Montpellier

Montpellier, a city in southern France, is mentioned in the novel as the place where Pope John XXII studied medicine and law, acquiring the learning and political connections that would later enable his rise to the papacy. The city thus forms part of the intellectual and political background of the Avignon pope whose conflict with Emperor Louis the Bavarian and the Franciscan order over the issue of evangelical poverty provides the historical and political context for the events at the abbey.

John XXII's Education and Rise

According to Ubertino of Casale, John XXII studied law at Montpellier and medicine in Paris, and he cultivated his friendships in the ways best suited to win episcopal seats and the cardinal's hat when it seemed opportune to him. As counselor of Robert the Wise in Naples, he amazed many with his acumen. This education and political maneuvering prepared him for his role as Bishop of Avignon, where he gave advice to Philip the Fair about how to ruin the Knights Templar, and later for his election as pope in 1316.

Political and Theological Context

The novel's historical background includes the election of John XXII in 1316, his conflict with Emperor Louis the Bavarian, and his condemnation of the Franciscan chapter of Perugia's 1322 declaration that Christ and the apostles owned nothing. John's decretal Cum inter nonnullos in 1323 condemned the Franciscan propositions, and his conflict with the emperor intensified when Louis denounced the pope as a heretic. The Franciscans, now the pope's enemies, became potential allies of Louis, and the emperor's theologians, including Marsilius of Padua and John of Jandun, supported the Franciscan position on poverty. This political and theological struggle provides the context for William of Baskerville's mission to the abbey, where he is to organize a meeting between Franciscan and papal legates.

Narrative Significance

Montpellier is not a setting in the novel but is referenced as part of John XXII's biography, establishing his credentials as a learned and politically astute figure. The city's mention contributes to the novel's rich historical texture, grounding the fictional events in the real political and intellectual currents of the early fourteenth century. John XXII's education at Montpellier and Paris, his service as counselor to Robert the Wise, and his subsequent election as pope are all part of the background that William and Ubertino discuss, helping to explain the pope's character and the nature of his conflict with the Franciscans and the emperor.