Dietrich of Niem, or Nieheim

Dietrich Of Niem, Or Nieheim so called from his native place in Westphalia, studied theology, and became prebendary of Bonn in 1361. In 1371 he went to Avignon, where pope Gregory XI made him his secretary (Scriptor Apostolicus); and when that pope removed his see to Rome, Dietrich accompanied him, and obtained office as papal prothonotary and abbreviator. In 1395 (or 1396) Boniface IX offered him the bishopric of Werden, but he was not able to get possession of the see, which was held by a nominee of the anti-pope. In 1414 he attended the Council of Constance, and died about 1417. He wrote De necessitate reformationis ecclesiastica in capite et membris (Hardt, Historia concilii Constant. tom. 1); — De schismate libri III (1408) (Nuremberg, 1432, folio), and republished afterwards with the addition of the four books of Nemus unionis, of which the Labyrinthus forms a part (Basel, 1506, 1566; Nuremb. 1592; Strasburg, 1608 and 1619). The latter editions bear the title Theodorici a Niem historiarum sui

temporis libri IV. The Nemus was put in the Index. See Fabricius, Bib. Lat. Maed. et Inf. Lat. volume 5; Pierer, Universal-Lexikon, s.v.; Herzog, Real- Encyklopadie, 3:388.