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They slipped out at night—four Franciscan leaders in a boat crossing the Rhône,
1328 Event

May 26

William of Ockham Flees the Pope: The Razor-Wielding Philosopher Rebels

They slipped out at night—four Franciscan leaders in a boat crossing the Rhône, fleeing the most powerful man in Christendom. William of Ockham had spent three years under house arrest in Avignon while Pope John XXII examined his writings for heresy. The charge? Defending Franciscan poverty against a pope who believed the church should own property. Michael of Cesena, the order's Minister-General, went with him. They reached the Holy Roman Emperor's protection in Pisa. Ockham would write philosophy there for twenty years, never reconciled. Sometimes the simplest solution is running.

May 26, 1328

698 years ago

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