DURANTI, WILLIAM THE YOUNGER

Nephew of William Duranti, the Elder; b. Puymisson, France; d. Nicosia, Cyprus, July 1330. He was appointed bishop of Mende by boniface viii, Dec. 17, 1296. In 1305 clement v entrusted him, together with the abbot of Lombez, with the task of reporting on conditions in Italy. In 1307, at the pope's request, he likewise conducted an inquiry into the canonization cause of thomas of cantelupe, Bishop of Hereford; in August 1308 he was a member of the commission investigating the templars. The commission began operations Aug. 8, 1309, and completed its work June 5, 1311. At the Council of vienne, Duranti composed a lengthy memorandum criticizing abuses in the Church, especially the centralization of power in the papal court, to the detriment of the episcopate. According to the testimony of john xxii, these criticisms were on the point of provoking a schism [A. Coulon, Lettres secrètes et curiales de Jean XXII (Paris 1900)]. The restriction placed on the right of episcopal election by cathedral chapter, promulgated by the constitution Ex debito (Sept. 15, 1316), brought a reaction from Duranti. His proposals at the Papal Curia occasioned the opening of an abortive investigation against him, but apparently his advisory position at the French court saved him. In March 1318, the pope granted benefices to Duranti's relatives, including his brothers Bernard, William, and Pons [G. Mollat, Lettres communes de Jean XXII (Paris 1905) v.2, n. 6523–36, 6552, 6613, 6615]. In 1329 John XXII and Philip VI entrusted him and Peter of Palu, Patriarch of Jerusalem, with the delicate mission of organizing a crusade.

Bibliography: w. duranti, Tractatus de modo concilii generalis celebrandi et corruptelis in Ecclesia reformandis (Lyons 1531, 1534; Paris 1545, 1671), analyzed by p. viollet, Histoire littéraire de la France (Paris), ed. Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1814–1941) 35:79–129; Directorium chori, in Bibl. de Mende, MS 2; Memoir on the Crusade (1330) in Paris, BN lat. 7470, fols. 117–123; Acta Sanctorum Oct. 1 (1765) 587–596; Instructions et constitutions de Guillaume Durand, le Spéculateur, ed. berthelÉ and valmary (Archives du département de l'Hérault. Documents et inventaire complémentaires 5.1; Montpellier 1900), additions to the work of his uncle, dating back to 1309; Report on the mission conducted in Italy in 1305–06, partially ed. r. davidsohn, Forschungen zur älteren Geschichte von Florenz, 4 v. (Berlin 1896–1908) 3:287–321. e. gÖller, "Zur Geschichte der italienischen Legation Durantis des Jüngeren von Mende," Römische Quartalschrift für christliche Altertumskunde und für Kirchengeschichte 19 (1905) 15–24. e. mÜller, Das Konzil von Vienne (Münster 1934), contains several errors.

[g. mollat]