Godfrey of Fontaines - Life

Life

Godfrey was born sometime before 1250 in the principality of Liège in present-day Belgium. He was likely born at Fontaines-les-Hozémont, a château owned by his noble family. He was a student at the University of Paris by at least 1277, but probably as early as 1270. He likely studied under Thomas Aquinas, who was a strong influence on his writings and taught at the University between 1269 and 1272. a notebook of his student years has been dated around 1271-1274 where there are views “proposed by Siger of Brabant and Boethius of Dacia, leading representatives of the radical Aristotelian movement in the Arts faculty at the time. He was a "Magister", or Master of Theology at the University of Paris by at least 1285 because that is when he gave his first Quodlibet, which means had earned his Magister regens in Theology by this time and because one would have to be at least thirty-five for this honor, this offers the reasoning that his birthday is 1250 or earlier for his year of birth. He was Magister regens from 1285–1299 and then again in 1303-1304. Godfrey was held in high esteem during his life, and held a number of ecclesiastical offices, including Canon of Liege, Canon of Tournai, Provost of St. Severin in Cologne (1287–1295), and possibly Canon of Paris. In 1300 he was chosen to be the Bishop of Tournai, but he chose not to take the position due to a contested election. Godfrey left Paris between his final Quodlibet in 1298-1299 - 1303/1304 yet returned before he based away on October 29Th, 1306 or 1309. He had compiled a large library during his lifetime, which he donated to the Sorbonne upon his death, a portion of which is still intact today.