Michael

by Aidan Breen

Michael (d. c.1398), Franciscan friar, minister provincial of the Irish Franciscan province, was appointed archbishop of Cashel on 22 October 1382, and remained there till 1387. His provision to Cashel, as successor to Philip of Torrington, OFM, who had been appointed by the Roman curia, was made by the antipope Clement VII from Avignon, during the period of the great schism (1378–1417). Letters from Clement to Michael, stating that Michael is a master of theology and in priest's orders, and concurrent letters to the clergy and people of the city and diocese of Cashel, to the vassals and suffragan bishops, and to the English monarch Richard II (qv) are extant, and give us the only information we have of him. This appointment apparently did not receive royal assent, since Richard II and his parliament were firmly pro-Roman, and would not have countenanced a candidate appointed from Avignon.

The next thing we hear about Michael is a letter dated 15 July 1387, addressed to him as bishop of Sodor, the diocese of the Scottish Isles, vacant by the removal of Bishop John because of his adherence to the Roman pontiff, Urban VII. It is likely that this appointment was made because his transference to Cashel had not been accepted. Mention of other letters to him are also extant. Michael died as bishop of Sodor in about 1398. It is possible that his appointment to Sodor was similarly unacknowledged (he is not listed in the Handbook of British chronology). Nothing more is known of him.