Vincent Ferrer

Timeline

1. c. 1350–1394Valencia · ValenciaFerrer entered the Dominican Order around 1367, studying and teaching in Barcelona, Lleida, and elsewhere, and was ordained around 1378, just as the Western Schism broke out. In his early years he followed Cardinal Pedro de Luna, regarding the Avignon line as the legitimate papacy, and taught theology at Valencia Cathedral.
2. 1394–1399Avignon · ProvenceAfter Pedro de Luna was elected antipope Benedict XIII in 1394, Ferrer served as his confessor and court theologian, yet refused honors such as bishop and cardinal. He also urged Benedict to end the schism through abdication or negotiation. After a serious illness around 1399 he was permitted to leave the papal court and began a lifetime of itinerant preaching.
3. 1399–1416Itinerant in Western Europe (Iberia to the Alps) · Western Europe1401–1416 was Ferrer's most influential period: he led processions of penitents through Western European towns, preaching the Last Judgment and moral reform, and intervened in the politics of Castile and Aragon. In 1412 he took part in the Compromise of Caspe, supporting Ferdinand of Antequera's accession to Aragon. Around 1406 in northern Italy he prophesied that Bernardino of Siena would undertake a preaching mission in Italy.
4. 1416–1419Vannes · BrittanyAfter Benedict XIII refused to heed the Council of Constance, Ferrer publicly withdrew his support around 1416 and persuaded King Ferdinand I of Aragon to recognize the council's authority, reducing Iberian resistance to the election of Martin V in 1417. In his later years he continued preaching in Normandy and Brittany, dying at Vannes on April 5, 1419, and was canonized by Callixtus III in 1455.