
Thomas Basin (1412–1491) was a French
bishop of Lisieux and historian.
Biography
Basin was born at
Caudebec in Normandy, but in the devastation caused by the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantag ...
, his childhood was itinerant. He was taken from Caudebec in 1415, and stayed in Rouen, Vernon, Falaise, Saint-James de Bouvron, Redon, and Nantes. It was on 25 October 1415 that the
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 ( Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numeric ...
took place, and there were few safe places in Normandy. Basin did not return to Caudebec until 1419, his stated object being his desire to see his parents again.
Scholar
In 1424 Basin went to the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...
, where he became a master of arts in 1429. He was admitted to the faculty of arts at
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. Th ...
on 31 December 1431, declaring his intention to study civil law. In 1433 Basin obtained a bursary at the College of St Augustine in
Pavia
Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the cap ...
, which had been founded by Cardinal
Branda da Castiglione, a former bishop of Lisieux (1420–1424), who reserved a number of the twenty-four places for students from Normandy. He remained there until he obtained his licenciate in Civil Law. He then returned to Caudebec to visit his parents, and then took up residence in Louvain, from 1435 to 1437, where he obtained his licenciate in Canon Law. By September 1437 he was back in Italy, a Master of Arts and of Canon and Civil Laws, and is found at Bologna, where the Papal Curia and
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...
were in residence. He was immediately given the expectation of the rectorship of the parish church of Saint-Germain-de-Carville (diocese of Rouen). This required ordination to the priesthood, but he requested a delay of five years; he was granted two. On 6 December 1437 he was also granted the privilege of holding more than one benefice at a time.
Basin was compelled to return home to Normandy when he discovered that his parents had been forced to flee to Rouen to avoid the English, but he was back on the road to Italy in April 1438. The journey took nearly six months, since his itinerary, which was to include Holland and the Rhine valley, was disrupted by a storm that made him seek refuge in London, where he was ill for two months. When he finally arrived in Italy again, he could not move from Pavia to Ferrara for more than three months because of the plague. He finally rejoined the Curia in September 1438.
Curial employee
Basin was present at the
Council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
which began at Ferrara, but which was transferred to
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
by decree of Pope Eugene IV on 10 January 1439. During the Council he made the acquaintance of the humanist
Poggio Bracciolini
Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (11 February 1380 – 30 October 1459), usually referred to simply as Poggio Bracciolini, was an Italian scholar and an early Renaissance humanist. He was responsible for rediscovering and recovering many class ...
, which blossomed into a friendship of twenty years. Both worked on the council's business under the direction of Cardinal Cesarini, the president of the council. On 21 March 1439 Basin was named a Canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Lisieux. In July 1439 he was appointed to an embassy to Hungary, led by Cardinal Cesarini. The embassy was made very difficult when Albert of Austria, King of Hungary, died on 14 October 1439, and a struggle for election to the throne began between supporters of
Władysław III of Poland and Queen
Elisabeth of Luxembourg. The embassy returned to Florence on 26 March 1440. Basin was soon made Canon and prebendary of the Cathedral Chapter of
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...
by Pope Eugene as his reward for service on the legation. His senior colleague on the embassy, Giovanni Tagliacozzo, was made a cardinal. In 1440 Basin was ordained a subdeacon, but he did not remain long in Italy. On 23 May 1441 he took his stall in the Cathedral Chapter of Rouen. In November 1441 the English Royal Council named him professor of canon law in the new University of
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[bishop of Bayeux
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is ...]
, Zeno Castiglione, who was a member of the English Royal Council. Basin was one of the negotiators appointed by King Charles VII on 10 June 1445 to negotiate a marriage between one of his daughters and Edward, Duke of York.
Bishop
On 11 October 1447 Thomas Basin, ''Doctor in utroque iure'' (Civil and Canon Law), was appointed Bishop of Lisieux by
Pope Nicholas V
Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...
. It is possible that he was consecrated at Lambeth on 1 November 1447, by Archbishop John Stafford (1443–1452), Bishop Robert Gilbert of London (1436–1448), and Bishop Thomas Bourchier of Ely (1443–1454). On 3 February 1448 he took his oath of allegiance to King Henry VI of England at Windsor Castle.
In the summer of 1449, King Charles VII, determined to drive the English army out of Normandy. After taking Pont-Audemer the French army headed directly for Lisieux, determined on a siege if necessary. The Bishop pleaded with his people to avoid the pillaging and burning of Lisieux, which would become inevitable if they resisted the French. His advice was followed, and on 16 August 1449 he was sent forth and negotiated a treaty with the French. In it, the Bishop retained his privileges as bishop and count, and was given the privilege of naming the Captain who would be Governor of Lisieux. The King accepted the treaty on 28 August, and Bishop Basin took an oath of loyalty to the King of France. He was granted a pension of 1000 livres a year, which was regularly paid (at least according to surviving records) from 1450 to 1460.
Exile
On 15 August 1461 Bishop Basin took part in the coronation of
King Louis XI at Reims. Basin was much involved in the wars between the English and French and was employed by
Charles VII of France
Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461.
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...
and by his successor
Louis XI
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...
, at whose request Basin drew up a memorandum setting forth the misery of the people and suggesting measures for alleviating their condition. On 4 July 1463 Bishop Basin pronounced the excommunication of three persons convicted of witchcraft, who were immediately turned over to "the secular arm". The three witches were burned at the stake on 12 July. Basin was following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Bishop Pierre Cochon, who had turned Jeanne d'Arc over to "the secular arm".
In 1464 the bishop joined the
League of the Public Weal
The War of the Public Weal (French: ''La guerre du Bien public'') was a conflict between the king of France and an alliance of feudal nobles, organized in 1465 in defiance of the centralized authority of King Louis XI of France. It was masterminde ...
and fell into disfavour with King Louis, who seized the temporalities of his
see. In 1466 Bishop Basin took refuge in Louvain, where on 5 January he consecrated Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liège. He benefited from an amnesty for the members of the League, but Louis would not allow him to return to his diocese. Instead, he was sent to Perpignan as Chancellor of Roussillon and Cerdagne, and then as Ambassador to the King of Aragon; this occupied fourteen months of his virtual exile. He visited Savoy, where Yolande of France was regent, and then cities belonging to the Duke of Burgundy, Geneva, Basle, Trier and Louvain.
In 1474 King Louis put pressure on Basin's relations and friends in order to force his resignation. After exile in various places Basin proceeded to Rome, and resigned his bishopric on 27 May 1474.
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
bestowed upon him the title of
archbishop of
Caesarea
Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesare ...
by way of consolation. Occupied with his writings Basin then passed some years at
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
and afterwards transferred his residence to
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...
(now in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
), where his old friend, David the bastard of Burgundy, was Bishop and lord of the city.
When Louis XI died in 1483, his successor Charles VIII invited Bishop Basin to return to France, but without his diocese he saw no reason to accept.
Basin died in Utrecht on 3 December 1491, and was buried in the church of St. John
Janskerk.
Works
Basin's principal work is his ''Historiae de rebus a Carolo VII. et Ludovico XI. Francorum regibus''. This is of considerable historical value, but is marred to some extent by the author's dislike for Louis XI. At one time it was regarded as the work of a priest of Liège, named Amelgard, but it is now practically certain that Basin was the writer. He also wrote a suggestion for reform in the administration of justice entitled ''Libellus de optimo ordine forenses lites audiendi et deferendi'', which was the product of his careful study of the Roman Rota while he worked at the Curia; an ''Apologia'', written to answer the charges brought against him by Louis XI; a ''Breviloquium'', or allegorical account of his own misfortunes; a ''Peregrinatio''; a defence of
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the corona ...
entitled ''Opinio et consilium super processu et condemnatione Johanne, dicte Puelle'' and other miscellaneous writings. He wrote in French, ''Advis de Monseigneur de Lysieux au roi'' (1464).
Bishop Basin's cartulary survives, in the Library of Lisieux.
[V. Hardy (1917), ]
La cathédrale St-Pierre de Lisieux
' Paris: Frazier-Soye, p. 277.
Notes
Sources and further reading
*
*
*
*
*
* Jules Étienne Joseph Quicherat (ed.), ''Histoire des règnes de Charles VII et de Louis XI''
Tome IV Paris, " J. Renouard et Cie. 1859.
ontains the ''Breviloquium'', the ''Projet de réforme...'', the ''Mémoire pour le Rétablissement de la Pragmatique Sanction''; and numerous documents*Charles Samaran (1933),
Documents inédits sur la jeunesse de Thomas Basin" ''Bibliothèque de l'École des chartes'' 94 (1933), pp. 46–57. (JSTOR)
*Charles Samaran et André Vernet (1976), "Les livres de Thomas Basin," ''Latomus'' 145 (1976), 324–339.
* Mark Spencer, ''Thomas Basin (1412–1490): The History of Charles VII and Louis XI.'' Nieuwkoop, Netherlands, De Graaf Publishers, 1997.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basin, Thomas
1412 births
1491 deaths
University of Paris alumni
University of Pavia alumni
University of Caen Normandy faculty
Bishops of Lisieux
15th-century French Roman Catholic bishops
15th-century French historians
People from Seine-Maritime
French male non-fiction writers