Ramihrdus of Cambrai

Ramihrdus of Cambrai was accused of heresy in 1076 or 1077 for being unwilling to accept communion from priests that he believed were corrupt. Although his refusal to accept the sacrament bears some resemblance to the Donatist heresy, which states that sacraments performed by corrupt priests are actually invalid, it was not clear at the time whether Ramihrdus should actually be condemned or not, since his refusal could also be interpreted in the context of Pope Gregory VII's contemporary attempt to reform the church, which included several initiatives directed towards the reform of the clergy.

While the local bishops were deliberating, however, an angry mob seized Ramihrdus from where he was being kept and burned him as a heretic. It is possible, therefore, to consider him the first person burned as a heretic in Europe.

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