CONECTE, THOMAS (d. 1434), French Carmelite monk and preacher, was born at Rennes. He travelled through Flanders and Picardy, denouncing the vices of the clergy and the extravagant dress of the women, especially their lofty head-dresses, or hennins. He ventured to teach that he who is a true servant of God need fear no papal curse, that the Roman hierarchy is corrupt, and that marriage is permissible to the clergy, of whom only some have the gift of continence. He was listened to by immense congregations, and in Italy, despite the opposition of Nicolas Kenton (d. 1468), provincial of the English Carmelites, he introduced several changes into the rules of that order. He was finally apprehended by order of Pope Eugenius IV., condemned and burnt for heresy.
An account of Friar Thomas’s preaching and its effect is given by Enguerrand de Monstrelet, provost of Cambrai (d. 1453), in his continuation of Froissart’s chronicles.