Jean Cholet

Jean Cholet (died 2 August 1293) was a French cardinal and Doctor utriusque iure (Doctor of Civil and Canon Law) at the University of Paris. He was responsible for organizing the Aragonese Crusade of 1283–84.

Cholet was born in the Chateau of Nointel, in the diocese of Beauvais. In contemporary documents (including those of the Chambre des Comptes in Paris) he is called the Joannes de Noentel or Jehan de Noentel. He had two brothers, Eudes, who became Abbot of S. Lucien de Beauvais, and Jean, who became Canon of the Cathedral of S. Gervais de Soissons. He initially followed a military career, like his father, but eventually opted for the religious life. He began his career as a Canon of the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame du Châtel in Beauvais. He was then made a Canon of the Cathedral of S. Pierre in Beauvais, one of twenty-seven Canons, at some moment before 1267. He was named Archdeacon of Caux (Minoris-Caleti) in the diocese of Rouen; documents indicate that he possessed that dignity around the year 1240 (?). Archbishop Eudes Rigaud of Rouen (1248-1275) made Jean Cholet his Grand Vicar. On 31 March 1267, as Canon of Beauvais, he was a scrutator in the election of a new Bishop of Beauvais, and when the Dean of the Chapter was elected, Jean de Nointel made the formal announcement. He was a cleric of the Royal Chapel of King Philip III in 1274.

In a Consistory that was held at Orvieto on 23 March (or 12 April), 1281, Jean Cholet was one of seven prelates raised to the dignity of cardinal by Pope Martin IV (Simon de Brion). He was assigned the Church of S. Cecilia in Trastevere as his titulus, the same church that his friend Simon de Brion had possessed as a cardinal. As a new Cardinal in the Roman Curia, he had his share of arbitration cases. One in particular was the litgation between Prior Adam of the monastery of Saint-Vincent de Senlis and the Prior, Sub-prior, and other members of the community.

In 1282 the situation of the Papacy with regard to southern Italy changed dramatically. On 7 May, the famous Sicilian Vespers began in Palermo, resulting in the loss of the island, a papal fief, to King Charles I. The King of Aragon, Pedro III, took advantage of the revolt by invading and occupying the island of Sicily. He began to style himself "King", which infuriated both King Charles and Pope Martin IV. King Charles and King Pedro challenged each other to trial by single combat (duel), which greatly annoyed the Pope, who believed that the decision as to legitimacy was his. On 5 June the Pope appointed a Legate in the Kingdom of Sicily, Cardinal Gerardo Bianchi, and ordered him to get King Charles to abandon the plan of trial by combat. Bianchi was unsuccessful. On 18 November 1282, therefore, Pope Martin IV opened proceedings against King Pedro of Aragon, because he had invaded the territory of Sicily and was usurping the crown. The proceedings were concluded by 21 March 1283, when Pope Martin publicly deposed King Pedro and released all of his subjects from allegiance to him. The duel was still in prospect, however, and the Pope also tried to get the King of France and the King of England to intervene. In his letter to King Edward I, Pope Martin recommended to him the services of Cardinal Joannes of S. Cecilia (Jean Cholet), a statement which is often interpreted as the appointment of Cardinal Cholet to an Embassy to England. The details of the letter itself, however, make it obvious that the Pope expects King Edward and Cholet to work through intermediaries (suos nuntios vel litteras) and the King's agents (vicarios et officiales tuos). In 1283 Cholet already had an all-consuming task—organizing a crusade for the conquest of Aragon. In 1282 and 1283 King Edward, too, was fully engaged in the full-scale conquest and subjugation of Wales; it was not until 11 December 1283 that Llywelyn was killed at the Battle of Orewyn Bridge. Edward did have time, however, to order his agents in Aquitaine not to permit the two combatants to engage in their duel in Bordeaux (which had been the proposed site), or anywhere else in his realm. His decision not to intervene in the dynastic problems of France and Aragon was probably sufficient for the Pope's purposes.

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