Benedict XII
Birth name	Jacques Fournier
Papacy began	December 20, 1334
Papacy ended	April 25, 1342
Predecessor	John XXII
Successor	Clement VI
Born	ca. 1280s Saverdun, France
Died	April 25, 1342 Avignon, France
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Benedict XII, né Jacques Fournier (ca. 1280s – April 25, 1342), was Pope from 1334 to 1342. Image File history File links Benedikt_XII1. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Births January 4 - Amadeus VI of Savoy, Count of Savoy (died 1383) January 13 - King Henry II of Castile (died 1379) May 25 - Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders (died 1398) August 30 - King Peter I of Castile (died 1369) James I of Cyprus (died... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births... Pope John XXII, né Jacques dEuse (1249 – December 4, 1334),was the son of a shoemaker in Cahors. ... Clement VI, né Pierre Roger (1291 – December 6, 1352), pope (1342-1352), the fourth of the Avignon popes, was elected in May 1342. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births... View over the Rhône River to North-East with Mt Ventoux at the rear Palais des papes Square below the Palace of the Popes Paul Vs coat-of-arms on the Palais des papes The Notre Dame des Doms cathedral is located in the heart of Avignon, near... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births... The Pope (from Greek: pappas, father; from Latin: papa, Papa, father) is the successor of St. ... Events Births January 4 - Amadeus VI of Savoy, Count of Savoy (died 1383) January 13 - King Henry II of Castile (died 1379) May 25 - Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders (died 1398) August 30 - King Peter I of Castile (died 1369) James I of Cyprus (died... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births...

Little is known of the origins of Jacques Fournier. He is believed to have been born in Saverdun in the Comté de Foix around the 1280s to a family of modest means. He became a Cistercian monk and left to study at the University of Paris. In 1311 he was made Abbot of Fontfroide and quickly became known for his intelligence and rigorous organization. In 1317 he was promoted to be bishop of Pamiers. There he pursued a rigorous witch hunt for heretics, which won him plaudits from religious authorities but alienated him from the local population. His effect on the simple Cathars of Montaillou high in the Ariège was documented by the historian Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's pioneering work of microhistory Montaillou, village occitan. In 1326, successful at rooting out the last, it was thought, of the heretics of the south, he was made Bishop of Mirepoix. A year later, in 1327, he was made a Cardinal. County of Foix coat of arms The independent counts of Foix, with their castle overlooking the town of Foix, now in southernmost France, governed their county of Foix, which corresponded roughly to the eastern part of the modern département of Ariège (the western part being Couserans). ... The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... Events Bolingbroke Castle passes to the House of Lancaster. ... Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ... Fontfroide is an Abbey in the South of France. ... Events The Great Famine of 1315-1317. ... Pamiers is a commune of the Ariège département, in southwestern France. ... A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. ... It has been suggested that Albigensians be merged into this article or section. ... Montaillou is a small village and commune in southern France. ... Ariège is a département in southwestern France named after the Ariège River. ... Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie (born 1929) is a noted French historian whose work is focused upon Languedoc in the ancien regime focusing on the history of the peasantry. ... Microhistory is a branch of the study of history. ... Events Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Osman I (1299-1326) to Orhan I (1326-1359) Aradia de Toscano, is initiated into a Dianic cult of Italian Witchcraft (Stregheria), and discovers through a vision that she is the human incarnation of the goddess Aradia. ... Mirepoix is the French name (from the town) for a combination of onions, carrots and celery commonly used to flavor soups , stews and sauces, but it is not the only such combination, even in the French culinary repertoire. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ...

He succeeded Pope John XXII (1316–34) as Pope in 1334, being elected on the first conclave ballot. He reportedly exclaimed "You have elected a jackass!" upon his naming as Pope. But he did not carry out the policy of his predecessor. He practically made peace with the Emperor Louis IV, and as far as possible came to terms with the Franciscans, who were then at odds with the Roman See. Pope John XXII, né Jacques dEuse (1249 – December 4, 1334),was the son of a shoemaker in Cahors. ... con·clave (knklv, kng-) n. ... Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... The coat of arms of the Holy See The term Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes, lit. ...

Benedict XII was a reforming Pope, and tried to curb the luxury of the monastic orders, but without much success. He also ordered the construction of the Palais des Papes in Avignon. He spent most of his time working on questions of theology. He rejected many of the ideas developed by John XXII and campaigned against the Immaculate Conception. He engaged in long theological debates with other noted figures of the age such as William of Ockham and Meister Eckhart. Monasticism (from Greek: monachos—a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... The Champeux Gate of the Palais des Papes The Palais des Papes in Avignon, France is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. ... View over the Rhône River to North-East with Mt Ventoux at the rear Palais des papes Square below the Palace of the Popes Paul Vs coat-of-arms on the Palais des papes The Notre Dame des Doms cathedral is located in the heart of Avignon, near... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... Mary Immaculate This article refers to the dogma of the immaculate conception of Mary, Mother of Jesus. ... Hello, I am Sam, Sam I am. ... Johannes Eckhart (1260-1328), also known as Eckhart von Hochheim and widely refered to as Meister Eckhart, was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic, born near Erfurt, in Thuringia. ...

External links

• The Inquisition Record of Jacques Fournier