoile
Encyclopedia
Éon de l'Étoile from the Latin
Eudo de Stella, was a Breton
religious leader and "messiah
". He opposed the Roman Catholic Church
to the point of pillaging abbey
s and monasteries and accumulating a large treasure during a period of eight years (1140–48). He was considered little more than an "illiterate idiot" by the Church authorities.
Born near Loudéac
to a noble family, Eudon, as he was originally called, was briefly an Augustinian monk taking up a hermit's
life in the Brocéliande
(Brécheliant). Around 1140, during the reign of Conan III of Brittany, Éon took up residence in the abandoned priory of Moinet, but he did not remain there long. According to his own story, one day while attending the mass, he heard the priest say Per eum qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos ("by he whose it is to judge the living and the dead") and interpreted this as applying to himself, hearing his name in the eum of the liturgy. He thereafter went by the name Éon. Considering himself a prophet and messiah, he soon gathered about himself a body of faithful who met at his priory.
He became renowned for his magic, the glow which supposedly surrounded him, his ability to be in many places at once, and the sumptuous feasts to which he treated his guests. He secured the loyalty of the poor by granting them great riches, stolen from castle
s and monasteries. As an article of faith, the established Church was worldly, its wealth, its sacraments, and its offices worthless and ineffectual. Éon's band of followers attacked the rich and redistributed their wealth amongst themselves, eventually dressing themselves in the highest finery and eating lavishly. Members were ranked as "angels", "apostles", etc. Their principal message was of the Parousia
. Éon and his followers spread their message throughout northern Brittany and as far as Gascony
.
Éon's epithet, de l’Étoile ("of the star"), derives from a comet
which appeared in 1148. Generally considered bad omens in the Middle Ages, a comet often signified the downfall of an illustrious person. Under Pope Eugene III
, the Council of Reims
in 1148 condemned Éon's movement as heresy (hérésie éoniste). The prelates ordered him arrested and brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal, though the first men sent to arrest him were themselves converted by his extravagant lifestyle. When Éon was first brought before the council he carried with him a forked branch, which he said would point heavenward if God were to have two thirds of the world and he a third and earthwards if their shares were to be reversed. The council is said to have burst into laughter upon hearing this. He was tortured into confessing his messiahship and condemned to life imprisonment. He was handed over to the custody of Archbishop Samson of Reims
and sent to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, where he died in 1150. His followers (with names like Wisdom, Knowledge, and Judgement) were hunted down, with difficulty, and burnt at the stake, for none would disavow their master.
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
Eudo de Stella, was a Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
religious leader and "messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
". He opposed the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
to the point of pillaging abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
s and monasteries and accumulating a large treasure during a period of eight years (1140–48). He was considered little more than an "illiterate idiot" by the Church authorities.
Born near Loudéac
Loudéac
Loudéac is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-A market town:Loudéac is a very pretty market town with many traditional buildings and mediaeval streets to enjoy. The weekly market, which sells the best and freshest of local produce, goes on as it has for...
to a noble family, Eudon, as he was originally called, was briefly an Augustinian monk taking up a hermit's
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
life in the Brocéliande
Brocéliande
Brocéliande is the name of a legendary forest that first appears in literature in 1160, in the Roman de Rou, a verse chronicle written by Wace....
(Brécheliant). Around 1140, during the reign of Conan III of Brittany, Éon took up residence in the abandoned priory of Moinet, but he did not remain there long. According to his own story, one day while attending the mass, he heard the priest say Per eum qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos ("by he whose it is to judge the living and the dead") and interpreted this as applying to himself, hearing his name in the eum of the liturgy. He thereafter went by the name Éon. Considering himself a prophet and messiah, he soon gathered about himself a body of faithful who met at his priory.
He became renowned for his magic, the glow which supposedly surrounded him, his ability to be in many places at once, and the sumptuous feasts to which he treated his guests. He secured the loyalty of the poor by granting them great riches, stolen from castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s and monasteries. As an article of faith, the established Church was worldly, its wealth, its sacraments, and its offices worthless and ineffectual. Éon's band of followers attacked the rich and redistributed their wealth amongst themselves, eventually dressing themselves in the highest finery and eating lavishly. Members were ranked as "angels", "apostles", etc. Their principal message was of the Parousia
Parousia
Parousia is an ancient Greek word meaning presence, arrival, or official visit.-Classical usage:# Physical presence, arrival – The main use is the physical presence of a person, which where that person is not already present refers to the prospect of the physical arrival of that person, especially...
. Éon and his followers spread their message throughout northern Brittany and as far as Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
.
Éon's epithet, de l’Étoile ("of the star"), derives from a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
which appeared in 1148. Generally considered bad omens in the Middle Ages, a comet often signified the downfall of an illustrious person. Under Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III
Pope Blessed Eugene III , born Bernardo da Pisa, was Pope from 1145 to 1153. He was the first Cistercian to become Pope.-Early life:...
, the Council of Reims
Council of Reims (1148)
In 1148, a Council of Reims was called by Pope Eugene III to consider a number of regulations, or canons, for the Church, as well as to debate some other issues. Originally the summons for the council went out in October 1147 and it was supposed to be held in Trier, which is now in Germany, but...
in 1148 condemned Éon's movement as heresy (hérésie éoniste). The prelates ordered him arrested and brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal, though the first men sent to arrest him were themselves converted by his extravagant lifestyle. When Éon was first brought before the council he carried with him a forked branch, which he said would point heavenward if God were to have two thirds of the world and he a third and earthwards if their shares were to be reversed. The council is said to have burst into laughter upon hearing this. He was tortured into confessing his messiahship and condemned to life imprisonment. He was handed over to the custody of Archbishop Samson of Reims
Samson, Archbishop of Reims
Samson of Mauvoisin was the French archbishop of Reims from 1140 to 1161.He is a significant historical figure of his times. He undertook the capture of Eon d'Etoile, self-proclaimed Messiah. He was concerned about heresy spread by weavers....
and sent to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, where he died in 1150. His followers (with names like Wisdom, Knowledge, and Judgement) were hunted down, with difficulty, and burnt at the stake, for none would disavow their master.
Sources
- Avril, Jean-Loup. Mille Bretons, dictionnaire biographique. Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande: Les Portes du Large, 2002. ISBN 2-914612-10-9.
- Salmon-Legagneur, Emmanuel. Les noms qui ont fait l'Histoire de Bretagne. Coop Breizh/Institut Culturel de Bretagne, 1997. ISBN 2-84346-032-8.
- Zacour, Norman P. "The Children's Crusade." The Later Crusades, 1189–1311, ed. H. W. Hazard and R. L. Wolff, volume II of A History of the Crusades, series ed. K. M. Setton. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1969.
External links
- Éon de l'Étoile at Encyclopédie Universalis