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304 IGNATIUS BRADY the Chateauroux controversy which engaged his attention for some years. Through part of his career William was under the jurisdiction of Yvo Fabri, who was incorporated at the Council of Basel as minister provincial of Touraine, in late August 1433 71 • Yvo had died in office, however, by the summer of 1447, if not more likely in 1446, and was succeeded by Peter Legerii 72 • The latter was appointed titular bishop of Sebaste, 22 May 1450, by Nicholas V 73 , and was in turn, according to Pius II, succeeded by William de Valle Roullonis, master of sacred theology 74 • Thus William's term as provincial would date at least from the summer of 1450, and more probably from 1449 75 • How long he remained in office, cannot at present be estab– lished. Despite the limits of six years imposed by Innocent VII (1405) and renewed by Gregory XII (1411) and Eugene IV (1443), exceptions are found. Unless Yvo Fabri had two non-successive terms, he held office at least thirteen years, whereas Peter Legerii had perhaps but three. At the same time, the Procurator, later Minis– ter General, Angelo del Toscano, seemed to favor a longer term of office 76 • Papal documents on Chateauroux would lead us to surmise that William was still provincial in 1460 and even in 146l7 7 • 71 « Die lune ultima Augusti Miiij'xxxiij 0 fuit congregatio generalis. Incorporati fue– runt concilio more solito frater Yvo provincialis provincie Turonie ordinis Minorum... » (Pro. tokolle, 472; cf. above, note 57). 72 Pius II, Novit ille (7 Aug. 1461): « quondam Frater Yvo Fabri... post cuius deces• sum Frater Petrus Legerii... successor antedicti Yvonis in officio administrationis » (Bull. Franc. n.s. II, n.937, p.487a). Peter's name appears for the first time in Licet ex debito of Nicholas V (12 Sept. 1447), as having presented a complaint shortly before against the Ob– servants (Bull.Franc. n.s. I, n.1107, p.560). William corroborates these events by quoting a phrase from Yvo in the fall of 1447: « Sic solebat dicere egregius doctor frater Yvo Fabri quondam minister Turonie: amidum, ami doux » (In IV Sent., d.11, a.3, f.247b). See also n.75. 73 Bull.Franc. n.s. I, n.1363, p.700. 74 Novit ille (7 Aug. 1461), in Bull.Franc. n.s. II, n.937, p.487a. 75 Some years ago, in youthful ignorance, I proposed 1454-1457 as the dates of his provincialate, on the basis of a document in the General Archives of the Friars Minor. Since Peter Leger (sic) is listed therein as vicar-provincial of the Observants (!) for 1446- 1449, whereas he was actually minister provincial, I tentatively (at least) identified William of Vaurouillon with Guillelmus Picard, who is given as vicar for 1454-1457 (see Mediaeval Studies 10[1948] 230 n.38). The latter, I now realize, is William Pickardus or Pickardi, who was vicar of the Touraine Observants, quite evidently about 1454-1457 (cf. Nich. GLASSBERGER, Chronica, in Anal.Franc. II, 358-363, 455). The term assigned to Peter Legerii, 1446-1449, may well represent his years as provincial; in his appointment as bishop there is nothing to imply he is still the superior. We may, with reasonable certitude, conclude that Yvo died in 1446, and that our William became provincial in 1449. 76 Cf. R. PRATESI, O.F.M., Bin Breve Leos X uber die dreijahrige Amtsdauer im Franzis– kanerorden, in Franz.Stud. 40(1958) 220-221. 77 In 1460 Pius II bade the archbishop of Tours, the bishop of Paris and the abbot of St.-Gildas consult « the aforesaid minister provincial and the procurator», that is, William and John Britonelli, thus implying that they were still in office (Bull.Franc. n.s. II,
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