Aimeric of Piacenza

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AIMERIC OF PIACENZA

Dominican master general; b. Lombardy; d. Bologna, Aug. 19, 1327. He entered the dominicans at Bologna (1267), studied at Milan, and taught for 24 years at Bologna. He also served as provincial of the province of Greece. He was active in organizing studies in the order, but is best known for his role in the trial of the templars. Ordered by Clement V (1309) to proceed against the Templars in Castile and Leon, Aimeric exonerated them after an investigation conducted without torture. He believed that his order's exemption allowed him to dispense with torture, evidently unaware that Clement had explicitly ordered it in a bull dated March 17, 1310. He was summoned to the Council of Vienne but did not attend. It is probable that he resigned as master general (May 30, 1311) rather than take part in the process against the Templars.

Bibliography: j. quÉtif and j. Échard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum (New York 1959) 1.2:494496. d. a. mortier, Histoire des maîtres généraux de l'ordre des Frères Prêcheurs, 8 v. (Paris 190320) 2:421473.

[p. m. starrs]