The Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis

5 The Council of Vienne: The Spiritual Franciscan Position

WHAT EVIDENCE WE HAVE SUGGESTS that the first decade of the fourteenth century was a bad time for those in southern France who adhered to Olivi’s position on usus pauper, but their travail ended when Pope Clement V intervened in 1309. Why he did so is not entirely clear, but Angelo Clareno may provide part of the answer: Angelo reports that Arnald of Villanova was responsible . Arnald, a Catalan, had served as physician to Peter III of Aragon, Boniface VIII, and Clement V.1 He was also much given to apocalyptic speculation and in 1299 or 1300 had produced, while on a diplomatic mission to Paris, a work on Antichrist that led to his arrest. While his speculation kept him on the edge of serious trouble for the rest of his life, his excellent contacts and medical reputation constantly prevented him from falling irrevocably into it. Arnald’s troubles were primarily with the Dominicans, and his counterattacks on them showed substantial sympathy not merely for Franciscan poverty, but also for Olivi’s notion of usus pauper. Moreover, he had spent some time in southern France—he taught medicine at Montpellier—and had come to show compassion toward the spiritual Franciscans’ plight. Immediately after Benedict XI THE COUNCIL OF VIENNE The Spiritual Franciscan Position F I V E THE SPIRITUAL FRANCISCANS succeeded Boniface VIII, Arnald attempted to secure a reversal of the persecution against them and, incidentally, protection from attacks against his own apocalyptic thought. The result was another period of imprisonment that ended with the accession of Clement V. Clement valued Arnald as a physician and was apparently indifferent to his theological preoccupations (as well as to the charge that he had conspired to poison Benedict XI). Clement ignored Arnald’s requests that his apocalyptic works be submitted to new examination, but his inaction probably saved Arnald from still another condemnation. Angelo says that Arnald appealed to King Charles of Sicily, and the latter wrote Gonsalvo of Spain, the minister general. Charles threatened to complain directly to the pope if the persecutions did not cease. This seems odd if the Charles in question was the Angevin king of Naples, Charles II. Charles had not hitherto shown any great sympathy for the spirituals and, as Angelo himself indicates, he had aided in the persecution of some Poor Hermits at Gonsalvo’s request.2 He died in May 1309, and some have suggested that Angelo confused Charles with his immediate son and successor, Robert the Wise.3 Like his brother, the Franciscan bishop-saint Louis of Toulouse, Robert was more than normally interested in religious matters.4 The suggestion has its difficulties, though, since one recent scholar argues energetically that there is little evidence of any sympathy for the spirituals on Robert’s part.5 So unless in the final months of his life Robert’s father, Charles, began to see the spirituals with new eyes, thanks to Arnald, we might look for a third candidate. There is one. Since Angelo says Arnald talked with Carolo rege Siciliae and we know that Arnald did have a close relationship with Frederick, King of Sicily, Angelo may really have Frederick in mind.6 We simply do not know. Arnald himself appealed directly to Clement.7 Nor were the voices of Arnald and (whichever) king the only ones speaking on behalf of the spirituals. Clement himself noted in a bull of 1310 that he had been informed “frequently” in both secret and public consistories of the need to correct some things in the Franciscan order.8 Cardinal Napoleone Orsini (whom Celestine V had chosen as protector of the ill-fated Poor Hermits) had received the spiritual Ubertino da Casale into his service around 1306, employed him in various ways at least through 1308, and by 1309 had journeyed to Avignon and may have used his influence to end the persecution. The two Colonna cardinals, Pietro and Giacomo, also had a history of contact with some of the spirituals, having united with them in opposition to Boniface VIII. Giacomo had been on friendly terms with John of Parma and would serve as Angelo Clareno’s patron. Finally, we know that in August 1309 officials from the city of Narbonne petitioned the pope to reverse not only the persecution but also 112 THE COUNCIL OF VIENNE: The Spiritual Franciscan Position the condemnation of Olivi’s writings and the prohibition of the Olivi cult at...