Maurice de Pagnac

Quarterly: 1 and 4, gu a cross arg; 2 and 3, or a chevron renversé az; on a chief gu with three mullets arg

Maurice de Pagnac
Mauricius Pagnacensis

Tenure 1317-1322 (elected by the knights in Rhodes who had illegally deposed the Grandmaster. He was not recognised by the Pope)

Nationality French

Langue ?

Birth ?

Death 1322

Notes
Though Maurice de Pagnac was never officially recognised as a Grandmaster, he is included here for historical interest since he was elected, if in dubious circumstances, and, according to d'Avity, was de facto Grandmaster until his death in 1322.
Grandmaster Foulques de Villaret had been elected in 1308 but illegally deposed in 1317. The knights in Rhodes elected Maurice de Pagnac as Grandmaster but his election was opposed by the Pope, who appointed Gerard de Pins as Vicar. On the death of de Pagnac in 1322, Villaret was briefly reinstated but the knights maintained their opposition by electing Hélion de Villeneuve and Villaret finally abdicated in 1323.
Free translation from d'Avity:
In 1312 and 1314 the Knights of Rhodes took the island of Caria and other Aegean island under their jurisdiction. These victories made Grandmaster (Villaret) arrogant and, by his bragging and haughtiness, incurred the hatred of the Order; so that the Knights defected from him and, having seized him, they placed him in custody except that he extricated himself from prison. Since they did not have the power to imprison him, they deprived him of the dignity of Grandmaster and elected Fra Maurice de Pagnac in his place. When he heard of this, Pope John XXII took great offence and he sent two representatives to Rhodes in order to conduct an enquiry, giving them a mandate to summon Villaret and Pagnac to appear at Avignon; and this he did. Meanwhile the Pope made Fra Gerard de Pins Vicar or Legate General of the Order of St John. He was the same Gerard de Pins who cut down 2,000 Turks at the time of Orcanes, when the Turkish emperor appeared on the scene to besiege the island of Rhodes, during which the Knights of Rhodes won an admirable victory in 1321.
Meanwhile, Maurice de Pagnac having died in Mompessulum in 1322, Fulque de Villaret was restored to his former dignity, but when he saw how much he was hated by the Knights, he abdicated in 1323 and lived as a private Knight until 15 September 1327. He was buried at Mompessulum.
In the same year that he abdicated, namely 1322, the Knights of Rhodes offered the Pope Fra Jean Helion de Villeneuve, of the nation, and superior of, Provence, and abbot of St Egidius, to discharge the office of Grandmaster.

24. .....
Anno MCCCXII. et MCCCXIV. Equites Rhodii insulam Cariam aliasque in mari Aegaeo insulas sui iuris fecerunt. Magnus autem Magister [Folquetus Villaretus] victoriis suis insolentior factus, propter suam iactantiam et ferociam in odium Ordinis incurrit: ita ut Equites ab eo deficerent, et nisi in arcem enasisset, eum comprehensum in custodiam dedissent. Verum cum arce illa potiri non possent, dignitatem magni Magistri ipsi abrogarunt, Fratrem Mauricium Pagnacensem. Papa Ioannes XXII. eo cognito graviter offensus fuit:et duos Praesules Rhodum misit, ut in rem illam inquirerent, dato mandato Villaretum et Pagnacensem citandi, ut Avenione se sisterent: quod uterque fecit. Interea Papa fratrem Gerhardum Pinaeum, Vicarium seu legatum generalem Ordinis s. Ioannis creavit, cuius tempore Orcanes, Turcatum Imperator, ad obsidendam inlulam Rhodum se comparavit, de quo Equites Rhodii anno MCCC XXI. admirabilem victoriam reportarant, duobus milibus Turcarum caesis.
Interea Mauricius Pagnacensis Mompessuli decessit, anno MCCCXXII. et Folquetus Villaretus in pristinam suam dignitatem fuit restitutus: qui cum videret, se exosum esse Equitibus, munere magni Magistri se abdicavit, anno MCCCXXIII. et vixit ut Eques privatus usque ad Cal. Septembr. MCCCXXVII. Tunc mortuus est, et Mompessuli sepultus.
Eodem anno, quo ille se abdicavit, nempe MCCCXXII. Equites Rhodii obtulerunt Pontifici fratrem Ioannem Elionem, Villanovanum, natione, ut superiores, Provincialem, et coenobiarcham S. Aegidii, ut magni Magistri munere fungeretur. ...

Avity, Pierre d'; Gottfried, Johann Ludwig: Archontologiae Cosmicae, Liber III: Origo Ordinum Militarium, tam Regularium, Frankfurt am Main, 1628

Blazon Or a chevron renversé az; on a chief gu charged three mullets arg [R]

Engraving by Antonio F. Lucini of Matteo Perez d'Aleccio's fresco


Tenure	1317-1322 (elected by the knights in Rhodes who had illegally deposed the Grandmaster. He was not recognised by the Pope)
Nationality	French
Langue	?
Birth	?
Death	1322
Notes	Though Maurice de Pagnac was never officially recognised as a Grandmaster, he is included here for historical interest since he was elected, if in dubious circumstances, and, according to d'Avity, was de facto Grandmaster until his death in 1322. Grandmaster Foulques de Villaret had been elected in 1308 but illegally deposed in 1317. The knights in Rhodes elected Maurice de Pagnac as Grandmaster but his election was opposed by the Pope, who appointed Gerard de Pins as Vicar. On the death of de Pagnac in 1322, Villaret was briefly reinstated but the knights maintained their opposition by electing Hélion de Villeneuve and Villaret finally abdicated in 1323. Free translation from d'Avity: In 1312 and 1314 the Knights of Rhodes took the island of Caria and other Aegean island under their jurisdiction. These victories made Grandmaster (Villaret) arrogant and, by his bragging and haughtiness, incurred the hatred of the Order; so that the Knights defected from him and, having seized him, they placed him in custody except that he extricated himself from prison. Since they did not have the power to imprison him, they deprived him of the dignity of Grandmaster and elected Fra Maurice de Pagnac in his place. When he heard of this, Pope John XXII took great offence and he sent two representatives to Rhodes in order to conduct an enquiry, giving them a mandate to summon Villaret and Pagnac to appear at Avignon; and this he did. Meanwhile the Pope made Fra Gerard de Pins Vicar or Legate General of the Order of St John. He was the same Gerard de Pins who cut down 2,000 Turks at the time of Orcanes, when the Turkish emperor appeared on the scene to besiege the island of Rhodes, during which the Knights of Rhodes won an admirable victory in 1321. Meanwhile, Maurice de Pagnac having died in Mompessulum in 1322, Fulque de Villaret was restored to his former dignity, but when he saw how much he was hated by the Knights, he abdicated in 1323 and lived as a private Knight until 15 September 1327. He was buried at Mompessulum. In the same year that he abdicated, namely 1322, the Knights of Rhodes offered the Pope Fra Jean Helion de Villeneuve, of the nation, and superior of, Provence, and abbot of St Egidius, to discharge the office of Grandmaster. 24. ..... Anno MCCCXII. et MCCCXIV. Equites Rhodii insulam Cariam aliasque in mari Aegaeo insulas sui iuris fecerunt. Magnus autem Magister [Folquetus Villaretus] victoriis suis insolentior factus, propter suam iactantiam et ferociam in odium Ordinis incurrit: ita ut Equites ab eo deficerent, et nisi in arcem enasisset, eum comprehensum in custodiam dedissent. Verum cum arce illa potiri non possent, dignitatem magni Magistri ipsi abrogarunt, Fratrem Mauricium Pagnacensem. Papa Ioannes XXII. eo cognito graviter offensus fuit:et duos Praesules Rhodum misit, ut in rem illam inquirerent, dato mandato Villaretum et Pagnacensem citandi, ut Avenione se sisterent: quod uterque fecit. Interea Papa fratrem Gerhardum Pinaeum, Vicarium seu legatum generalem Ordinis s. Ioannis creavit, cuius tempore Orcanes, Turcatum Imperator, ad obsidendam inlulam Rhodum se comparavit, de quo Equites Rhodii anno MCCC XXI. admirabilem victoriam reportarant, duobus milibus Turcarum caesis. Interea Mauricius Pagnacensis Mompessuli decessit, anno MCCCXXII. et Folquetus Villaretus in pristinam suam dignitatem fuit restitutus: qui cum videret, se exosum esse Equitibus, munere magni Magistri se abdicavit, anno MCCCXXIII. et vixit ut Eques privatus usque ad Cal. Septembr. MCCCXXVII. Tunc mortuus est, et Mompessuli sepultus. Eodem anno, quo ille se abdicavit, nempe MCCCXXII. Equites Rhodii obtulerunt Pontifici fratrem Ioannem Elionem, Villanovanum, natione, ut superiores, Provincialem, et coenobiarcham S. Aegidii, ut magni Magistri munere fungeretur. ... Avity, Pierre d'; Gottfried, Johann Ludwig: Archontologiae Cosmicae, Liber III: Origo Ordinum Militarium, tam Regularium, Frankfurt am Main, 1628
Blazon	Or a chevron renversé az; on a chief gu charged three mullets arg [R]