User:Elisa.rolle/Jean, bishop of Orleans



Jean was consecrated bishop of Orleans on March 1, 1098.

Little is known of his private life. In 1100, Ivo of Chartres, who became bishop of Chartres in 1090, complained bitterly in a letter to Pope Urban II about a certain promiscuous youth named Jean being made the bishop of Orleans despite his reputation for sexual looseness and the fact that he was underage.

Jean was infamously known for being promiscuous, which leads to his nickname "Flora". It was named after a well-known local courtesan, and had become the subject of a number of lewd street songs. In an attempt to head off Jean’s elevation to bishop, Ivo had previously sent samples of the lurid lyrics of the songs to the archbishop of Lyons, the papal legate, but to no avail.

The installation of Jean as bishop of Orleans had been arranged by Jean’s then lover, Raoul II, Archbishop of Tours, who had obligingly crowned Philip I King of France (23 May 1052 – 29 July 1108) on Christmas Day in defiance of a papal interdict placed on Philip for “immoral behavior.” In exchange for the favor, Philip agreed to arrange a bishopric for Jean, who it so happens had also been a previous lover of the king. Prior to Raoul, Jean had also been Raoul's brother, and previous Bishop of Orleans's lover.

Ivo’s objections had less to do with Jean’s sexual activities than his youth. Pope Urban, however, did not consider this as a decisive fact: Jean ruled as bishop for almost forty years, and Raoul continued to be well known and respected.