William of Ockham

Timeline

1. 1287–1306Ockham · EnglandBorn around Ockham in Surrey, he entered the Franciscan order in his youth, receiving basic theological and humanist training under the order's system, laying the foundation for his later entry into Oxford's academic circles.
2. 1306–1324Oxford · EnglandHe taught logic, metaphysics, and theology at Oxford, developed a nominalist position, proposed the principle that substances should not be multiplied without necessity, and formed systematic treatises on will, knowledge, and church power.
3. 1324–1347Munich · BavariaAfter clashing with Pope John XXII over Franciscan poverty and the scope of papal authority, he was charged with heresy and hunted, later protected by Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV, continuing to write in Germany until his death during the Black Death.