SEDE VACANTE 1342

April 25 , 1342 — May 7, 1342

The Palace of the Popes, Avignon

New Cardinals

During his pontificate Benedict XII (Jacques Fournier) had appointed six cardinals, in one creation. Four were fellow monks, two Benedictines, a Cistercian, and a Mercedarian. One was from Rimini, the rest from southern France. Four were lawyers, two were theologians. The "First Life of Benedict XII" (Baluzius I, 209; similarly cols. 242-244) states:

Anno Domini MCCCXXXVIII die XVIII mensis Decembris, quae fuit feria sexta quatuor temporum, dictus Benedictus Papa unam fecit creationem sex cardinalium, quos in Presbyteros assumpsit, qui fuerunt isti: videlicet Dominus Gocius de Arimino Italicus tunc Patriarcha Constantimopolitanus, Dominus Bertrandus de Deucio diocesis Uticensis tunc Archiepiscopus Ebredunensis, Dominus Petrus Rogerii diocesis Limovicensis, monachus ordinis sancti Benedicti tunc Archiepiscopus Rothomagensis, Dominus Guillelmus Curti diocesis Tolosanae ordinis Cisterciensis tunc Episcopus Albiensis, Dominus Bernardus de Albia diocesis Appamiarum etiam Episcopus Ruthenensis, et Dominus Guillelmus de Aura diocesis Carcassonensis tunc Abbas monasterii Montisolivi ordinis sancti Benedicti.

Bertrand de Deaulx and Gozzio Battaglia had been Benedict's envoys to King Robert and King Frederick in southern Italy, and had actually brought about a peace. The same "First Life" (column 210) claims that Benedict was not a nepotist: Ipse enim de suis consanguineis vel propinquis exaltandis vel promovendis nullatenus curavit. Non enim invenitur quod aliquem de genere suo ad quamcunque praelaturam promoverit nisi unum solum, quem praefecit Ecclesiae Arelatensi, qui tamen ad hoc alias erat bene dignus et sufficiens; et hoc fecit etiam quodammodo precibus et instantia Cardinalium devictus.

Another cardinal had been named in the first and only creation by Pope Benedict, Raymond de Montfort, OBM. of Toulouse (Cardinal Priest of S. Stefano al Monte Celio). But he died in Barcelona before he could receive the red hat (galero). His cardinalatial titulus was reassigned to Guillelmus de Aura. [Cardella II, p. 156].

Benedict had talked a lot about returning the Papacy to Rome, and his repairs conducted at St. Peter's and at the Lateran seemed to offer hope that he was serious. But he also had the papal archives which had been stored at Assisi transported to Avignon [See H. Denifle, Die päpstliche Registerbände des 13. JHS, und das Inventar derselben vom J. 1339 (Berlin 1886); Franz von Ehrle, Historia Bibliothecae Romanorum Pontificum tum Bonifatianae tum Avenionensis I, pp. 129-135; Carini, La biblioteca vaticana 26-34]. At bottom, he was unwilling to face his responsibilities toward Rome.

Death of Pope Benedict XII

The "Secunda Vita Benedicti XII" notes Benedict's physical condition in April, 1342 [Baluze I, 220]:

Hic pastor, bonus ex quadam antiqua tibiarum infirmitate fluenti coepit plus solito infirmari; et volentibus medicis infirmitatis fluxum hujusmodi refrenare, supervenerunt et alia propter quae in die beati Marci Evangelistae de Mense Aprilis XXV. die anno nativitatis dominicae MCCCXLII migravit ad Christum in palatio quod fundaverat.

Benedict XII died on April 25, 1342 ["Vita Prima Benedicti XII", Baluze I, 212; the "Vita Quarta" makes it April 15—a simple haplography (Baluzius I, 228)], on the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, in his Palace in Avignon ["Vita Sexta Benedicti XII", Baluze I, 236].

Tomb of Benedict XII, Cathedral, Avignon

Hic Dominus Benedictus papa avarus, durus, et tenax, in conferendis gratiis remissus, tardus et negligens, improvidendo statum Ecclesiarum supra modum fuit; et in excusatione duritii suae paucos ad haec dignos vel sufficientes dicebat. Omnes Cardinales fore deceptores sui credebat. Raro supplicationes ipsorum recipere volebat, ipsosque non modicum suspectos habebat. ["Octava Vita Benedicti XII, in Baluze I, 240]. "This Pope Benedict was greedy, harsh, and tight-fisted; in conferring favors he was miserly, slow, and inattentive; he was beyond measure in not providing for the state of Churches; and in making excuses for his hardness, he used to say that few people were worthy for these favors or up to them. He believed that all the Cardinals would be deceptive toward him. He rarely was willing to receive their supplications, and he held them under suspicion more than usually."

The Electors

Eubel Hierarchia Catholica I second edition, p. 18 note 1. During his pontificate Benedict XII (Jacques Fournier) had appointed seven cardinals, in one creation. Of the twenty-three Cardinals who had participated in his election in 1334, ten had died (besides himself). The number of cardinals eligible to participate in the Conclave of 1342, therefore, was nineteen. Eighteen attended. Fourteen were French, three were Italian, one was Spanish. One Frenchman was ill and did not attend. Biographies of some of Benedict XII's cardinals are given in Baluzius I, columns 810-824; in Aubery, pp. 456-464; and in Cardella, II. See also Müller II, pp. 304-305. Frizonius and Onuphrio Panvinio state that there were 22 cardinals—three of whom he cannot name (Panvinio Epitome, 217-218).

Benedict XII had appointed no Dominicans, no Franciscans, one Cistercian (Guillaume Court), and two Benedictines (Pierre Roger, Guillaume d'Aure). There were, therefore, only four Religious at the Conclave of 1342, none of whom was a Cardinal Bishop.

Cardinals attending:

(Pierre) Bertrandi du Pouget, of Cahors, Suburbicarian Bishop of Ostia e Velletri. Previously he had been Cardinal Priest of S. Marcello (1316-1327). Rector of the church of Radeclive on Sore, Diocese of York, by papal provision, by 1320 [Bliss Calendar of Papal Registers II, 234 (November 7, 1323)]. Prebend of Croperi in the Diocese of Lincoln, by 1317 and as late as 1344; a successor was appointed on December 17, 1351 [Bliss II, 235; Le Neve II, 140]. Canon of Aix [Baluze I, 727]. Legate in Lombardy and the Romagna (1326-1334) [Continuator of Guillaume de Nangis: D'Achery, Spicilegium XI (Paris 1672), p. 718 and 761]. He was expelled by the Bolognese in 1334, and made his way, via Florence and Pisa to Avignon, arriving on April 26 [Giovanni ViIlanni II. 6; the "Fifth Life" of John XXII (Baluze, p. 117), however, says he returned at Pentecost, which was on May 15]. He was present at John XXII's deathbed on December 3, 1334 [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1334, no. 35, p. 15]. (Cardinal Bertrand died February 3, 1352). [Baluze, Vitae Paparum Avenionensium I, 725-728].
Joannes Raymundus de Convenis (Jean-Raymond de Comminges), son of Count Bernard VI of Comminges and Laura de Montfort. Suburbicarian Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina (from 1331), previously Cardinal Priest of S. Vitale (1327-1331). He had previously been Canon of Albi, Canon of Comminges [Regestum Clementis Papae V, I, no. 162], Canon of Narbonne; Bishop of Maguelonne (Montpellier) (1309-1317) [Gallia christiana 6, p. 779], and the first Archbishop of Toulouse (1317-1327) [Gallia christiana 13, p. 38]. In 1319 he had himself excused from the investigation of Bernard Delicieux, OFM, though he enforced the sentence against him. He would have been elected Pope in 1334, but he refused to swear to keep the Papacy in France. Prebend of Leicester St. Margaret in the Church of Lincoln, from 1339 until after 1343, probably until his death [Le Neve Fasti II, 168]. Archdeacon of Northampton [Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae II, 56] and Richmond (1346-1348) [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers 3, p. 290; Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae III, 138]. (died November 20, 1348). [Baluze I, 753-755]
Gauscelin de Jean Duèse [Gaucelmus Joannis Deuza], of Cahors, Suburbicarian Bishop of Albano. Major Penitentiary [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, 521 (November 4, 1335); E. Göller, Die päpstlisches Pönitentiarie (1907), 90-91; H. Denifle, Archiv für Litteratur- und Kirchengeschichte 4 (1888), 209-220]. He assisted in the revision of the Statutes of the Fratres Minores [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1336, no. 65, p. 88]. Rector of the church of Stebenhethe in the Diocese of London [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers 3, p. 277]. Rector of the church of Hemyngburgh in the Diocese of York [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers 3, p. 278]. Treasurer of Lichfield [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers 3, p. 277]. (died August 3, 1348). Nephew of Pope John XXII.
Pierre de Pratis (des Près), of Cahors [born at the Château de Montpesat], son of Raimond, seigneur de Monpesat, and Aspasie de Montaigut. Suburbicarian Bishop of Palestrina (1323-1361); previously Cardinal Priest of S. Pudenziana (1320-1323). Doctor of civil law. Archdeacon of Rochester [Bliss, Calendar II, 210 (February 9, 1321)]. In 1319 he was made Archbishop of Aix (1318-1321) [Eubel I, 96; cf. Baluze I, 747], previous to which he had briefly been Bishop of Riez (1318) [Eubel I, 417; Gallia christiana I (1716), 320-321 and 404; Gallia christiana novissima: Aix (1899), 79-80 and instrumenta pp. 55-56]. He had earlier been Provost of Clermont, by papal provision. Doctor of Canon Law, Professor at Toulouse. He assisted in the revision of the Statutes of the Fratres Minores [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1336, no. 65, p. 88]. (died September 30, 1361). [Baluze, Vitae Paparum Avenionensium I, 746-748]. After the Election, he and Cardinal Annibaldo di Ceccano were sent as Legates to France; they were back in Avignon by March 28, 1343 [D'Achery Spicilegium III (Paris 1723), 722-723].
Annibaldo di Ceccano, a Neapolitan of the diocese of Aquino in Campagna, Suburbicarian Bishop of Frascati. Archdeacon of Nottingham (from November 23, 1331) [Bliss, Calendar III, 73 (January 4, 1343)]. Archdeacon of Buckingham (from October 4, 1333). [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, 533 (December 10, 1336); Calendar III, 73 (January 4, 1343); Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae II, 68, 150]. Precentor of Lichfield, contested by Thomas de Baddeby [Bliss, III, 147 (March 7, 1344); Le Neve I, 579] In 1342-1343 he was Legate in France along with Cardinal Pierre de Pratis [D'Achery Spicilegium III (Paris 1723), 722-723]. In 1348-1350, he was Legate in Sicily [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1348, no. 12-13, pp. 444-445; sub anno 1350, no. 22, p. 488-489]. He was Papal Legate in Rome for the Jubilee of 1350. His measures caused the people of Rome to riot, and there was an assassination attempt. He was forced to leave Rome. (died July/August, 1350, at Naples, during his return trip to Avignon, perhaps by poison). [Baluze I, 755-757].
Pedro Gómez Barroso, of Toledo, Cardinal Priest of S. Prassede (1327-1341). Canon and Prebend of Lichfield (December 24, 1342- ). He assisted in the revision of the Statutes of the Fratres Minores [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1336, no. 65, p. 88]. He was appointed on June 24, 1337, by Pope Benedict, along with Cardinal Bertrand of S. Maria in Aquiro, as Nuncio to France and England, to attempt to make peace; they were still at work in August 1338, having been ordered not to become parties to peace negotiations; this changed on November 17, 1338; Louis of Bavaria had become part of the complications, when King Edward began to favor him and accepted the title of Vicar of the Empire in Germany ; in October, 1339, King Edward was in danger of excommunication. In March, 1340, King Edward seemed ready to press his claims to the throne of France. The Pope downgraded the level of diplomatic contacts [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, 537-540, 563, 565-569, 571-583]. Archdeacon of Chester (1342-1348) [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, 277; III, 74 (September 14, 1342)]; Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae I. 566]. Archdeacon of Huntingdon [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers III, 95 (May 14, 1344)]. Cardinal Pedro Gómez Barroso died on July 14, 1348.
Imbertus de Puteo (Dupuis), of Montpellier, Cardinal Priest of SS. XII Apostoli. (died May 26, 1348). Nephew of Pope John XXII. Faineant.
Élie Talleyrand de Périgord, brother of Rogerius Bernardi, Count of Perigord [Baluze II, no. 89, p. 603]; of Archambaud, Count of Perigord; and of Agnes, Duchess of Durazzo and Countess of Gravina [Baluze II, no.98, p. 628]. He was the uncle of Duke Robert of King of Jerusalem, Cilicia and Apulia [Giovanni Villani XII. 10]. Cardinal Priest of S. Pietro in Vincoli (1331-1348), then Bishop of Albano (1348-1364). Archdeacon of London to 1322, when promoted to Richmond [Bliss, Calendar II, p. 210 (October 20, 1320), p. 231]. Archdeacon of Richmond (1322-1328) [Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae III, 138]. Dean of York (1347-1364) [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers 3, 255, 337]. Prebend of Loughton in Morthugg, Diocese of York [Bliss, Calendar III, p. 52 (June 30, 1342)] Canon of Lincoln and Prebend of Thame (from 1335) [Bliss, 518 (July 3, 1335); Le Neve II, 220]. (died January 17, 1364).
Magister Pierre Bertrand, from Castrum Annoniaci (Annonay) in the Auvergne in the diocese of Vienne, son of Matthew Bertrandi of Civitas Annonensis (Annonay); the family was ennobled in March, 1339, by King Philip VI. Doctor (?) in utroque iure (Orleans) [Gallia christiana IV, 409]. Cardinal Priest of S. Clemente (1331-1348), at the request of the King and Queen of France [Baronius-Theiner 24 sub anno 1331, no. 34. p. 482]. He had previously been Canon (1301) and Dean of Le Puy. He taught in several institutions, Avignon (1307), Montpellier (1309), Orleans, and Paris. Councillor of the Parlement of Paris. Chancellor of Queen Joanna [Du Boulay, Historia Universitatis Parisiensis IV, 981]. Bishop of Nevers (1320-1322). Bishop of Autun (1322-1331). He died on June 23, 1348. [Baluzius I, 782-786]. He was the uncle of Petrus Bertrandi of S. Susanna (1344-1361) who was subsequently Bishop of Ostia (1353-1361).
Gozzio (Gozo) Battaglia, of Rimini, Cardinal Priest of S. Prisca (1339-1348). At the time of his promotion in 1338 he was Legate in Sicily and Patriarch of Constantinople (1335-1338). Precentor of Carpentras. Chaplain of His Holiness. Canon of Palencia. Canon of Burgos. Canon of Ravenna. [Eubel I, 206 and n. 10]. (died June 10, 1348) Doctor utriusque iure [Baluzius I, col. 216 Aubery, p. 457, citing his funeral inscription]
Bertrand de Déaulx, born at the Chateau de Blandiac in the Seneschaly of Beaucaire, Diocese of Embrun. Cardinal Priest of S. Marco (1338-1348). Archbishop of Embrun (1323-1338), previously Precentor of Embrun [Eubel I, 234; Gallia christiana 3, 1085]. In 1333 he had been sent to consult with King Robert of Sicily and with Francesco Dandolo, Doge of Venice, about the Turkish menace; he then went to Bologna to assist Cardinal Bertrand de Pouget in dealing with the sedition of the populace. In 1335 he received the fealty of Robert of Sicily on behalf of Pope Benedict XII. While Archbishop he presided over the provincial council held at the Monastery of S. Ruf in Avignon in 1337 [Mansi Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio 25, 1088]. Praepositus of Liège. Archdeacon of Liège (1345-1355) [Ursmer Berlière, OSB, Bulletin de la Commission Royale d' histoire 75 (Bruxelles 1906), 142]. Canon and Prebend of Salisbury (before 1342) [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers 3, 74]. Archdeacon of of Dorset [Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 2, 638]. (died October 21, 1355) Professor of Civil and Canon Law (according to his epitaph).
Pierre Roger, OSB, son of Pierre Roger, seigneur de Rozières. His eldest brother, Hughes Roger, became the Cardinal de Tulles. His elder brother was Guillaume II Roger, Count of Bellefort, whose son Jean became Archbishop of Auch and of Narbonne; another son, Pierre Roger the younger, became Pope Gregory XI. Pierre Roger, OSB, became Cardinal Priest of SS. Nereo ed Achilleo (1338-1342). He began his career as a monk at the Monastery of Casa-Dei in the Auvergne. Master of Sacred Theology. Professor at Paris at the age of 31. Preceptor of Charles of Moravia, the future Emperor Charles IV. Prior of S. Baudilio de Nemours, then Abbot of Fécamp. Bishop of Arras (1328-1329). Archbishop of Sens (1329-1330). Archbishop of Rouen (1330-1338). He had been one of the opposition to John XXII's notions about the Beatific Vision. Elected Bishop of Rome, and chose the name Clement VI (May 7, 1342–December 6, 1352). "Rotomagensis"
Bernard d'Albi, of Pamiers, Cardinal Priest of S. Ciriaco alle Terme (1339-1349). Bishop of Rodez (1336-1339). Dean of Beauvais. In 1337 the Bishop of Rodez was sent to Spain to negotiate a peace between the Kings of Castile and Portugal [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1337, no. 25, p. 104-105; sub anno 1338, no. 50, p. 132-133]. The red hat rewarded his successful efforts. After the failure of Archbishop Petrus Bertrandi to settle a dispute between Aragon and the Baleares, he was sent on another legation to Peter of Aragon in 1343, which was also unsuccessful; consumpti porro sunt frustra Bernardi cardinalis et Armandi archiepiscopi labores pugnantibus utriusque regis voluntatibus [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1343, no. 25-35, p. 302-304]. In 1346 he was appointed to preside over the case of Heinrich Archbishop of Mainz for contumacy [Baluzius, I, 820]. He had been appointed to examine the case of Archbishop Alexander of Dublin, accused of heresy and protecting heretics, and other offenses, which were sufficiently serious to have the Archbishop cited to appear before the Pope [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers III, 231-232 (April 11, 1347)]. In 1348, he was promoted Bishop of Porto. (died November 23, 1350) Juris Doctor [Baluzius, Vitae paparum avenionensium I, 820-821].
Guillaume Court, OCist., of Mirepoix in the Diocese of Toulouse. Cardinal Priest of Ss. IV Coronati (1338-1350). (died June 12, 1361). Doctor of Theology (Paris). Abbot of the Monastery of Bolbona (1316-1337) [Gallia christiana 13, 294]. Bishop of Nîmes (1337). Bishop of Albi (1337-1338). In 1339, John, Abbot of Cîteux, granted him an annual pension of 3000 gold florins [Gallia christiana 13, 294]. He died June 12, 1361 as Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum (Frascati). [Cardella II, 152-154] Sid to be the Nephew of Pope Benedict XII, though a relationship this close is denied (correctly) by Baluze [Gallia christiana 6, 450; Baluze I, 816-817].
Guillaume d'Aure, OSB, [Toulouse] Cardinal Priest of S. Stefano al Monte Celio. (died December 3, 1353). Monk of Lesat in the Diocese of Rieux; on July 12, 1343, he gave his old monastery a silver-gilt cross, a silver chalice, and 200 gold florins [Baluze I, 216; Gallia christiana 13, 213, and instrumenta, p. 179-180, no.XXII ]. He was appointed Abbot of Montolieu (Montisolivi) in the Diocese of Carcassonne by John XXII (1323) [Gallia christiana 6 (1739), 991-993; Cardella II, 154]. Professor of Canon Law [Baluzius I, col. 216; cf. cols. 822-824]. He worked on the reform of the statutes of the Benedictine Order, and on the Penitentiary Formulae. He died early in December, 1353, perhaps on the 3rd [Baluze I, 824]. He was buried at the Monastery of Montis Olivi.
Raymond Guillaume des Fargues, of Bordeaux, a Gascon; brother of Guillaume Raymond de Fargues, seigneur de Fargues [R. L. Alis, Notice sur le Chateau, les anciens seigneurs, et la paroisse de Mauvezin (Agen 1887) 53-54, 70-71]. Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria Nuova, nephew of Pope Clement V. Treasurer of Beauvais. Dean of Salisbury (1310-1346) [Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae II, 614-615] (died October 5, 1346). [Baluze, Vitae Paparum Avenionensium I, 662-664]. faineant.
Gaillard de la Mothe, of Bourdos in Gascony, diocese of Aquitaine, son of Amanieu, Baron de la Mothe, Seigneur de Langon et de Rochetaillé, and Alix de Got, the daughter of Clement V's brother, Arnaldus Garsia de Got. Cardinal Deacon of S. Lucia in Silice (1316-1356). (died December 20, 1356). Protonotary Apostolic. Former Canon of Narbonne [Regestum Clementis Papae V, I, no. 211 (July 31, 1305)]. Prebend of Milton in the Church of Lincoln (contested: 1316-1326) [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, 214-215, 250, 252]. Precentor of Chichester, attested in 1321 and 1325 [Le Neve Fasti I, 265; II, 187]. Archdeacon of Exeter. Archdeacon of Lincoln [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, 150]. Archdeacon of Oxford (1312—after 1345, perhaps until his death) [Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae II, 65; and cf. Bliss II, 287, 303, 358, 536, 551]. He also had benefices in the dioceses of Canterbury, Winchester, and Paris [Bliss II, 545 (June 12, 1339)]. It should be remembered that his family were vassals of the Kings of England. He assisted in the revision of the Statutes of the Fratres Minores [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1336, no. 65, p. 88]. Frizonius, followed by Ciaconius, states [Ciaconius-Olduin II, 412] that he crowned Clement VI, but this was probably only a conjecture on his part. Raymond des Fargues was senior in the Order of Deacons to Gaillard by six years. Cardinal Gaillard rebuilt the family seat at Rochetaillé [Edouard Feret, Essai sur l' arondissement de Bazas (Bordeaux 1893) 48-49]. He died December 20, 1356, and was buried in the Cathedral of St. Just in Narbonne on January 15, 1357 [Louis Narbonne, La cathédrale Saint-Just de Narbonne (Narbonne 1901) 146-147]. He is commemorated in the Church of Notre Dame de Chartres on January 3 [A. Molinier & A. Lognon, Obituaires de la province de Sens. Tome II (Diocese de Chartres) (Paris 1906) p. 126].
Giovanni Colonna, a Roman, son of Stefano Colonna 'Il Vecchio', Signore di Palestrina; and Calceranda, daughter of Giordano de Insula; Nephew of Cardinal Pietro Colonna (Archpriest of the Liberian Basilica, 1306-1326). Cardinal Deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria (1327-1348). Protonotary Apostolic. Rector of Downton in the Diocese of Salisbury [Bliss, Calendar of Papal Registers II, p. 273 (June 17, 1328); III, p. 296 (July 13, 1348)].Canon of Bayeux. Archpriest of the Lateran Basilica (from 1343). (died July 3, 1348).

Cardinals not attending:

The "Second Life of Clement VI" (Baluzius I, col. 267) states that one Cardinal did not attend the Conclave: " XVII Domini Cardinales intraverunt, solo duntaxat Domino Bertrando de Montefavencio sanctae Mariae in Aquiro Diacono Cardinali extra conclave praedictum propter morbum podagrae remanente"

Bertrand de Montfavez, of Chateauneuf in the Diocese of Cahors, Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro. Rector of the church of Wimbleton in the Diocese of Winchester, to his death [Bliss Calendar III, p. 53]. He assisted in the revision of the Statutes of the Fratres Minores [Baronius-Theiner 25, sub anno 1336, no. 65, p. 88]. He died on December 1, 1342, and was buried in a church near Avignon which he had founded, and to which he attached a college of Canons Regular of S. Augustine, Nôtre Dame de Montfaveiz, or de Bon-répos: Hic jacet Bertrandus de Montfaventio, de Castro novo-Ratherii, Cadurcensis, tituli Sanctae Marie in Aquiro Diaconi Cardinalis, qui post extructam suis expensis et dotatam hanc ecclesiam et monasterium aliaque pie ac praeclare a se gesta in Domino obdormivit, anno Domini 1343. [Ciaconius-Olduin II, 412].

The Camerarius S. R. E. was Msgr. Gasbert de Laval [de Valle], Archbishop of Arles (April 26, 1323 to October 1, 1341) [Vidal, Benoît XII. Lettres communes I (Paris 1903), no. 2432 (April 7, 1335); C. Samaran and G. Mollat, La fiscalité pontificale en France au XIVe siècle (Paris 1905), p. 167-168; Gallia christiana 1, 575-576; Gallia christiana novissima: Arles (1901) pp. 609-657, esp. no. 1521, 1529, 1542, 1544; Baumgarten, Von den Apostolischen Kanzlei (Köln 1908), p. 34 (February 12, 1333)]. He had been appointed on September 18, 1319 and named Archbishop of Marseille (1319-1323). He had previously been Archdeacon of Cahors and Treasurer General S.R.E. (the second-ranking official in the Apostolic Camera). He died in the Curia on January 3, 1347.

Conclave

The "Second Life of Clement VI"—echoed by the "Third Life" (Baluzius I, column 267) states that the Conclave took place in the Apostolic Palace in Avignon (Souchon, 51), and began on Sunday, May 5, 1342, and was completed on Tuesday, May 7:

... et demum post obitum Domini Benedicti XII memorati, qui obiit XXV die mensis Aprilis de anno nativitatis Domini millesimo trecentesimo quadragesimo secundo, in conclavi palatii Avinionensis, quod die dominica quinta mensis Maii sine medio subsequentis, eo computato, XVII Domini Cardinales intraverunt, solo duntaxat Domino Bertrando de Montefavencio Sanctae Mariae in Aquiro Diacono Cardinali extra conclave praedictum propter morbum podagrae remanente, die Martis septima ejusdem mensis Maii confestim ante vigiliam ascensionis Domini, hora tertiae, in Summum Romanum Pontificem concordia mirabili sublimatur. Vacavit sedes diebus duodecim.

The "Fourth Life of Clement VI" (Baluzius I, column 299) states: "Anno Domini MCCCXLII nona die Maii Avinioni ad locum Praedicatorum Clemens VI natione Lemovicensis, de quodam loco dicto Mestrio Lemovicensis diocesis, fuit in Romanum Pontificem electus, et coronatus XIV Kal Iunii." The author of the Life has probably made a mistake, reading NONA (May 9) where his source wrote NONIS (The Nones, May 7). He is also wrong in stating that the Conclave was held at the Dominican Convent. The description of the Coronation is similar to that of Benedict XII, whose election at the Apostolic Palace was followed by a progress to the Dominican Convent, where the coronation took place, which was followed by another procession leading him back to the Apostolic Palace. The "Fourth Life" descends from the "Second Life", but the copyist is less skilled than some. Father Theiner (Baronius-Theiner 25, p. 277-278) cites an additional source, Vatican manuscript 2040 as saying: "Hic [Clemens VI] sub MCCCXLII fuit electus Nonis Maii Avinioni ad locum Praedictorum, coronatus XIV kal. Junii...." NONIS is the correct reading, but the location of the election depends upon the placement of a comma. If the pause is placed after AVINIONI, then the statement reads in accordance with the tradition of Benedict XII's election and coronation, and the election did NOT take place at the Convent of the Dominicans.

Pierre Roger was born in the Chateau de Maumont, in the Diocese of Tulle, in ca. 1291, as he himself records in his testimony for the canonization of St. Yvo: "Iste Dominus Yvo anno aetatis suae quinquagesimo, et XIX die Maii coronatur in coelis, ego autem anno aetatis mea quinquagesimo ad statum istum, licet invitus, assumptus, die XIX mensis Maii coronatum fui." (Pagi, 124). He had been Bishop of Arras (1328), was promoted to Sens (1329), and then to Rouen (1330). He was Chancellor of King Philip VI (1334-1338), and then Cardinal (December 18, 1338). (Baronius-Theiner, sub anno 1342, vi.; p. 277)

Coronation of Clement VI

Clement VI was crowned at the Church of the Convent of the Dominicans in Avignon, on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 1342. The "Second Life" and the "Third Life" provide the same narrative (Baluzius I, col. 267-268 and 283):

Nam in festo Pentecostes, quod tunc celebrandum fuit XIX die Maii, apud Ecclesiam Fratrum Praedicatorum de Avinione cum maxima sollemnitate extitit coronatus, astantibus et servientibus ei Dominis Iohanne primogenito Regis Franciae, tunc Duce Normanniae, qui postea patri suo successise in regno, Iacobo Duce Borbonii, Philippo Duce Burgundiae, Imberto tunc Dalphino Viennensi, et multis aliis tam Franciae quam Vasconiae ac partium aliarum Comitibus, innumerisque Baronibus, et ad Palatium Apostolicum eisdem omnibus adestrantibus eum sequenti die lunae honorifice nimium et quiete reductus....

He was one of the greatest of papal nepotists (Souchon, 52). In 1342 he created eleven cardinals, including his brother Hughes Roger, OSB; his cousins Aymeric de Chalus, Gerard de la Garde, OP, and Guillaume d'Aigrefeuille; his nephews Bernard de la Tour, Guillaume de la Jugié, and Nicholas de Besse; and his cousin (or nephew) Adhemar Robert. To these relatives were added his nephew Pierre Roger de Beaufort (1348), his cousin Pierre de Cros (1350), and his nephew Raymond de Canilhac (1350). He also appointed another nephew, Hugh de Rupe, as Marshal of the Roman Curia [Baluze II, no. 119, p. 672]. The next Conclave would truly be a family affair. Clement VI died on December 6, 1352.

The expenses for the funeral of Pope Benedict amounted to 360 gold florins, 253 scudi, 20 livres tournois, 25 silver obols of King Robert, 26 livres, 10 s., 7d.; and one ring. The expenses of the Conclave of 1342 are put at 278 lib., 9s., 8d. The expenses for the Coronation amounted to 188 gold florins, 1328 scudi ; 6s., 6d silver heavy Tournois; 16s., 8d. in King Robert's obols; 1434 lib. silver light Tournois. [Vidal, Benoit XII, Lettres communes II, p. 451].