Simon was born before 1360 near
Rochechouart,
Haute-Vienne, a younger son in a family of minor nobles. He studied law at
Orléans and became a well-known
canonist. Simon taught canon law at the
University of Paris, attracting the attention of
John, Duke of Berry, one of the uncles of King
Charles VI of France. As a counselor of the duke, Simon performed both administrative and diplomatic tasks. In 1382, he was appointed
Bishop of Agen, but was transferred to
Béziers in 1383, and finally to
Poitiers in 1385. He was also appointed to
Sens in 1390, but never occupied the see – instead he became the titular
Latin Patriarch of Alexandria and Administrator of the
Diocese of Avignon the following year. In 1409, he was made
Archbishop of Reims and subsequently a cardinal in 1413. From then until his death, he served as the administrator of the
Diocese of Poitiers. Cramaud was a prominent figure in the struggles of the fourteenth-century church, and a partisan of the
Avignon Papacy. He championed
Avignon Pope Clement VII, but fought Clement's successor,
Benedict XIII, any way he could. He presided at the
Council of Pisa in 1409, and proclaimed the deposition of both
Gregory XII and Benedict XIII, thus securing the election of
Alexander V. At the
Council of Constance, he was largely responsible for the success of its election method, which granted a vote to certain national delegates along with the cardinals. He is considered by some to be a precursor to both theological and political
Gallicanism. Simon died on 19 January 1423. He was buried at the
Poitiers Cathedral. == Works ==