Mayfreda de Pirovano (d. 1300)
Mayfreda de Pirovano (d. 1300)
Italian heretic . Died in 1300 in Milan; never married; no children.
Mayfreda de Pirovano was a close friend and follower of the heretical sect leader Guglielma of Milan . When Guglielma declared herself the incarnation of God and began gathering supporters for her new religious movement, Mayfreda emerged as her most important supporter. Together the two women and their followers preached in and around Milan; Mayfreda believed that Guglielma was the hope of salvation for humanity, and wanted to establish a new church based on the spiritual superiority of women, with herself as pope. The cardinals, bishops, and priests would also be all female. She and Guglielma had attracted a substantial number of supporters by the time Guglielma died around 1282, probably burned at the stake by Milanese authorities. Mayfreda survived until around 1300, and it seems likely that she continued preaching for the eight years following Guglielma's death. Mayfreda was eventually arrested, condemned, and burned at the stake as a heretic.
Laura York , M.A. in history, University of California, Riverside, California