Thomas de Courcelles, born at Amiens in 1393, notorious University man, rector of the Faculty of Law in 1426, bachelor of theology of the University of Paris, taught theology there for many years; he died in 1469, dean of the Chapter of Nôtre Dame.

Rector of the University in 1430, he went in this capacity to the court of Rome; he was sent to Arras, where he spoke for peace in 1435, and "Proposed so many fine and solemn words that . it seemed as if an angel of God were speaking, and of those present many were moved to tears."

At the Council of Bâle, Thomas de Courcelles shone as one of the lights of the French church (1433-1438). In 1433, in spite of the plague which infested Bâle, he remained at his post. He was delegated by the Council to contribute to the election of the next Pope. He was among those who declared the Pope was an apostate, in July, 1439; he was sent by the Fathers to the Diet of Mayence for the election of a new Pope; in December, at Thonon, Thomas de Courcelles made an address before the anti-pope Felix V which resulted in 1444 in a promotion of cardinals.

In 144o he explained eloquently, before Charles VII at Bourges, the doctrine of the French church. On July 18, 1442, at Saint Magloire, he preached before the people the solemn sermon which put an end to the troubles of the University, announcing that the King "had liberally reconfirmed and given anew to our mother the University all her privileges."

On July 17, 1447, he returned to the Chapter of Nôtre Dame at Paris where he was received as canon on September 11th There were already in this Chapter a Guillaume de Courcelles, named Chancellor in 1425 in place of Jean Gerson, and Jean de Courcelles, referred to as doctor of law and archdeacon of Josas through the King's favor, who had been canon since July 23, 1446; he was a brother of Thomas.

In August, 1447, Thomas de Courcelles was at Lyons among the ambassadors who were negotiating for the renunciation of Amadeus, Duke of Savoy. In a letter of April 8, 1448, Gerard Machet, confessor of Charles VII, states that Thomas de Courcelles was entrusted with the Pope's verbal commissions. Courcelles went to Rome to be near Nicolas V and took the title of archdeacon of the Pope.

In 1458 he is called dean of Nôtre Dame. In 145o he spoke against the founding of a university at Caen. He was at that time in possession of an accumulation of benefices.

The rôle that he enjoyed in the Trial, where he gave a judgment favorable to torturing Jeanne, is well known.

This young prelate with a significant, promised future, this cleric "very solemn and excellent," enjoyed the full confidence of Pierre Cauchon, who later put him in charge of translating the minutes of the Trial into Latin.

Questioned in 1456 at the Rehabilitation proceedings, this remarkable doctor, whose eloquence was boasted about by his contemporaries and remarked on his tombstone, lost his memory!

Thomas de Courcelles was doubtless embarrassed by the Trial, and afterwards, during the definitive editing of that document, he suppressed his name wherever it had figured in the French minutes.

He tried to give the impression that he had taken little part in the Trial, which was false. But he was considerably less of a fanatic than Pierre Cauchon and Guillaume Erart.