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BOOK VIII .
INNOCENT VIII. A.D. 1484-1492.
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1. Disturbances in Rome during the Vacancy of the Holy
See.— Election of Innocent VIII and First Years of his Pontificate. 2. Quarrels
between the Pope and Ferrante oF Naples
(1484-1487).—The Cibo and Medici families allied by
MARRIAGE. 3. Troubles in the Romagna.—Disputes and Final Reconciliation between
Rome and Naples. 4. The Eastern Question. The Turkish Prince.—Prince Dschem in
Rome. The Fall of Granada.—Death of the Pope. 5. Innocent VIII as Patron of Art
and Scholarship. 6. INNOCENT VIII AND THE DEFENCE OF the Liberties and
Doctrines of the Church. The Bull on Witchcraft of 1484.
CHAPTER I.
Disturbances in Rome during the Vacancy of the Holy
See.— Election of Innocent VIII and First Years of his Pontificate.
The news of the death of Sixtus IV which had taken
place on the 12th August, 1484, set all Rome in commotion, and the most violent
disturbances among the troops with which the city was scantily garrisoned, were
the immediate result. A strong movement in favour of the Colonna and in
opposition to the chief favourite of the late Pope, Girolamo Riario, soon made
itself felt. With wild shouts of “Colonna, Colonna,” the infuriated populace
invaded the palace of Girolamo on the 13th August, and devastated it so completely
that nothing but the bare walls remained; the rabble vented their rage even on
the trees and shrubs of the adjacent garden.
The compatriots and partisans of the Ligurian Pope
fared no better than the nephew; on the very same day the granaries in Trastevere as well as two ships laden with wine which
belonged to Genoese, were seized by the infuriated mob. No Ligurian property in
Rome was now safe; even the Genoese hospital was destroyed. The provisions
which Caterina, the wife of Girolamo had stored up in Castel Giubileo shared the same fate; they were either destroyed
or carried off. Caterina herself, full of courage, hastened to the Castle of S.
Angelo, deposed the Lieutenant-Governor, and declared that she would give up
the stronghold to no one except the newly-elected Pope. The Cardinals, a number
of whom assembled in the Palace of the Camerlengo Raffaele Riario, did their
utmost to re-establish order in the city, but for the present they were
powerless before the prevailing excitement.
Girolamo Riario on hearing the sad news of the death
of Sixtus IV, had immediately raised the siege of Paliano, and his retreat was
so hurried as to bear all the appearances of a precipitate flight. Artillery,
ammunition, tents and horses were left behind. On the Eve of the Assumption,
Girolamo arrived with his troops before Rome, and by order of the cardinals
encamped at Ponte Molle, where he intended to remain until the election was
over. It was feared that the Pope’s nephew would use force to ensure the nomination
of a Pontiff of his own choice, and indeed the courage of the Count by no means
failed him; he trusted in his army, in the power of the Orsini and the
possession of the Castle of S. Angelo, Riario also expected to be supported by
some members of the College of Cardinals. However, after two days, he deemed it
advisable to retreat to Isola Farnese; the old castle, which was situated in
the vicinity of the ancient Veii, belonged to Virginio Orsini. This change of
tactics must be ascribed to the fact that the fortunes of his enemies were
improving from day to day. The inhabitants of Cavi,
Capranica and Marino had recalled the Colonna; in Rome Cardinal Giovanni was
received with enthusiasm. Prospero and Fabrizio Colonna also returned there
with a powerful army. In a short time the city, to which all the armed vassals
of both parties flocked in crowds, had become an open camp. Civil war
threatened to break out every moment. All shops were closed; no one could
venture into the streets without endangering his life. The palaces of the
Cardinals were changed into small fortresses; according to the account of one
of the ambassadors, the owners seemed to be prepared for an immediate attack.
The Cardinals Giuliano della Rovere and Rodrigo Borgia especially had filled
their houses with troops, had erected outworks and provided themselves with
artillery. In Trastevere bridges and gates were
closed, so that all traffic was stopped. The Orsini had entrenched themselves
in Monte Giordano, for they expected every moment to be attacked. The whole
town was in arms and uproar.
Such was the state of Rome when the obsequies of
Sixtus IV began on the 17th August, 1484. Only a few of the Cardinals were
present. Giuliano della Rovere did not leave his strongly fortified palace on
the heights of S. Pietro in Vincoli. The Cardinals Colonna and Savelli likewise
refused to go either to S. Peter’s or to the conclave in the Vatican, as long
as the Castle of S. Angelo was in the hands of the energetic wife of Girolamo
Riario. Not content with the number of their adherents who had flocked to Rome,
they sent for troops from Aquila, Terni, Amelia, and other Ghibelline cities.
The majority of the Cardinals, especially Cardinal Cibó,
shared the opinion of the former, that it was absolutely necessary to secure a
safe place for the Papal election. In the meanwhile, the excitement and
confusion increased from day to day. A double election and an impending schism
were already talked of, when, owing to the energetic interference of Cardinal
Marco Barbo, affairs assumed a more promising aspect. This prudent and
universally esteemed prelate possessed the confidence of all, even of Giuliano
della Rovere. He began by bringing about an agreement with Girolamo Riario. In
return for the payment of 8000 ducats and other concessions, he obtained the
surrender of the Castle of S. Angelo, which was entrusted to the Bishop of
Todi, in the name of the Sacred College. It was further stipulated that
Girolamo should repair to his own States, and Virginio Orsini with his
adherents to Viterbo, whilst the Colonna were to evacuate the city, and Giacomo
Conti was to give up the guard of the Palace; a truce was also concluded which
was to begin on the Coronation-day of the new Pope and to last for a month.
When order had thus, to a certain extent, been
reestablished, it was possible to think seriously of making preparations for
the Conclave in the Vatican. On the 25th August the obsequies of Sixtus IV.
were finished, and on the day following, the 25 Cardinals present in Rome went
into Conclave.
For many years the number of the electors had not been
so considerable; at the Conclave of Nicholas V, Pius II and Sixtus IV, only 18
Cardinals had been present; at that of Calixtus III only 15; at the election of
Paul II, 20. With regard to the different nationalities, the proportion was
about the same as in 1471; the Italian Cardinals had a complete majority over
the 4 foreigners,—2 Spaniards, Borgia and Moles; 1 Portuguese, Giorgio da
Costa, and 1 Frenchman, Philibert Hugonet.
We have sewn in our account of the Pontificate of
Sixtus IV the disastrous effects of his having augmented the number of the
worldly-minded Cardinals. The Conclaves of 1484 and 1492 are among the most
deplorable in the annals of Church History.
The first step taken by the Cardinals in Conclave was
to draw up an election capitulation; in doing so, they openly disregarded the
prohibitions of Innocent VI. This capitulation, which was signed by all the
Cardinals on the 28th August, shows a notable increase in their demands; the
monarchical constitution of the Church was to be changed into an aristocratic
one, and the personal interests of the electors were the primary consideration.
The first clause in the document provided that each Cardinal should receive
every month 100 ducats from the Apostolic Treasury, unless he had a yearly
income of 4000 ducats from his own benefices. The next regulation, a new one,
secured a complete indemnification for such Cardinals as might be punished by
secular Princes for their vote, with the confiscation of their revenues. Not
till these matters have been settled do the really salutary measures affecting
the public welfare appear, such as the vigorous prosecution of the war with the
Turks, the reform of the Church, the convocation of a Council, the suppression
of nepotism. “It does not seem to have occurred to the Cardinals that the good
election of a worthy Pope would have been a much more efficacious remedy
against abuses than the most detailed election capitulation.”
There existed a great divergency of opinion as to who
would be raised to the Pontifical dignity. The Mantuan Envoy reported on Aug.
15th that Cardinal Stefano Nardini had the best chance, because he was popular
with the people of Rome, and favoured by a great number of the Cardinals.
“Others mention the old Cardinal Conti who belongs to the party of the Orsini,
a worthy man whose clever brother is held in high esteem. Cardinal Moles’
Spanish descent is objected to, but as he is a good and venerable old man, and
a stranger to all the intrigues carried on at Rome, many think that he stands a
good chance of being elected. Marco Barbo is also spoken of as a candidate; he
would make an excellent Pope, because of his noble character, his ability, and
the general esteem in which he is held, “but,” the Envoy adds, “he is a
Venetian”. We have already mentioned the valuable services rendered by Barbo in
the time of confusion after the death of Sixtus IV; his election would no doubt
have proved a blessing for the Church. Other contemporaries are of the same
opinion. “All the courtiers,” writes the Sienese Envoy, Aug. 22nd, “and those
who are not blinded by passion, are anxious for the election of Barbo or
Piccolomini in the interests of the Church. Piccolomini is supported by Naples,
Barbo by Milan; Cardinal Borgia is zealously canvassing for himself.” The party
of the Orsini, leagued with Count Girolamo, had exerted all their influence in
favour of Borgia and eventually of Conti, ever since the death of Sixtus IV.
Italian diplomacy was of course not idle. All the
States which had been in alliance before and through the peace of Bagnolo, joined hands to procure the Tiara for a friend of
the Italian League, or at least for one who would be neutral. Venetians,
Genoese and Ultramontanes (non-Italians), were to be
excluded; but with regard to individual candidates, there was a great
divergency of opinion among the allies. The personal ambition of the Cardinals
also played an important part in the contest. Arlotti, the Envoy of Ferrara,
says in a despatch of Aug. 26th: “The competition may possibly become so hot,
that in the end a neutral candidate like Moles, Costa, or Piccolomini—all
worthy men—may be elected.” Alfonso, duke of Calabria and Ludovico Sforza, Duke
of Bari, Vice-regent of Milan, tried to influence the electors more directly by
a letter sent to their ambassadors at Rome, August 26th. It contained express
orders to request Girolamo Riario and Virginio Orsini to use all their
influence to oppose the election of Cardinals Costa, Cibò, Savelli and Barbo,
without, however, having recourse to violence. In this document, six other
Cardinals are recommended; unfortunately, however, their names are not
mentioned. On the same day a corresponding despatch was sent to the Cardinals
Giovanni d’ Aragona and Ascanio Maria Sforza, to be handed at the Consistory to
all the Cardinals, and to be read there in public. If this document had arrived
in time, we should have the first instance of a formal interference, both
exclusive and inclusive, by a Government in the Papal election.
The real leader of the Cardinals who sided with the
league, was the Vice-chancellor Rodrigo Borgia. All the reports agree in
stating that this ambitious prelate was trying his utmost to obtain the Tiara.
As early as August 18th, 1484, the Florentine Envoy reports that Borgia was
working hard for his own election, and that he had promised the post of
Vice-chancellor and his own palace to Cardinal Giovanni d’ Aragona, and 25,000
ducats and the Abbey of Subiaco to Cardinal Colonna, and that he had held out
similar bribes to Cardinal Savelli. “Rodrigo Borgia certainly is one of the
most active competitors,” says the Envoy from Ferrara, three days later;
“however, it is impossible to give a decided opinion as yet, as to what his
chances are.” The Envoy then recalls the Roman proverb, which is here perhaps
mentioned for the first time in writing. “He who enters the Conclave a Pope,
leaves it a Cardinal.” Giovanni d’ Aragona, the son of Ferrante of Naples,
Ascanio Sforza and the Camerlengo Raffaele Riario were entirely on the side of
Borgia; the latter counted with such certainty on success, that he had made all
necessary preparations for protecting his magnificent palace against the
pillage which generally followed the election. However in spite of all his
promises of money, lands and benefices he was unable to obtain the decided
majority. “Borgia has the reputation of being so false and proud,” the
Florentine Envoy writes, August 21st, “that there is no danger of his being
elected.” He had given them a specimen of his faithlessness immediately after
the death of Sixtus IV. Hitherto he had always sided with the Colonna, he now
went over to the Orsini through whose help he hoped to secure his election; but
at last he recognised the impossibility of attaining his object; he therefore
began to promote that of his countryman Moles, whose age and infirm health
would probably soon entail a fresh Conclave. The head of the opposition party,
Giuliano della Rovere, found himself in a similar position. He could only
count with certainty on the Cardinals Savelli, Colonna, Cibò and the two La
Rovere. The weakness of both parties became apparent in the first scrutiny on
the morning of the 8th August: Cardinal Barbo obtained ten, or according to
other accounts eleven or twelve votes. Jakob Burchard, the master of ceremonies
reports that for fear of Barbo obtaining the necessary seventeen votes it was
resolved that in the first scrutiny there should be no accessit.
Giuliano now began to bestir himself in earnest. His
candidate was a man who owed everything to him: Giovanni Battista Cibò,
Cardinal of S. Cecilia and Bishop of Molfetta. He threw himself into the
contest with all the unscrupulous energy of his nature and did not hesitate to
have recourse to bribery in order to attain his object. The worldly-minded
Cardinals were all the easier now to win over, because they were afraid that he
might ally himself with the Venetians, in which case Barbo, whose principles in
morals were very strict, would have ascended the chair of S. Peter. Giuliano
succeeded first in gaining the Cardinals Orsini, Raffaele Riario, then Ascanio
Sforza. Sforza was followed by Borgia, and the latter persuaded Giovanni d’Aragona to join their party. Jakob Burchard, who took
part in the Conclave, relates that Cardinal Cibò won the votes of his future
electors by signing petitions for favours which they presented to him during
the night in his cell. The negotiations had lasted through the whole night: by
the morning of 29th August, 1484, Giuliano della Rovere had secured eighteen
votes for Cibò. The opposition party now gave up all resistance as useless. At
9 o’clock a.m. Cardinal Piccolomini was able to announce to the crowd assembled
outside the Vatican, that Cardinal Cibò had been elected and had assumed the
name of INNOCENT VIII. The people burst forth into acclamations, the bells of
the palace of S. Peter’s began to ring, and the thunder of cannons resounded
from the Castle of S. Angelo.
The newly-elected Pontiff, who, for the first time,
again assumed a name borne by a Pope during the Schism, was 52 years old. He
was above middle size, strongly built, and his face was full, his complexion
strikingly fair, and his eyes weak. He was descended from a Genoese family of
good position, who were related to the wealthy Doria. In the accounts of his
genealogy there is much that is legendary, and it remains uncertain whether the
Cibò are of Asiatic origin, or whether they are connected with the Tomacelli, the family of Innocent VII; but Aran Cibò is
mentioned in Genoese documents of 1437 as having been made Anziano in that
city, and employed for some time both in the government and the administration
of justice at Naples, and also as having been a Roman senator in 1455. He
married Teodorina de’ Mari, a Genoese lady of
patrician birth; Giovanni Battista Cibò, born in 1432, was the issue of this
marriage. He studied at Padua and at Rome, and in his youth had no intention of
taking Orders, and his life at the licentious court of Aragon was no better
than that of many others in his position. He had two illegitimate children, a
daughter, Teodorina, and a son, Franceschetto. It is
characteristic of Cardinal Giuliano, that he did not scruple to help in
promoting a man of such antecedents to the supreme dignity. However, it is
certain that from the moment Giovanni Battista entered the ecclesiastical
state, all the accusations against the purity of his private life cease. The
fact also that the irreproachable Cardinal Calandrini took him into his service
seems to indicate a reform in his morals. In April 1469, Paul II bestowed on
him the bishopric of Savona, which he exchanged under Sixtus IV for that of
Molfetta (situated near Bari on the Adriatic). Cibò formed a close intimacy
with Giuliano, the nephew of Sixtus IV, and to him especially he owed his
speedy promotion. The Pope liked the Bishop of Molfetta because of his gentle
amiable character; he made him his Datary, and gave him the Red Hat on the 7th
May, 1473. Cibò was generally called Molfetta from the name of his bishopric.
In the exercise of his ecclesiastical ministry, Cibò
gained great popularity. “Nobody left him without being consoled,” says a
contemporary, “he received all with truly fatherly kindness and gentleness; he
was the friend of high and low, of rich and poor.” Sixtus IV thought so highly
of him, that at his departure from Rome in June 1476, he left him behind as
Legate. Cibò filled this post, an extremely thorny one in the state of affairs
at that time, to the complete satisfaction of the Pope.
All accounts agree in praising the kindness, the
benevolent and amiable disposition of the newly-elected Pope, but they are
equally unanimous in condemning his want of independence and weakness. “He
gives the impression of a man who is guided rather by the advice of others than
by his own lights,” says the Florentine Ambassador of him, as early as Aug.
29th, 1484, and he also speaks of him as wanting in solid education and
experience in political affairs. It is not surprising that Giuliano della
Rovere, to whom Cibò owed his promotion to the dignities both of Cardinal and
Pope, obtained an unbounded ascendency over a character of this kind. “While
with his uncle he had not the slightest influence, he now obtains whatever he
likes from the new Pope,” remarks the Envoy from Ferrara, Sept. 13th, 1484.
“Send a good letter to the Cardinal of S. Peter,” the Florentine Envoy writes
to Lorenzo de’ Medici, “for he is Pope and more than Pope”. The practical
result of these relations was that Cardinal della Rovere came to reside in the
Vatican, while his brother Giovanni, already Prefect of Rome, was named
Captain-general of the Church, in December.
Immediately after his election, Innocent VIII. had
pledged his word to the magistrates to bestow all civic offices and benefices
on Roman citizens only. It was his failure in keeping this promise, which so
incensed Infessura, the secretary of the Roman Senate, that he composed a
series of caustic epigrams against him. In judging this matter we must
consider, however, that it was very hard for the Pope “to keep his promise in
the face of the claims of the greedy prelates”. The electors and their adherents
had to be rewarded, personal relations and friends to be considered; but the
just complaints against this unpromising beginning of his Pontificate were kept
in the background for the time being, by the brilliant festivities of the
Coronation and the possesso.
On Sept. 11th, all the preparations for the
Coronation, in which artists like Perugino and Antoniasso Romano were engaged, were completed. The ceremony itself took place on the
following day. In the morning the Pope went to S. Peter’s, celebrated High Mass
there, and gave his benediction to the people. Then Cardinal Piccolomini
crowned him outside the Basilica. After a short interval, he went in solemn
procession to take possession (possesso) of the
Lateran Palace. The homage of the Jews usual on such occasion took place in the
interior of the Castle of S. Angelo; the object of this arrangement was to
protect them against ill-usage from the populace. Burchard gives a minute
description of the magnificent procession to the Lateran, and there exist
several other accounts of it in Italian, and one in German, so that we possess
ample information in regard to all its details. An immense crowd of people
thronged the streets, which were decorated with green boughs and gorgeous
hangings and carpets. Sixteen noblemen carried “the canopy, under which the
Pope rode on a white horse richly caparisoned in white and gold. He had on his
head a golden crown, and over his shoulders the pallium; and wore round his
neck a costly amice, and a cross of gold on his breast, and blessed the people
as he passed.”
Innocent VIII, whose affability is highly praised by
the Envoy from Ferrara, had all the more cause for being satisfied in so far
that the day and all the ceremonies had passed over without any hitch or
disturbance worth mentioning. On the same day the solemn Bulls were drawn up
which acquainted all Christian Princes and States with the accession of the new
Pope, and asked their prayers for a prosperous Pontificate.
Prayers were certainly greatly needed, for Innocent
VIII entered upon the government of the Church and the Pontifical States under
circumstances of great difficulty, aggravated by the deplorable state of the
finances of the Holy See. It cannot be denied that the newly-elected Pontiff
was full of good intentions. Three things, he repeated on his Coronation-day,
he was resolved to pursue with the greatest zeal : peace, justice, and the
welfare of the city. Accordingly, he provided for a stricter surveillance and
administration of justice in Rome, and commissioned some of the Cardinals to
endeavour to bring about an accommodation between the Colonna and Orsini. Even
beyond the boundaries of his own territory, Innocent was anxious to extend the
blessings of peace. He was especially desirous of putting an end to the
prolonged dispute about Sarzana. On the 17th Sept. he had entered into
negotiations on this subject with the Envoys of Naples, Florence and Milan. In
accordance with the recent understanding, the Pope said on this occasion, he
considered it a supreme duty of his Apostolic office to bring about this peace,
so that all Italian States might enjoy its happy results, and might recover
from the heavy expenses which had left the Holy See burdened with a debt of
more than 250,000 ducats. The dispute about Sarzana, complicated by the attack
of the Florentines on Pietrasanta, caused him great
anxiety, because of the character of the Genoese, who would not hesitate to set
the world on fire, and who had already brought foreigners to Italy on other
occasions. Genoa had applied to him to settle the affair by a judicial
pronouncement. He knew that his predecessor had failed in his attempt to do
this, but, being a Genoese himself and in a more favourable position than Pope
Sixtus, he hoped to attain his object, especially as he felt sure that the
Signoria of Florence would do their utmost to smooth the way.
A few days later, 22nd September, the names of the new
Cardinal-Legates were published. Nardini was to go to Avignon, Moles to the
Campagna, Savelli to Bologna, Orsini to the March of Ancona, and Ascanio Sforza
to the Patrimony of S. Peter. Arcimboldi was confirmed as Legate of Perugia.
Existing circumstances made it a matter of especial urgency that a Legate
should be sent at once to Avignon, however, neither Nardini nor Moles ever
entered upon the duties of their office; the former died October 22nd, the latter,
November 21st, 1484.
The Pope himself had fallen ill in October 1484. Soon
it became evident that in spite of his good resolutions, he had neither energy
nor prudence enough to be successful in his mediation between the jealous and
quarrelsome States of Italy. His interference in the dispute about Sarzana had
no effect. In the Spring of the following year, Innocent again fell sick, and
at the same time the feud between the Orsini and Colonna broke out afresh.
Sigismondo de’ Conti tells us, that on the 12th March, 1485, the Pope was
seized with a violent fever, which kept him in bed for three months; and he was
in such a critical state that one day it was rumoured that he was dead. The
Protonotary, Obbietto Fieschi,
sent word at once to the Orsini that the Pope had expired. They immediately
posted troops on the Ponte Molle and all the bridges of the Anio in order to
secure free communication with the city; but they had soon to repent of this
manoeuvre, for the report of the Pope’s death proved false. The skilful
treatment of the famous physicians, Podocatharo and
Giacomo da Genesio, had saved the life of Innocent
VIII. The Pope, who had always favoured the Colonna, now grew more partial to
them than ever. The fortune of war also seemed to smile on them in the
beginning; in two days they took Nemi and Genzano, but they were afterwards
defeated by the Orsini.
These endless disputes, which Innocent VIII tried in
vain to allay, were seriously aggravated by the estrangement between the Pope
and the King of Naples, which continued to increase from day to day.
CHAPTER II.
Quarrels between the Pope and Ferrante
of Naples (1484-1487).—The Cibò and Medici families allied by marriage
Although King Ferrante of Naples had done his best
before the Papal election to exclude Cardinal Cibò, he now made a great show of
cordiality, and immediately sent him a letter of congratulation. Innocent lost
no time in sending his thanks, and reminding him of his former relations with
Naples, assured him that he would do for him all he conscientiously could, but
he added, that he hoped Ferrante on his part would show himself a true Catholic
Prince.
The first note of discord in the relations between
Rome and Naples was struck by the King’s son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria. He
came to Rome on the 20th October, 1484, on his return from Ferrara, and was
received by the Pope with all possible marks of honour and friendship; but when
the Duke demanded the incorporation of Benevento, Terracina, and Ponte Corvo,
with the territory of his father, Innocent VIII refused to accede to his
request. It is said that Alfonso replied in a menacing tone, saying, that before
long he would make the Pope beg for the annexation, of his own accord. In
consequence of this collision, it seemed doubtful whether the Neapolitan
Embassy of Obedience would be sent to Rome. To bring this about, the Pope had
recourse to a very strange expedient. Bulls were drawn up annexing the cities
as demanded, but these, instead of being handed over to the King, were
entrusted to the keeping of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, while Innocent VIII
made a declaration before a notary, that the documents were only intended for
show, in order to appease the impetuous King for the moment. It was not at all
his intention to give up his claim to the cities, and he was resolved, if
necessary, to meet force with force. As Alfonso drew up troops on the borders of
the Papal States, the Pope also began to collect an army and to look out for
allies. Above all, Innocent VIII tried to gain Venice. On February 28th, 1485,
the canonical penalties imposed by Sixtus IV upon the Venetians were withdrawn,
and the Signoria responded by sending their Embassy of Obedience. Tommaso Catanei, Bishop of Cervia, was
sent to Venice, to arrange for the transference of Roberto Sanseveritio,
the captain of the mercenary troops, to the Papal service.
The relations between Rome and Naples became more and
more strained, owing to the conduct of Ferrante, who not only refused to pay
the tribute for his fief, but interfered unjustifiably in purely ecclesiastical
matters, despoiled the clergy by arbitrary taxes, and openly sold his
bishoprics to utterly unsuitable persons. In the Summer of 1485 the two Courts
came to an open rupture. On the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, the Neapolitan
Envoy appeared with the customary white horse but without the tribute. It was
impossible for the Pope to accept the lame excuse that the King was not able to
pay because of his expedition against Otranto, as several years had passed
since this event. When Innocent refused to accept the palfrey without the
money, Ferrante’s ambassador entered a formal protest.
Nearly at the same moment the Barons’ war broke out at
Naples. This, “the most appalling of all the tragic dramas of the 15th
Century,” was caused by Alfonso of Calabria. This “overbearing, faithless and
cruel” Prince persuaded his father to attempt to put down the discontented
nobles by a sudden and treacherous attack. In the Summer of 1485 he found an
opportune moment. Count Montorio, who was Governor of
the rich town of Aquila, was enticed to come to Chieti, and there taken
prisoner; the citadel of Aquila was immediately occupied by Neapolitan troops.
The Barons soon saw that the same fate awaited them which Louis XI had prepared
for his nobles; they determined not to submit to the tyranny of the house of
Aragon, but to take measures to defend themselves. In the autumn of 1485, the
inhabitants of Aquila expelled the Neapolitan garrison and planted the banner
of the Church on their walls. Their example was followed by several other
Neapolitan cities and territories.
Rome in July was visited with an outbreak of the
Plague, and at the same time the course of events in the neighbouring kingdom
was watched with anxious attention. “Innocent VIII,” the Mantuan Envoy reports,
July 18th, 1485, “is entirely taken up with the affairs of the Barons.” They
had already laid their complaints against Ferrante before the Pope on a former
occasion; now again their messengers appeared in Rome to ask for help. Their
language was that of men driven to desperation; they would rather suffer any
extremity than submit to the tyranny of Ferrante or Alfonso; if the Pope did
not help them, they would put themselves under the protection of some foreign
power.
Thus we see that Innocent found himself forced into
taking part in the war, and no great efforts were needed on the part of
Giuliano, the sworn foe of the Aragonese, to bring
him to a point. The danger was all the greater because both contending parties
were capable of seeking aid from the Turks. It was evident which side the Pope
would take. Ferrante’s conduct in ecclesiastical matters, as well as the
experience of former Popes of his violence and treachery, left no room for
doubt on this point. At this moment Ferrante tried once more to avert the
impending storm by sending his son, Cardinal Giovanni d’ Aragona as mediator to
Rome; but the Plague was raging there, the Cardinal was stricken and died on
October 17th. Whilst Ferrante’s son was on his death-bed, the Cardinals
discussed the affairs of Naples with the Pope. The result was, that the Holy
See warmly embraced the interests of the Barons, took Aquila under its
protection, and declared war against the King. The Bull drawn up to justify
this step is dated October 14th, and was affixed to the door of S. Peter’s ten
days later.
The King of Naples soon proved the insincerity of his
proposals of peace to Rome, by openly declaring himself the protector of the
Orsini who had a short time before rejected the offer of the Pope to act as
mediator. Ferrante’s attempt to come to terms with his nobles completely
failed, for nobody trusted him; the rebellion soon spread over the whole
kingdom.
In order to intimidate the Pope, Ferrante now had
recourse to the expedient generally adopted by those who had any quarrel with
Rome; he renewed the question of convoking a Council. For this end he put
himself in communication with Mathias Corvinus, King of Hungary. The Neapolitan
Envoy was instructed to ask Mathias to support his father-in-law by giving him
material help, to dissuade Venice from taking the Pope’s side, and to appeal to
a Council against the greed and unbearable arrogance of Rome. Mathias Corvinus
agreed to these proposals, January 29th, 1486; he declared in a solemn assembly
of the Hungarian prelates and magnates, and in presence of the Venetian and
Florentine Envoys that he would not forsake the father of his wife. He
threatened the Pope with the withdrawal of his allegiance and an appeal to a
Council, and the Venetians with war. At the end of March, 800 Hungarian
cavalry, and later on 200 cavalry and 700 infantry started for Naples. At the
same time Mathias made an alliance with the Turks in virtue of which they were
to prevent the Venetians from assisting the Pope.
Milan followed the example of Hungary and declared for
the King of Naples. The latter tried to gain Lorenzo de’ Medici also. In order
to hinder this, the Pope sent the Florentine Archbishop Rinaldo Orsini to
Lorenzo. He explained to the Duke that “Innocent VIII. was determined to resort
to arms; that for many months he had warned the King by the late Cardinal d’Aragona and through his brother Don Francesco; but that
Ferrante had become more and more overbearing in his conduct, so that at last
things must take their course.” The mission of Orsini had no effect; Lorenzo
declared for Ferrante.
The Pope now began to look for alliances and succeeded
in concluding one with Genoa through the mediation of Lazzaro Doria in
November, 1485. He next tried to win the Venetians, as did also the Neapolitan
Barons, but neither the Pope nor they could obtain anything from that quarter.
The utmost that Venice would concede was permission to Roberto Sanseverino,
whose services Innocent VIII was extremely anxious to secure, to depart “if he
pleased.”
The Pope was so impatient to see Roberto Sanseverino,
that he ordered him to hasten to Rome without his troops, in order to arrange
the plan of campaign. Roberto entered the city on horseback, November 10th,
1485, through the Porta del Popolo and was ceremoniously received. On the same
day Innocent VIII sent word to Aquila of his arrival, adding that after
consultation with Roberto, he would inform them of his plans. During the
following days, the Lord of Anguillara, Pierro Giovanni de Savelli, Francesco
de Colonna and others were called to Rome, to take part in the Council of War.
On November 30th, Roberto swore fealty to the Pope as Standard-bearer of the
Church. It was not a moment too soon, for the enemy was already at the gates of
Rome.
Alfonso of Calabria had invaded the Papal territory
with twelve battalions, and had joined Virginio Orsini at Vicovaro.
Florence sent a considerable force, Milan only 100 soldiers. The enemy took
possession of the Bridge of Nomentana and carried
their raids to the very gates of Rome. The greatest disorder prevailed in the
city. Amidst the general alarm and excitement there was one man only who kept
his head on his shoulders, and that was Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere. If Rome
did not fall into the hands of the enemy, and if their hopes of help from
within the city itself were disappointed, it was to the iron energy of that
prelate that the Pope’s thanks were due. Day and night he allowed himself no
rest. In the cold December nights, he was to be seen with Cardinals Colonna and
Savelli making the round of the guards of the gates and walls. The Vatican was
turned into a fort, the house of the Neapolitan Ambassador was pillaged, the
castle of the Orsini on Monte Giordano was set on fire. Virginio Orsini swore that
he would have his revenge; that the head of Giuliano should be carried through
the town spiked on a lance.
The courage of the enemy rose from day to day as they
discovered how feebly Rome was garrisoned. Roberto Sanseverino and Giovanni
della Rovere had as yet no troops; the Colonna with all their men were at
Aquila, so that in reality the city was only defended by the guards of the
palace and a small force of artillery and cavalry. In this extremity all
criminals were allowed to return; this was done in order to reinforce the ranks
of the defenders.
It was not surprising therefore that robbery and
murder became every day occurrences.
Virginio Orsini carried on the war with Rome with the
pen as well as with the sword. He wrote pamphlets calling for the deposition of
Cardinal Giuliano, whom he accused of the most horrible vices, and of Innocent
VIII. The Romans were urged to rebel against the degrading tyranny of the
“Genoese sailor,” who was not even a true Pope. Orsini offered to assist in
bringing about the election of a new Pontiff and new Cardinals, and threatened
to throw Innocent VIII into the Tiber.
Although the Romans did not respond to this
invitation, the position of the Pope was very critical; none of the roads
leading to the city were safe, travellers and even envoys of foreign powers
were mercilessly plundered. The distress in the city, which in reality was in a
state of siege, was becoming intolerable, when at last the troops of Roberto
Sanseverino arrived, December 28th, 1485. He at once presented his soldiers to
the Pope and the Cardinals, and then marched against the enemy.
The situation now began to change for the better. In
December of the same year the bridge of Nomentana was
taken by storm, and in January 1486 Mentana was
wrested from the Orsini. After this, Cardinal Orsini surrendered Monte Rotondo
and repaired to Rome to seek reconciliation with the Pope. The desertion of
Cardinal Orsini filled Duke Alfonso with dismay. He left his army and fled to Pitigliano. Paolo Orsini took the command of the troops
thus abandoned by their leader and led them to Vicovaro.
Innocent VIII, who had been in a precarious state of health for several months
of the preceding year, fell ill at this moment. On January 21, a rumour was
started that the Pope was dead, and that Virginio Orsini had entered the
city—which spread like wild-fire. An indescribable panic seized the inhabitants
of Rome, for a general pillage was apprehended. The excitement lasted the whole
day, and did not abate even when the Pope showed himself in person at the
window. In consequence of this false report Mentana rebelled, and Innocent VIII ordered this fortress to be demolished.
After the miserable fashion in which these wars were
conducted in Italy at that period, the struggle dragged on through the
following months without any definite result. The Papal States suffered
severely, and there seemed no prospect of any end to the devastations.
As early as Jan. 30th, 1486, Innocent VIII had
despatched an Envoy to the Emperor to explain his position, and ask for help.
But more efficacious assistance might be expected from the Spanish royal couple
than from Frederick III. This rising power from henceforth began to take a more
and more active part in the affairs of Italy. Ferdinand and Isabella tried to
negotiate peace, for which service the Pope expressed his thanks, February
10th, 1486. Eight days later, Innocent VIII replied to the Duke of Brittany who
had exhorted him to make peace, by a detailed enumeration of all Ferrante’s
misdeeds, stating in addition that the tyranny of the King had driven the
nobles to such desperation that they were prepared to call in the Turks if the
Pope had refused to assist them.
As no assistance could be hoped for from Venice, the
Pope, or rather Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, and Cardinal de La Balue, who, from the February of 1485, had been acting as
Envoy of Charles VIII, and protector of French interests in Rome, had begun to
turn their eyes towards René, Duke of Lorraine. This Prince had inherited from
his grandfather, claims on Naples and Sicily, which Innocent VIII now
supported. The members of the Sacred College, however, were by no means
unanimous on this point. On March 5th, 1486, the discussions in Consistory grew
so warm, and La Balue and Ascanio Sforza came to such
angry words, that the Pope had to silence them both. In spite of this
opposition La Balue and Giuliano managed to persuade
Innocent to adhere to his former policy, and to apply to the French for help;
on March 23rd, Giuliano embarked at Ostia for Genoa, where he arrived at the
beginning of April. To all appearances his mission was to proceed from thence
to the Court of Charles VIII of France, in order to induce the King to send
assistance. However, the Cardinal remained at Genoa, where he occupied himself
in negotiations with René’s Envoy and in superintending the equipment of a
fleet by the Genoese.
On May 9th, Innocent VIII addressed a letter of
encouragement to the Neapolitan nobles, and assured them that he would do his
utmost to continue the struggle. About the same time Alfonso of Calabria
defeated Roberto Sanseverino at Montorio. The enemy
again marched upon Rome. Not only the city, but nearly the whole of the Papal
States were in the greatest danger. For months the Florentines had been
secretly inciting Perugia, Città di Castello, Viterbo, Assisi, Foligno,
Montefalco, Spoleto, Todi and Orvieto, to rebellion, and although these
intrigues were not crowned with success, they had the effect of obliging the
Pope to divide his forces. In April 1486, the condottiere Boccolino Guzzoni seized the town of Osimo; at the same time
the news reached Rome, that Mathias Corvinus was sending an army to invest the
important city of Ancona, and that Turkish ships had been sighted on the coasts
of the Adriatic. An exhausted treasury added to the difficulty of the situation;
this is mentioned in several of the Papal Briefs.
When Innocent VIII saw how things were going, he began
to repent of having taken part in the Neapolitan war trusting to the assistance
of the faithless Venetians! Cardinal Giuliano, who might be called the soul of
the resistance to Ferrante, had hitherto always succeeded in overcoming the
misgivings of the Pope, but he was now far from Rome. On the last day of May,
the Envoys of the French King and of Duke René arrived in Rome and entered into
negotiations with Innocent about the affairs of Naples; but the Ambassador of
Ferdinand of Spain, who was naturally anxious to prevent the French from
establishing themselves in Italy, did his utmost to frustrate their efforts and
to persuade the Pope to come to terms with Ferrante. The Spanish Envoys were
supported by the Cardinals Borgia and Savelli; La Balue and Borgia had a violent altercation on the subject in the Consistory. In
Aquila a rebellion against the government of the Church broke out, whilst the
army of Duke Alfonso made alarming progress. His victorious troops steadily
gained ground; their skirmishers were almost at the gates of Rome. Disaffection
was spreading so rapidly amongst the Pope’s own people, that it seemed
absolutely necessary to bring the war to a close. Treachery was the order of
the day; only a small number of the Castellans could be trusted. A far less
irresolute man than Innocent VIII might have made peace under such
circumstances. Messages were sent to Cardinal Giuliano and to Duke René to the
effect that, as they had delayed so long, it would be better now to postpone
their arrival to a still later period, and that the ruin of Rome and of the
Papal States could only be averted by a Treaty of Peace.
Cardinal Micheli was entrusted with the negotiation of
the conditions of peace. The agreement was concluded without difficulty, as
Ferrante made great concessions out of fear of the French; the captain of his
forces, Gian Giacomo Trivulzio and the Humanist Pontano,
repaired secretly to the Vatican, where, in the night of 9th-10th August, 1486,
the preliminaries were signed. The principal clauses of the treaty, which was
guaranteed by their Spanish Majesties, Milan, and Florence, were the following:
—Ferrante recognised the Papal supremacy, and engaged to pay the customary
tribute with arrears; the revolted nobles were to submit to the King, who
promised a complete amnesty; Aquila was to take its choice between Rome and
Naples; Virginio Orsini was to ask the Pope’s pardon; and Innocent VIII was to
have the free disposal of all bishoprics and benefices.
Looking at the conditions that Ferrante accepted, no
one would have guessed that his was the victorious side. In this he can hardly
have been actuated by the fear of France alone. The clue to his apparent
amiability must rather be sought in his subsequent conduct, for his facility in
making concessions on paper was more than counterbalanced by the skill with
which he evaded the fulfilment of his engagements. The whole compact was as
quickly broken as it had been concluded. There can hardly be found in all the
annals of history a more scandalous violation of a treaty. Before the end of
September Ferrante had expelled the Papal troops from Aquila, murdered the
Pope’s representative, and taken possession of the city. Then came his revenge
on the nobles. Not only the Barons themselves, but their wives and children
also were thrown into prison, and all their property was confiscated, including
even monies invested in foreign countries. When the Barons had been thus
disposed of, the turn of the Pope came next. The payment of the tribute was
refused, and benefices given away as before without any reference to the Holy
See. “The hand of the King is heavier on the Church than ever.”
Not content with all this, Ferrante set himself to
harass the helpless Pope by stirring up disturbances in the Papal States. To
this systematic policy of violence Innocent VIII had nothing to oppose but the
most abject irresolution and vacillation. By his feeble policy of groping about
for alliances first in one direction and then in another, he had lost the
confidence of all parties. In 1486, the Pope had entered into fresh
negotiations with Venice, which resulted in a new Veneto-Roman league proclaimed
at the end of February 1487; but before another month had elapsed he had swung
round again and sided with Florence. A project of a marriage between Lorenzo’s
second daughter Maddalena and Franceschetto Cibò was broached; but on account
of the youth of the bride its celebration had to be postponed for a while. “In
the meantime several events occurred of which Lorenzo might have taken
advantage had not other circumstances tended to strengthen his desire of
obtaining a footing in Rome, and his hopes of domineering over the feeble
Pope.”
In 1487 Lorenzo de’ Medici had already had an
opportunity of laying the Pope under an obligation. In Osimo, the condottiere Boccolino Guzzoni had rebelled
again and entered into communication with the Sultan Bajazet. It is a fact
proved by letters which have been discovered, that this daring rebel was
prepared to hand over the Marches to the Turks. As the Sultan did not seem
unwilling to accept the proposal, everything depended on prompt action.
Innocent VIII lost no time. In March 1487, Giuliano della Rovere was sent
against Boccolino, but was so crippled by want of
funds that he found himself unable to achieve anything; and the Pope appealed
to Milan for help. The Milanese in May sent Gian Jacopo Trivulzio, one of the
ablest generals of the period, but he too was unable to take Osimo. In July,
Giuliano asked to be recalled, and was superseded by Cardinal de La Balue. By the time the latter arrived before Osimo,
Trivulzio had reduced the city to such extremity that it was on the point of
surrendering.
By skilful management, the Florentine Ambassador
succeeded in inducing Boccolino, “on the payment of
8000 ducats, to give up the city and to repair to Florence.” The friendly
relations of the Pope with the Medici were advantageous to the Orsini, for
Lorenzo’s wife was a sister of Virginio Orsini. To no one was this change more
distasteful than to Cardinal Giuliano. On July 19th, 1487, he had returned from
Osimo in very ill-humour, and when in August the Pope formally received the
Orsini back into favour he left Rome and retired to Bologna; however, he soon
made it up again with Innocent.
Whilst the war at Osimo was dragging on without any
decided result, Ferrante took advantage of the Pope’s embarrassment to bring
his dispute with the Holy See to a climax. In May 1487, Trojano de’ Bottuni was sent to Rome, Florence and Milan, as
Extraordinary Ambassador, with instructions coolly to repudiate all the
stipulations contained in the treaty of August 11th, 1486. “Towards the end of
July 14S7, Innocent VIII. held a Consistory to deliberate on Neapolitan
affairs. The whole college of Cardinals agreed with him, that it was
incompatible with the honour of the Holy See to remain passive any longer. It
was resolved that letters should be sent to Spain, Milan and Florence, the
cosignatories of the treaty, to inform them of its violation. A Nuncio was to
be sent to Naples to remonstrate, and in case of any fresh breach of faith with
the Barons to assist them in obtaining redress through the ordinary means.”
These resolutions were embodied in the instruction dated 24th July, 1487, to
the Nuncio Pietro Vicentino, Bishop of Cesena. The
way in which the Nuncio was treated at Naples, is characteristic of Ferrante.
He was denied an audience, whereupon he stopped the King at the gate of the
palace when he was going out hunting, and forced him to listen to the demands
of the Pope. Ferrante’s reply was a flat refusal expressed in the most scornful
terms. He had not forgotten the tribute, but he had spent so much on the Church
that he had no money left. With regard to his interference in ecclesiastical
affairs, Ferrante remarked that he knew his subjects, whereas the Pope did not;
he would therefore continue to confer benefices on those whom he considered
worthy, and Innocent VIII must content himself with the right of confirming his
nomination. When, finally, Vicentino reproached him
with violating the treaty by imprisoning the Barons, the King reminded him of
the arrest and subsequent release of the Cardinals Colonna and Savelli by
Sixtus IV, and added: I choose to deal in the same way with my traitorous
subjects. Then he ordered the bugles to sound, and rode off without even
saluting the Nuncio.
In face of Ferrante’s insolence, Innocent VIII seems
to have completely lost his head. “Gian Jacopo Trivulzio,” the Envoy from
Ferrara writes 6th September 1487, “speaks of the pusillanimity, the
helplessness, and incapacity of the Pope in the strongest terms, and adds that,
if some spirit and courage cannot be infused into him, the consequences will be
very serious.”
Emboldened by the Pope’s weakness, Ferrante’s next
step was to publish a solemn appeal to a Council. A few days after the news of
this had reached Florence, the Papal secretary Jacopo Gherardi arrived there,
with secret instructions to endeavour to bring about a league between Milan and
Venice against Naples; as, however, Lorenzo was determined not to fight, and
dissuaded the Pope from pronouncing ecclesiastical censures, this came to
nothing. In Rome a rumour began to be bruited about in October, that Innocent
was preparing a decree of excommunication, interdict, and deposition against
Ferrante, but as negotiations with Milan and Florence continued to be kept up,
it was inferred that these extreme steps might possibly be avoided and an
accommodation arranged. Lorenzo had considerable influence with the Pope at
that time, for the marriage of Franceschetto Cibò was just about to take place.
On November 13th, the bride entered Rome, accompanied
by her mother. On the 18th, the Pope gave a banquet in honour of the bridal
pair, and made them a present of jewels worth 10,000 ducats. At the beginning
of his Pontificate, Innocent had refused to allow Franceschetto to reside in
Rome; now with almost incredible weakness he celebrated the nuptials in his own
palace. The marriage contract was signed on January 20th, 1488. Lorenzo was
vexed at finding that Innocent VIII showed no disposition to make an extensive
provision for the newly married couple, but his annoyance was still greater at
his delay in the bestowal of the Cardinal’s Hat which had been promised to his
second son Giovanni.
The marriage of Maddalena with Franceschetto, who was
by many years her senior, was not a happy one; though utterly rude and
uncultured, Cibò was deeply tainted with the corruption of his time; he cared
for nothing but money, in order to squander it in gambling and debauchery; but
quite apart from this the alliance between the Cibò and Medici families was a
most questionable proceeding. “This was the first time that the son of a Pope
had been publicly recognised, and, as it were, introduced on the political
stage.” Aegidius of Viterbo justly passed a very severe judgment on Innocent
VIII on account of this deplorable aberration.
CHAPTER III.
Troubles in the Romagna.—Disputes and Final
Reconciliation between Rome and Naples.
The Spring of the year 1488 witnessed the outbreak of
serious disturbances in the Romagna. On the 14th April Girolamo Riario, who was
hated for his brutal tyranny and cruelty, was treacherously murdered by three
conspirators. The downfall of the Riario family now seemed inevitable; but
Caterina, the courageous consort of the assassinated noble, held the citadel of
Forli till it was relieved by the Milanese troops, and thus preserved the
government for her young son Ottaviano.
The conspirators had immediately applied to Lorenzo de
Medici and Innocent VIII for help. The suspicion expressed by Checho Orsi, the
real instigator of the conspiracy, that the Pope was implicated in the plot, is
without foundation. Apart from the untrustworthiness of the testimony of such a
man, Checho refuted himself by asking Lorenzo to act as mediator with the Pope,
and to induce him to favour the enterprise.
Part of the population of Forli eagerly desired to be
under the immediate rule of the Church, and despatched envoys to Rome with a
petition to the Pope to take the town under his protection. Innocent VIII in
consequence sent troops under the command of the protonotary Bernardino
Savelli, from Cesena to Forli; they were, however, captured by the Milanese.
Upon this the Pope gave up all further interference, although he had a perfect
right to support the party which had formally offered the town to him. Although
Girolamo had been most unfriendly to him during the reign of Sixtus IV,
Innocent recommended his infant children to the people of Forli, and gave
instructions in the same sense to his Envoy, Cardinal Raffaele Riario.
Innocent VIII had a special reason for abstaining from
interference in the troubles in the Romagna, for just at that time the
Neapolitan King was straining every nerve to stir up the cities of the Papal
States to rebel against their rightful ruler. The revolt of the important city
of Ancona, which had been apprehended for the last two years, now actually
broke out. In the beginning of April 1488, the Council of Ancona hoisted the
Hungarian flag on the belfry of the town hall and on the masts of the ships, as
a sign that the city had placed itself under the protection of Ferrante’s
son-in-law, Mathias Corvinus. If Innocent was not strong enough to retain his
hold on his most important seaport on the Adriatic, how useless would it have
been for him to think of taking Forli in hand. The reproaches showered upon him
by the impetuous Roman chronicler Infessura on this subject, are quite unjust.
If the Pope had responded to the requests of the citizens of Forli, he would
have had Florence as well as Milan to contend with. Lorenzo de’ Medici said
openly that he would rather see Forli in the power of Milan than under the rule
of Rome. The Church, he said to the Envoy from Ferrara, was more to be feared
at that moment than Venice itself, and this had decided him to assist King
Ferrante against the Pope.
Innocent VIII was once more alarmed by another piece
of bad news from the Romagna. On the 31st of May Galeotti Manfredi, lord of
Faenza, was killed through the jealousy of his wife. This led to disturbances,
and for a time war between Florence and Milan seemed imminent. The Pope,
through the Bishop of Rimini, did his best to maintain peace. In Perugia, also
at that time sadly torn with party strife, Innocent laboured in the same cause,
but without much success. In December 1489 he appointed his own brother,
Maurizio Cibò, Governor of that city. This “able and honest” man attempted to
bring about a peaceable settlement of these interminable quarrels, but his
endeavours were as fruitless as those of Franceschetto Cibò, who was sent to
Perugia in July 1488. At the end of October the hereditary feud between the
families of Baglione and Oddi broke out afresh, to the great grief of the Pope,
and filled the unhappy city with rapine and murder. The conflict terminated in
the expulsion of the Oddi, and as the Baglioni were expecting military
assistance from Ferrante, Innocent VIII thought it advisable to refrain from
stringent measures against them. In November 1488 he sent Cardinal Piccolomini
to Perugia, who, by his admirable tact and indefatigable perseverance, succeeded
in pacifying and winning over the Baglioni, and thus preserving the city, which
seemed on the point of being lost to the Holy See.
Cardinal Piccolomini also displayed great skill in
adjusting the ancient dispute about the boundary line between Foligno and Spello, and thus freed Innocent VIII from one cause of
anxiety; but, on the other hand, it must be confessed that Ferrante’s attitude
of persistent and insolent hostility kept the Pope in a constant fever of alarm
and perplexity. “When, in the Spring of 1489, the Spanish Court attempted a
mediation, Ferrante did everything in his power to irritate the Pope by attacks
on his person and his family, and seemed bent on bringing about an immediate
rupture. His conduct can only be explained on the supposition that he thought
he might now with impunity vent all his spite against his enemy, or that he
wished to provoke a contest which might lead him with a victorious army to the
gates of Rome, regardless of the risk that it might also lead a foreign power
into Italy. The events of 1495, so fatal to Ferrante’s dynasty and kingdom,
were thus the results of his own conduct six years earlier. It was through no
merit of his or of his son, who was worse than himself, nor yet of the Pope,
that the catastrophe was delayed for so long. Neither Ferrante nor Innocent had
any inkling of what was coming; the one was blinded by his grasping tyranny and
pride, the other by his short-sighted weakness. That the impending ruin was
averted for the time being, was chiefly due to Lorenzo de’ Medici,—a merit
which would suffice to outweigh many shortcomings.”
The King of Naples received considerable support in
his defiance of Rome from the Hungarian King, Mathias Corvinus, who at that
time was trying to get the Turkish Prince Dschem into his own hands. Failing to
obtain this through his Ambassador at Rome, Mathias threatened to bring the
Turks into Italy. He felt himself bound in honour, he declared to the Papal
Nuncio, not to forsake the King of Naples.
The King of Hungary had not felt it inconsistent with
his honour to seize Ancona, neither did it now prevent him from tampering with
the vassals of the Pope and with the famous condottiere, Giulio Cesare Varano.
He hoped by stirring up a revolt in the Papal States to reduce the Pope to
submission. Innocent defended himself as well as he could. In May 1489 he
resolved to pronounce the extreme penalties of the Church against Ferrante. On
June 27th Niccolò Orsino, Count of Pitigliano was
named Captain-general of the Church. Three days later Ferrante was threatened
with excommunication if he did not carry out the stipulations contained in the
Treaty of Peace within two months. Ferrante showed no greater inclination than
before, either to pay the tribute, to release the Barons, or to abstain from
interference in ecclesiastical matters; and Innocent VIII thought the time had
come to adopt decisive measures. He relied on the assistance of foreign powers,
and was encouraged in this hope by Cardinal de La Balue.
Charles VIII of France and Maximilian of Austria had just concluded a peace at
Frankfort-on-Main (July 1489). “Might not the two reconciled Princes combine
together as loyal sons of the Church to restore order in Italy and then begin
the crusade against the Turks? Might not one or other of these Princes, on
behalf of Genoa or Milan, bring pressure to bear on Lodovico and oblige him to
give up his ambiguous attitude towards the Pope and render him hearty and
effective support against Naples? Could Ferrante still hold out if he saw the
whole of Christendom ranged on the side of the Pope?” Anticipations such as
these certainly corresponded very little with the real state of affairs, but were
nevertheless cherished in Rome, especially by the sanguine Cardinal de La Balue and by some of the French Envoys. From Spain Innocent
VIII also expected assistance.
At the beginning of September 1489, the term assigned
to the King of Naples had expired. On the 11th of that month, the Pope held a
Consistory, to which all the Ambassadors at Rome were invited. In a lengthy
discourse Innocent VIII explained the historical and legal relations between
Naples and the Holy See. He set forth in detail the behaviour of the two last
Kings towards the Church, and especially Ferrante’s refusal to pay the dues for
his fief, and to fulfil his treaty obligations, and he enlarged on the
consequences of these acts. Then the notary of the Apostolic Chamber read a
document drawn up in the last Secret Consistory, which declared Ferrante to
have forfeited his crown, and Naples to have fallen to the Holy See as an
escheated fief. The Neapolitan Ambassador, who was present, asked for a copy of
this document, and for permission to read a reply in defence of his master, to
which the Pope consented. The defence explained the reasons why the King did
not hold himself bound to pay the tribute, and stated that he had already
appealed to “the Council.” According to him the right of convoking a Council
had, on account of the Pope’s opposition, devolved on the Emperor; consequently
that of Basle having been illegally dissolved, was still sitting. It was no
difficult matter for the Bishop of Alessandria to show the untenability of King
Ferrante’s position, whereupon the Neapolitan Ambassador declined all further
discussion, and the Pope closed the Consistory.
War between Rome and Naples now seemed inevitable, for
the only effect of the Pope’s energetic proceedings was to make Ferrante still
more obstinate and defiant. In October 1489 he had written to Charles VIII, who
had tried to dissuade him from making war against Rome, that far from having
any thought of taking up arms against the Holy See, his sentiments towards it
were those of the most filial devotion and submission. His conduct in the
following years showed how much these hypocritical declarations were worth. He
tried ineffectually to turn Maximilian against Rome, by sending him a pamphlet
in which the life of the Pope and of his Court were depicted in the darkest
colours. His language to Innocent VIII himself was invariably scornful and
menacing. In January 1490, he announced that he would send the palfrey to Rome,
but not a farthing of the tribute money, and that he would not pardon a single
one of his nobles. In May a Neapolitan Envoy said at Florence, that his master
would no longer put up with the overbearing and discourteous conduct of the
Pope; if the latter persisted in his unjustifiable demands, the King would
appear in Rome in person, with spur and lance, and answer him in a way which
would make his Holiness understand his error. All the great Powers seemed to
have abandoned the Head of the Church, and this emboldened Ferrante to treat
him in this shameful manner. The aged Emperor Frederick admonished the
Neapolitans in March to make peace, but like his son Maximilian, he was too
much occupied with his own affairs to take an active interest in those of the
Pope. In Italy no one stirred a finger to protect the Holy See against the
insults which Ferrante so persistently heaped upon it, and Innocent VIII.
complained bitterly of this to the Florentine, Pandolfini.
“In deference to the representations of the Italian powers,” he said “he had
shown great indulgence to Ferrante. The only result had been that the King
became more and more insolent, while the Powers stood by and allowed him to
insult the Pope as much as he pleased. If the Italians cared so little for his
honour he should be driven to look abroad for protection. Never, Pandolfini adds, had he seen the Pope so moved. He did his
best to calm him, and represented to him that his patience would be rewarded,
and that he might count on the support of Florence, Milan, and Venice. But
Innocent would not hear him out. He was perpetually put off with words, he
exclaimed. Florence was the only power on whom he could reckon, Sforza’s
vacillation made Milan useless, and Venice would never do anything. He was
resolved to make an end of this. He would excommunicate the King, denounce him
as a heretic, and lay his kingdom under Interdict. He would call upon all the
States of the League to bear witness that he had ample justification for what
he was doing; and if Ferrante made war upon him, as he had threatened, and no
one would help him, he would take refuge abroad, where he would be received
with open arms and assisted to get back what belonged to him; and this would
bring shame and harm on some people. Unless he could uphold the dignity of the
Holy See, it was impossible for him to remain in Italy. If he were to be
abandoned by the Italian States, it would be out of the question for him to
resist Ferrante, on account both of the insufficiency of the resources of the
Church and the disloyalty of the Roman Barons, who would be delighted to see
him in trouble. He held himself to be fully justified in leaving Italy, if the
dignity of the Holy See could be safeguarded in no other way. Other Popes had
done this and had returned with honour.”
Thus a repetition of the exile of Avignon seemed
imminent, for France was the country to which Innocent VIII would have turned.
The position of the Pope was indeed almost intolerable. Each day brought fresh
alarms of hostile action on the part of Ferrante; in July came the news that
Naples had induced Benevento to throw off its allegiance. A few months later,
accounts arrived that Ferrante was intriguing with the Colonna, in order to win
them to his interest. Just at this time Innocent VIII, who had been far from
well in August, had an attack of fever, and was so seriously ill that he
received the last Sacraments, which he did with great devotion. He rallied a
little for a time, but grew worse again, and was given over by his physician.
On the 26th September it was reported in Rome that the Pope was dead. The news
seemed so certain that the Envoy from Ferrara sent a special messenger to
Ferrara to announce it. On the following morning Rome was like a camp; every
one armed in preparation for the disturbances which would probably follow.
Franceschetto Cibò attempted to take advantage of the prevailing confusion to
get hold of the papal treasure and of Prince Dschem, who was then residing in
the Vatican, with the object of selling him by means of Virginio Orsini to
Ferrante. Fortunately the Cardinals were on their guard, and the attempt
failed. An inventory was drawn up of the papal treasures, and Cardinal Savelli
was given charge of the monies. The report of Innocent’s death was soon found
to be false. He had had something of the nature of a stroke which had brought
him very near death, but on the 28th he had already begun to recover and is
said to have declared that he still hoped to outlive all the Cardinals. There
did not seem, however, much likelihood of this, for his health continued very
feeble. He hoped to find restoration in the bracing air of Porto d’Anzio and Ostia, but it was not to be. On his return to
Rome on the 30th November, it seemed at first as if he had benefited a little
from the change, but a few days later the Mantuan Envoy writes that he has had
a fresh attack of fever. In blaming Innocent VIII for the vacillation and
weakness of his conduct, allowances should be made for the state of his health,
and also for the financial difficulties which hampered him through the whole of
his Pontificate.
Under these circumstances active measures against
Naples were out of the question. Ferrante was well aware of this, and calmly
persisted in his outrageous conduct. On the feast of SS. Peter and Paul this
year, as in 1485, the palfrey was sent without the tribute, and was returned,
in spite of the protest of the Neapolitan Envoy. According to Sigismondo de’
Conti the Pope at this time still hoped for support from Florence and Milan. It
seems strange that he could have continued to cherish such futile expectations,
but it appears that he was not finally undeceived until the conduct of these
States, on the occasion of the disputes between Ascoli and Fermo, had made
further illusions impossible. In 1487 Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere had done
his best to restore order and make peace, but in vain, and the strife had been
going on ever since from bad to worse. In the Summer of 1491 the people of
Ascoli had attacked Offida; the Vice-Legate of the
Marches was besieged and a Papal Envoy was murdered. In August, Innocent
despatched Cardinal de La Balue and Niccolò Orsini of Pitigliano with a body of troops to punish this
crime, and put an end to the state of anarchy which prevailed throughout the
district. They took Monte Brandone, and would soon
have reduced the people of Ascoli to order, but for the intervention of
Virginio Orsini at the head of a Neapolitan force. Innocent now applied to
Venice, Milan, and Florence for help, but with absolutely no result. These
powers were, on the contrary, determined to do everything in their power to
hinder the pacification of the Papal State and weaken the power of the Pope.
Lorenzo’s participation in these intrigues and also his action in securing the
victory for the Baglioni in Perugia show his character in a very unfavourable
light, considering his relationship to the Pope, and the many favours that he
had received from him.
These painful experiences, reinforced by the
entreaties of the Romans and the Cardinals, at last induced Innocent to consent
to make direct overtures to Ferrante for an accommodation; and the King,
alarmed at the increasingly intimate relations which were growing up between
France and the Holy See, in reply offered better terms than could have been
expected. Gioviano Pontano came to Rome in December, and, though there were many difficulties to
overcome, an agreement was at last effected, which was announced in a Secret
Consistory on the 29th January 1492. The conditions were that the imprisoned
Barons were to be tried and judged by the Pope; that the King was to pay
36,000 ducats down for his fief, and for the future to maintain 2,000
horsemen and 5 triremes for the service of the Church, and to continue as
before the annual present of the palfrey.
From this moment Ferrante’s behaviour towards the Pope
underwent a complete transformation. Amidst effusive professions of gratitude
and devotion he commenced negotiations for a family alliance between himself
and Innocent VIII. He proposed that his grandson, Don Luigi of Aragon, should
marry Battistina, a daughter of Teodorina and Gherardo Usodimare. Fear of France was the cause
of the complete change of front; the wily King saw at once how dangerous the
growth of this rising power must be to his kingdom; and, in addition to this,
there was the other danger from the Turks. Ferrante despatched an Envoy to
Innocent VIII to discuss this subject. On the 27th May, Ferdinand, Prince of
Capua, son of Alfonso of Calabria and Ferrante’s grandson, came to Rome and was
received with royal honours. A chronicler of the time says that he will not
attempt to describe the splendours of this reception as no one would believe
him, and the contemporaneous reports of the Envoys corroborate his statement.
A banquet, given by Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, which lasted six hours, seems to
have surpassed in sumptuousness anything hitherto imagined. Dramatic
performances were included in the pleasures provided for the guests. The
entertainment given in honour of the betrothal of Luigi of Aragon to Battistina Cibò furnished an occasion for a fresh display
of magnificence in the Vatican itself. But all this time, side by side with
these festivities, serious negotiations were going on. The object of
Ferdinand’s visit was to obtain for himself the investiture of Naples, and thus
secure the succession for the family. This, the French Envoys, who were then in
Rome on important business for the King of France, did their utmost to prevent.
They had been sent thither on account of Anna, the heiress of the Duchy of
Brittany, who had been betrothed by procuration to Maximilian, King of the
Romans. Charles VIII, anxious to get possession of this important province, had
carried her off, and now required a Papal dispensation to set her free from her
betrothal; and other dispensations were also needed, as Charles was himself
betrothed to Margaret of Burgundy, and was also related to Anna. These
dispensations were granted, but privately, and disavowed by Innocent and the
Ambassadors.
The French King was encouraged by this success to hope
that he might also be able to hinder the investiture of Ferdinand. In the
Spring of 1492, the Master of the Horse, Perron de Baschi,
came to Rome ostensibly on other business, but in reality for this purpose,
and to request that it might be conferred on France.
But, accommodating as the Pope had shown himself in
regard to the dispensations, this was quite another matter, and Baschi’s mission failed utterly. On the 4th June, in a
Secret Consistory, a Bull was read regulating the Neapolitan succession. It
provided that Ferrante’s son Alfonso was to succeed him, and in the event of
Alfonso predeceasing his father, the Prince of Capua. The French Ambassador
wished to enter a protest against this, but, by the Pope’s orders, was refused
admission to the Consistory.
CHAPTER IV.
The Eastern Question. The Turkish Prince.—Prince
Dschem in Rome. The Fall of Granada.—Death of the Pope.
Of all the evil consequences produced by the disputes
between Naples and the Holy See, which lasted throughout almost the whole of
the Pontificate of Innocent VIII, the worst was their effect in checking the
war against the Turks.
Disturbing news from the East was perpetually
arriving. Just at the time of the Papal election the hordes of Sultan Bajazet
had overrun Moldavia and conquered the two important strongholds of Kilia and Akjerman. Deeply impressed by this event, and by further
news of an increase in the Turkish navy, Innocent VIII, immediately after his
election, issued an address to the Italian States and all the European powers,
pointing out the magnitude of the danger which threatened the Church and
western civilisation, and asking for immediate assistance to repel it. He
summoned all the Christian States to send Ambassadors as soon as possible to
Rome, provided with full powers to decide on the measures to be adopted, as the
situation was so serious as to brook no delay. This Encyclical is dated Nov.
21, 1484, and on the same day a special letter was despatched to Mathias
Corvinus, King of Hungary, who was at war with the Emperor Frederick,
admonishing him to put forth all his strength against the enemy of the Faith.
About the same time the Pope wrote to Ferdinand, King of Aragon and Castile,
desiring him to protect Sicily, which belonged to him, and was threatened by
the Turks. He also exerted himself to have measures taken for the defence of
Rhodes, and in February 1485 proposed to the King of Naples a detailed scheme
for the protection of the Italian sea-board from the Turkish ships. A fleet of
60 triremes and 20 ships of burden would be necessary to defray the expense of
this, Naples and Milan should contribute 75,000 ducats, Florence 30,000,
Ferrara and Siena 6000, Montserrat and Lucca 2000, Piombino 1000. It boded no
good for the success of this plan when Florence, with all her wealth, found a
flimsy pretext for evading her share of the assessment. Plenty of money was forthcoming
for the war with Genoa, but all the Pope’s warnings as to the far greater
importance of that against the Turks, on which the preservation of Italy and
the Christian Faith depended, fell on deaf ears. In the beginning of 1485,
Innocent VIII wrote again to Ferdinand of Aragon and Castile on the defence of
the Sicilian coast, and meanwhile set a good example himself by taking
energetic measures to strengthen the fortifications of his own ports on the
Adriatic, and more especially of Ancona. The Legate of the Marches, Cardinal
Orsini, the Governor of Fano, and finally the citizens of Ancona, all received
stringent orders to this effect. When, in April, more reassuring news arrived,
according to which no attack was to be apprehended from the Turks in that year,
the Legate was desired by no means to relax his efforts on this account.
The disputes which arose between Rome and Naples in
the Summer of 1485 had the effect of completely shelving the question of the
Turkish war. The Pope was obliged to content himself with providing for the
defence of his own sea-board and doing what he could to assist the numerous
refugees who were fleeing northwards to escape the Turks. From this time
forward Innocent VIII was always in such difficulties that he ceased to be able
to give effective attention to these larger questions. The ink of the Treaty of
Peace concluded between him and Ferrante in August 1486, was hardly dry before
the King had violated all its provisions. In the following year Innocent had
the distress of seeing the Lord of Osimo, Boccolino Guzzone, allying himself with the Sultan in order to incite him to attack the
Marches. Harassed as he was, however, the Pope still clung to the project of a
Crusade. In December 1486, Raymond Peraudi (Perauld) was sent to the court of the Emperor Frederick,
who at that time was not well disposed towards Innocent, and the Carmelite,
Gratiano da Villanova, to that of Maximilian. Contrary to all expectation, both
Princes were inclined to listen favourably to the Pope’s proposals for a
Crusade. Upon this, Innocent on the 27th of May, 1486, published a Bull in
which he described “the danger from the Turks,” which menaced both Germany and
Italy, and expressed his determination to leave no means untried whereby all
Christendom might be roused and encouraged to resist them. He announced the
willingness of the Emperor and other kings and princes to undertake a Crusade,
and decreed that a tithe of one year’s revenue should be levied for this
purpose on all churches, incumbencies, and benefices, and all ecclesiastical
persons of whatever rank, and whether secular or regular, throughout the
provinces of the Empire. Raymond Peraudi and Gratiano
da Villanova were nominated collectors-general of this tax, and endowed with
the usual faculties and privileges.
In Germany Peraudi made an
excellent impression. Trithemius says that “he was a
man of spotless life and morals, and of singularly blameless character, in
every respect. He had an immense love of justice and a genuine contempt for
worldly honours and riches. I know of no one like him in our day.” Such praise
seems almost extravagant; but all the German Princes and learned men with whom Peraudi came in contact, express themselves in similar
terms. He was burning with zeal for the Crusade, but here he was doomed to
bitter disappointment. The political confusion throughout the Empire and the
egoism of the States was too great; neither laity nor clergy were in a state of
mind to be capable of apprehending any general interest. In this matter he
accomplished very little.
On the 26th June, 1487, Berthold, Archbishop of Mainz,
and the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburg addressed a letter to the Pope, in
which they begged to be exempted from the proposed tithe. They said it would be
impossible for them to pay this in addition to the requisitions for maintaining
the personal dignity of the Emperor. “We abstain,” they say, “from mentioning
the permanent charges which the Church has to bear, and which are by no means
insignificant; but frequent wars, and the oppression and extortions which the
Church and the clergy have had to endure for so long, have brought them so low
that neither in the churches nor personally are they able to maintain the
splendour of former days, and it is to be feared that they will soon be
completely ruined. Your Holiness can imagine of what men become capable when
they are driven to such straits. They persuade themselves that all things are
allowable, just or unjust, good or bad. for extreme need knows no law.”
According to Trithemius, the
clergy in all parts of the Empire held meetings to deliberate on what was to be
done, and finally resolved to appeal from the Pope ill-informed to the Pope
better-informed. The resistance was so great that Innocent was forced to give
up the imposition of the tithe in Germany. He did not give up the Crusade, and
since next to nothing was to be got from Germany he now turned to France. On
the 16th November, 1487, the Envoys to the French Court, Lionello Cheregato of Vicenza, Bishop of Traù,
and a Spaniard, Antonio Florez, started from Rome. On the 20th January, 1488, Cheregato delivered a stirring address, in the Royal Palace
at Paris, before Charles VIII, on the Turkish question. Referring to the
glorious feats of arms accomplished by the King’s predecessors and the Popes in
the past times against the Turks, he contrasted in glowing terms those days
with the present. “In the days of your forefathers, who went forth to fight
against the Crescent and for the Christian Faith, who would have thought it
possible that we should be coming here today to urge you to come to the rescue
of Italy and the States of the Church from those same inhuman enemies of the
Christian name?”
In order to show how great the danger was, the Nuncio
referred to Boccolino Guzzoni’s attempted treason.
Its failure had only made the Sultan still more eager to attack Italy. The
Italian States were not strong enough to defend themselves single-handed, and
therefore the Pope required assistance from the other Christian Powers. They
would not be able to give this help unless they were at peace among themselves,
and therefore Innocent urged the King to use his influence to put an end to the
present deplorable divisions. As these wars were evidently a Divine
chastisement brought upon nations through the faults of the Princes and people,
now was the time for the King to reform the abuses which had crept into
ecclesiastical affairs in France. The way in which Cheregato expressed himself on this subject confirms the statement, which we have from
other sources, that he had instructions to endeavour to combat the anti-Roman
spirit which found its chief expression in the so-called Pragmatic Sanction.
Finally, he strongly urged that the well-known unfortunate Prince Dschem, who
had been brought to France by the Grand Master of Rhodes in 1482, should be
handed over to the Pope.
Later, the task of the Nuncios was rendered much more
difficult by the course of events in Flanders, where, ever since the 1st of
February, 1488, Maximilian had been a prisoner in the hands of his subjects. At
the request of the Emperor, the Pope, through the Archbishop of Cologne, laid
an Interdict on the rebels. When the news reached the French Court, it was
observed there that as Flanders belonged to France so severe a punishment ought
not to have been imposed without consulting Charles VIII, and also that it was
undeserved, as the Flemings had just grounds of complaint against Maximilian.
The anti-Roman party made great capital out of the event. “The Royal Advocate,
Johannes Magistri, an enemy of God and of the Holy
See,” writes Cheregato from Tours on the 16th May,
1488, “is delighted at the Interdict, because it gives him an opportunity of
calumniating the Holy See.” Later, Raymond Peraudi was sent to France to support Cheregato. Being a
Frenchman, and having had great influence with Louis XI, he seemed the best
person to make peace between Charles VIII and Maximilian. From France Peraudi hastened back to Germany to promote the convocation
of the States-General, which was to assemble at Frankfort-on-Main.
The Assembly at Frankfort was opened on the 6th July,
1489. A Brief addressed to it depicts the extremity of the danger in eloquent
language. “The Popes had made every possible effort to induce the Christian
Princes and nations to unite together to repel their hereditary foe. Was all to
be in vain? The matter admitted of no further delay, and Innocent urged the
Princes to send Envoys as soon as possible to Rome, with adequate powers to
agree together upon a plan of concerted operations. It was essential that all
jealousies and disputes should be laid aside, and his Legates would do all in
their power to bring this about. Not only would he devote all the resources of
the Holy See to the expedition, but, if it were deemed advisable, he would
himself accompany it. He had written in the same sense to all the Christian
Princes, and hoped that they, as well as the Germans, would not refuse to
attend to his paternal warnings and prayers.” These stirring words were ably
seconded by Peraudi’s diplomatic skill, and within
ten days he had succeeded in inducing the King of the Romans and the French
Envoys then in Frankfort, to come to terms.
During the following months Peraudi was occupied in proclaiming the Indulgence for the Crusade in Germany, and
assisting the Papal Nuncio to the Court of Hungary, Bishop Angelo d’Orte, in his negotiations to bring about a reconciliation
between Mathias Corvinus and the Emperor. These were so far successful that, on
the 19th of February, 1490, a truce was agreed to which was to last till the
8th of September.
Before the opening of the Assembly at Frankfort,
Innocent had achieved a signal success in a matter which was very closely
connected with the Crusade; he had obtained possession of the person of the
man upon whom, according to the general opinion, the prospects of the whole
enterprise would depend. This was the famous Prince Dschem, who, on account of
disputes in regard to the succession, had been obliged to fly from his own
country and had taken refuge with the Knights of Rhodes. He had arrived in the
island in 1482. The Grand-Master of the Knights of S. John, Pierre d’Aubusson, at once saw the use that could be made of the
Prince for keeping the Sultan in check. He agreed with Bajazet to keep the
Prince in safe custody in consideration of an annual payment of 45,000 ducats,
and as long as friendly relations were maintained between the Sultan and
himself. Ever since then, Dschem had lived on a demesne belonging to the
Knights in Auvergne. During this time Charles VIII of France, the Kings of
Hungary and Naples, Venice, and Innocent VIII had all been endeavouring
severally to get the Grand Turk, as he was called, into their own hands.
As early as the year 1485 the Pope had made great
efforts in this direction; but he had been unsuccessful, his enemy Ferrante
having found means to counteract all his endeavours. At last, the Papal Nuncios
in France, Lionello Cheregato and Antonio Florez,
succeeded in obtaining possession of the Prince, but at the cost of large
concessions on the side of Rome. The Grand-Master received a Cardinal’s Hat for
himself and important rights and immunities for his Order. The French King was won
over by the elevation of the Archbishop of Bordeaux (afterwards of Lyons) to
the Cardinalate, and apparently also a promise that, by delaying the granting
of the necessary dispensations, a hindrance should be put in the way of the
marriage of Anne of Brittany with the rich Alain d’Albret.
The treaty concluded between Innocent and the Knights of S. John, with the
consent of Charles VIII, provided that “the Prince, for his personal security,
should retain a body-guard of Knights of Rhodes, while the Pope was to receive
the pension of 45,000 ducats hitherto paid to the Order for the maintenance of
Prince Dschem, but to pledge himself to pay 10,000 ducats if he should hand
over his charge to any other monarch without the consent of the King of
France.”
The King of Naples was almost out of his mind with
rage when he heard of the Pope’s success, and meditated all sorts of impossible
plans for seizing Dschem during the course of his journey from France to Rome.
Meanwhile the voyage was safely accomplished, and on the 6th of March, 1489,
the Prince landed at Cività Vecchia, where, on the
10th, he was handed over to Cardinal de La Balue by
his custodian, Guido de Blanchefort, Prior of
Auvergne. On the evening of the 13th March the son of the conqueror of the Rome
of the East entered the Eternal City by the Porta Portese.
All Rome was astir; so large a crowd had assembled that it was with the
greatest difficulty that a path could be cleared through the throng for the
cortege. The mob were insatiable in feasting their eyes on the unaccustomed
sight, and were penetrated with the belief that it betokened an escape from a
great danger. A prophecy had been current throughout Christendom that the
Sultan would come to Rome and take up his abode in the Vatican. Great was the
relief and joy when it was seen to be so happily fulfilled in so unexpected a
manner.
By the Pope’s orders Dschem was received with royal
honours. At the gates he was met by a deputation of members of the households
of the Cardinals (amongst whom, however, there were none of the rank of a
Prelate), the Foreign Envoys, the President of the Senate, and Franceschetto
Cibò. “The son of Mahomet disdained to vouchsafe them a single glance. With his
head enveloped in a turban and his gloomy countenance veiled, he sat almost
motionless on the white palfrey of the Pope.” The only sign which he gave of
being aware of the greetings of which he was the object was a slight
inclination of the head, and he hardly noticed the gifts, consisting of 700
ducats and brocaded stuffs, which were sent to him by the Pope. He rode in
stolid silence between Franceschetto Cibò and the Prior of Auvergne. The long
procession, with the truly Oriental tokens of respect from the Envoy of the
Sultan of Egypt, passed slowly across the Isola di S. Bartolomeo and along the
Piazza Giudea and the Campo di Fiore to the Papal
Palace, where the Prince was conducted to the apartments reserved for royal
guests.
The next day an open Consistory was held, at the close
of which the Pope received the Grand Turk. Prince Dschem was conducted into the
hall by Franceschetto Cibò and the Prior of Auvergne. The customary ceremonial
was dispensed with, in order that nothing might be done which would dishonour
the Prince in the eyes of his countrymen. Making a slight inclination and
laying his right hand on his chin, Dschem went up to the Pope and kissed his
right shoulder. He addressed Innocent VIII through an interpreter, and informed
him that he looked upon it as a great favour from God to have been permitted to
behold him; when he could see the Pope in private he would be able to impart to
him some things which would be advantageous to Christendom. The Pope in reply
assured Dschem of his friendly disposition towards him, and begged him to have
no anxiety, for that everything had been arranged in a manner suitable to his
dignity. Dschem thanked him, and then proceeded to salute each of the Cardinals
in order according to their rank.
The numerous descriptions of Dschem’s outward appearance that we find in contemporary writings, testify to the
interest which he excited in Rome. The best known of these is that by the
celebrated painter Mantegna, in a letter of June 15, 1489, to the Marquess
Francesco Gonzaga of Mantua. “The brother of the Turk,” he writes, “lives here
in the Palace, carefully guarded. The Pope provides him with pastimes of all
sorts, such as hunting, music, banquets, and other amusements. Sometimes he
comes to dine in the new palace, where I am painting, and behaves very well for
a barbarian. His manners are proud and dignified; even for the Pope he never
uncovers his head, nor is it the custom to uncover in his presence. He has five
meals in the day, and sleeps awhile after each; before meals he drinks sugared
water. He walks like an elephant, with a measured step like the beat of a
Venetian chorus. His people speak highly of him, and say he is an accomplished
horseman, but as yet I have had no opportunity of seeing whether this is true.
He often keeps his eyes half-closed. His nature is cruel, and they say he has
killed four people; today he has severely maltreated an interpreter. He is
credited with great devotion to Bacchus. His people are afraid of him. He takes
little notice of what passes, as if he did not understand. He sleeps completely
dressed, and gives audiences sitting cross-legged, like a Parthian. On his head
he wears thirty thousand (!) yards of linen; his trowsers are so wide that he can bury himself in them. The expression of his face is
ferocious, especially when Bacchus has been with him.” Several of the traits,
as here depicted, are obviously caricatured, but most of the rest are
corroborated by other accounts. His age at this time is variously computed by
different writers. Guilleaume Caoursin makes it 28, while Sigismondo de’ Conti speaks of him as 35 years old; the
latter dwells upon the savage expression of his countenance, and his uncertain
and cruel temper. In all other respects these two writers agree in their
descriptions of him; they portray him as a tall, powerfully-built man, with a
swarthy complexion, a hooked nose, and blueish, glittering eyes. The Ferrarese
and Mantuan Envoys, who were acquainted with the beautiful medals of the
Conqueror of Constantinople, executed by Italian artists, mention the
resemblance between the Prince and his father as very striking.
To the Pope, Dschem was a valuable hostage for the
good behaviour of the Sultan. At first Spoleto or Orvieto were talked of as
places where he could be safely confined; but finally, it was decided that he
could be kept most securely in the Vatican. Here the Prince lived in
sumptuously furnished apartments, commanding an extensive view of vineyards and
gardens. His maintenance was provided for with the greatest liberality, costing
15,000 ducats a year. This, says Sigismondo, was a severe drain on the overtaxed
resources of the Pope, but he submitted to it for the sake of the advantages
which the whole of Christendom derived from the custody of the Prince.
In the autumn of 1489, Innocent VIII was busily
occupied with the preparations for the Crusade. The Sultan fully recognised the
standing menace which the possession of Dschem constituted for him; and his
anxieties were increased by the negotiations opened by the Pope with the Sultan
of Egypt, and his plan for assembling representatives of all the Christian
Powers in Rome to deliberate on the Eastern question. In this difficulty
Bajazet had recourse to an expedient, which, unfortunately, in those days was
not unfrequently resorted to by European Powers also. He hired a renegade
nobleman of the Marches of Ancona, by name Cristofano di Castrano (alias Magrino), to poison the Belvedere fountain, from which the table of
Dschem as well as that of Innocent VIII was supplied; the poison would take
five days to work its effects, and the assassin was promised Negroponte and a
high post in the Turkish army. Apparently there were some accomplices in Rome
who were aware of the plot. Magrino betrayed himself in Venice before he had
even arrived in Rome, and was arrested, carried thither, and executed in May
1490.
The Pope’s letter of May 8th, 1489, proposing a
Congress, met almost universally with a favourable response. In consequence,
Briefs were sent out in December appointing the 25th March, 1490, as the
opening day in Rome. Raymond Peraudi was
indefatigable in his labours to promote it. In an eloquent letter to the King
of Poland, he describes how “from the very beginning of his Pontificate, the
mind of Pope Innocent had been incessantly occupied in devising means for the
defence of the Christian Commonwealth, and how the possession of Prince Dschem,
the Sultan’s brother, renders the present moment a specially favourable one for
action. Dschem has promised, if he obtains the Caliphate through the
Christians, to withdraw the Turks from Europe, and even to give up
Constantinople. The Pope has therefore sent Legates to all the European Courts,
to implore them to lay aside all private quarrels and to unite in a common
Crusade. He had himself been to France and to Germany, and the result had been
that Charles and Maximilian had made peace with each other. Peace was
re-established also in Brittany, Flanders, and Brabant. He was now endeavouring
to bring about an accommodation between the Emperor and Hungary. He implored
and adjured his Majesty by the mercy of Christ, that he too would show himself
to be a good Catholic and pious King by complying with the Pope’s desires. At
the request of Frederick III and Maximilian, the Congress was put off till a
little later. On the 25th March, Pietro Mansi of Vicenza, Bishop of Cesena,
delivered a stirring address for the opening, but the actual business did not
begin till after Pentecost. Venice took no part in this assembly, in order to
avoid disturbing her good relations with the Porte.
The history of the Congress is to be found in the
pages of Sigismondo de’ Conti; and elsewhere a series of documents serve to
complete it. On the 3rd of June, all the Cardinals and the Envoys met in the
Papal Palace. Innocent VIII delivered a long address, retracing the history of
his efforts up to the present time, to set on foot an expedition against the
Turks. He had taken infinite trouble and made large pecuniary sacrifices to
obtain possession of the person of Dschem, which appeared to him to be a matter
of great importance. The Sultan Bajazet was very much afraid of his brother, a
party among the Janissaries and people being bent upon stirring up a revolt in
his favour. It was their bounden duty not to permit this heaven-sent
opportunity to pass without taking advantage of it. They had therefore to
consider where and with what soldiers the attack should be opened; whether by
land or by water, or by both at once; how large the army should be, how the
fleet should be equipped, whether the land and sea forces should operate
separately, or combined in detachments. They must also deliberate as to the
number of generals, whether there should be one Commander-in-Chief, or several
of equal rank; what money will be required, and how it is to be collected;
whether there should be a reserve fund in case of mishaps; how long the war was
likely to last; what amount of provisions and war material will be requisite;
and how the expense of the whole is to be apportioned. The Cardinals ought also
to consider all these questions so as to be prepared to give their advice when
needed. Perhaps it would be well also to take counsel as to whether it might
not be possible for the Pope to follow the example of Sixtus IV, and by his
Apostolical authority impose a truce between all Christian Princes for the time
being.
As time went on, there was no lack of the usual
disputes in regard to precedence; and the Envoys, divided into two parties,
Germans and Italians, made but slow progress with the negotiations. At last,
however, mainly thanks to the German, and especially to the Imperial Envoys, a
reply to most of the questions proposed by the Pope was agreed to. The address
was handed over in writing to the Pope and the Cardinals. It began by thanking
God, first, that he had put such desires into the heart of the Pope, and next,
Innocent himself for his exertions in the matter of Dschem, who was most
valuable as a standing menace to the Sultan, and a means of breaking up his
Empire. He should be carefully guarded in Rome for the present, and later on,
counsel should be taken as to how he could be most advantageously employed in
the campaign. As regarded the constitution of the army, the Envoys were of
opinion that it should consist of three divisions : a Papal and Italian army, a
German army, including Hungary, Poland, and the Northern States, and a third
force made up of the French, Spaniards and English. In addition to the separate
chiefs of these various corps, a single Commander-in-Chief should be appointed.
The Germans considered that if the Emperor, or, failing him, the King of the
Romans, personally took part in the Crusade, he should be, ipso facto,
Commander-in-Chief. The other Envoys wished that the Generalissimo should be
elected at the beginning of the war by the Princes and the Pope. They further
expressed their opinion that it would be extremely desirable that the Holy
Father should accompany the expedition. To provide for the expenses of the war
they suggested that each Prince should levy a toll on his subjects, clergy and
laity contributing alike. The duration of the war might be calculated at three
years.
It was important that the troops should be collected
simultaneously and as quickly as possible; the German contingent in Vienna, and
the rest in Ancona, Brindisi, or Messina. The German troops were to march
through Hungary and Wallachia; the fleet would attack the Peloponnesus and
Euboea; the French and Spaniards with the Italian horsemen were to concentrate
in Valona and thence bear down upon the enemy. A simultaneous attack should be
directed against the Moors; but it seemed an essential preliminary to the whole
undertaking that the Pope should endeavour to put an end to the disputes
between the Christian powers, or, at any rate, secure an armistice for the
time.
In his reply, Innocent thanked the Envoys for their
approval of his plan of fighting the Turks by means of Prince Dschem. The
question as to whether the Turkish Prince should accompany the expedition in a
captive or active capacity, must be left to those who were best acquainted with
the enemy and their country; but the decision of this point should not be long
delayed. In regard to the assembling of the forces, the simultaneous
commencement of the war, the route selected for the attack, and the pacification
of Europe, the Pope agreed in all essentials with the views of the Envoys. The
Commander-in-Chief must be either the Emperor or the King of the Romans, as
they were the natural protectors of the Church. With regard to the expenses of
the war, the levies from the laity should be collected by the Princes, while he
would charge himself with the taxation of the clergy; but this subject might be
further discussed. He thought that a force of 50,000 horsemen and 80,000
infantry would suffice; but the strength of the army and fleet would be a
matter for future agreement between the Christian Princes. In regard to his
personal participation in the Crusade, Innocent declared that he was prepared
in everything to follow the example of his predecessors. The war must be
counted as likely to last five rather than three years, and should be begun in
the following year, when the Sultan of Egypt was expected to make an attack on
the Turks. Referring to the hostile attitude of the King of Naples towards
himself, Innocent further observed that it was one of the primary duties of the
Christian Princes to maintain order in the States of the Church. He insisted
earnestly on the great importance of immediate action, as the main thing on
which the chance of success depended. In conclusion, he expressed his surprise
that the Envoys declared themselves unable to come to any definite decision
without further reference to their respective governments, seeing that lie had
expressly requested that they should be provided with full powers for this very
purpose. He hoped, at any rate, that they would lose no time in obtaining them,
lest the favourable moment for making use of Prince Dschem should be lost by
further delay. On the 30th July the Congress was closed by the Pope, to be
reopened when the Envoys had received the requisite full powers; but this never
took place.
According to the somewhat optimist view of Sigismondo
de’ Conti, the Crusade would really, in spite of all difficulties, have been
carried through, had it not been for the death of the King of Hungary, Mathias
Corvinus, at the early age of 47, from an apoplectic stroke. The blow to the
Christian cause was all the greater because this event at once plunged that
country into a bitter contest for the succession to the throne. Maximilian
seized the opportunity to endeavour to recover his hereditary possessions in
Hungary. On the 19th of August he marched into Vienna, where he was warmly
greeted by the inhabitants. On the 4th of October he started from thence to
make good his claim to the Hungarian throne by force of arms; but want of money
and a mutiny amongst his retainers checked his otherwise victorious progress.
As but little help could be got from the Empire, a Peace was concluded between
him and King Wladislaw, on the 7th November, 1491, at Presburg.
The Pope had done his best to bring this about; but now the final blow to the
prospects of the Crusade fell in the revival of the quarrel between Charles
VIII and Maximilian, which broke out afresh with redoubled violence.
While political affairs in the North were thus
developing in a very unfavourable manner for the Crusade, the Pope, who was
also suffering from serious illness, was cruelly harassed by Ferrante. Venice,
the greatest naval power in Europe, steadily pursued her huckster’s policy of
giving her support to whatever state of things seemed most advantageous for her
commerce. Throughout the Congress, she kept the Sultan thoroughly informed of
all its transactions. Under such conditions as these, what chance could there
be of a combined attack on the Crescent? We need to realise this hopeless state
of things in order to understand how Innocent VIII came to lend a favourable
ear to the proposals made to him in November 1490, through a Turkish Envoy.
The Sultan Bajazet lived in perpetual terror lest
Prince Dschem might be employed as a tool wherewith to attack him. His attempt
to poison the Prince having failed, when the news of the Congress to discuss
the question of a new Crusade reached him, he determined to try another
expedient. He despatched an embassy to Rome, which arrived there on the 30th of
November, 1490, bringing presents, and an unsealed letter to the Pope, written
in Greek on papyrus. In this letter he requested Innocent VIII to undertake the
custody of his brother Dschem, in Rome, on the same conditions as had formerly
been arranged with the Grand-Master of the Knights of Rhodes.
The Pope accepted the Sultan’s gifts and permitted the
Envoys to visit Prince Dschem and assure themselves of his well-being. In
regard to the negotiations he considered the matter too important and affecting
too many interests to decide it by himself, and therefore called a Council of
all the Ambassadors then present in Rome to discuss it.
The Turkish Ambassador had at first promised that as
long as Dschem was kept in safe custody his master would abstain from attacking
any part of Christendom. Later, however, he restricted this promise to the
coasts of the Adriatic, and expressly excluded Hungary, with the result that no
agreement could be come to. The Envoy left the pension for Dschem, which had
hitherto been paid to Rhodes, in Rome, and took back an answer from the Pope to
the effect that no definite reply could be given to the Sultan’s proposal until
the views of all the Christian powers had been ascertained. Sigismondo de’
Conti reports that many men, whose opinion was not to be despised, thought it
imprudent in the Pope to condescend so much to the Turkish barbarian, and out
of desire of gain to conclude a sort of bargain with him; on the other hand he
adds: Innocent had to consider that by this means Christendom might be saved
from war, and he might also obtain from the Sultan some sacred relics which
were in his possession.
It may well be conceded to Innocent VIII that the
desire to obtain these relics for Rome and to shield Christendom from the
attacks of the Turks was not an unworthy one, and also that under existing
circumstances and considering the unwillingness of the majority of the
Christian Princes to undertake a Crusade, a compact of this kind was probably
the most advantageous arrangement then attainable but at the same time it is
undeniable that the reception of this sort of subsidy from the Sultan,
exercised a decided influence on the Pope’s attitude towards the Turks.
While Bajazet was thus kept in check, and forced to
pay a kind of tribute to the Holy See, by the fear that his most dangerous
enemy might at any moment be let loose upon him, Ferdinand the Catholic was
dealing a crushing and final blow to the power of Islam in the West. Granada
fell on the 2nd January, 1492, and the banner with the great silver crucifix,
given by Sixtus IV, which had been borne before the army throughout the whole
campaign, was planted on the Alhambra. This event closed an episode in Spanish
history which had lasted eight hundred years; the whole of Spain was now united
into a single nation, strong enough to make its influence felt henceforth in
the development of Europe and more especially in that of Italy. “In this last
and decisive contest with Islam, Ferdinand had learnt by experience the utter
faithlessness of his cousin, the King of Naples. Ferrante had secretly
supported the Moors against him, and now it only depended on the course of
events whether, instead of prosecuting the war along the north coast of Africa,
the Spanish monarch should not fix his eyes on the island of Sicily as the Archimedian point by means of which Italy could be drawn,
bit by bit, within the sphere of the influence of Aragon.”
The fall of Granada sent a thrill of joy through the
whole of Europe; it was looked upon as a sort of compensation for the loss of
Constantinople. Nowhere, however, was the rejoicing more heartfelt than in
Rome, where for many years the conflict with the Moors had been watched with
sympathetic interest. In the night of February 1st the news arrived in Rome;
Ferdinand had himself written to inform the Pope. The rejoicings, both
religious and secular, lasted for several days. Innocent VIII went in solemn procession
from the Vatican to S. James’s, the national Church of the Spaniards, where a
Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated, at the end of which he gave the Papal
Benediction. Cardinal Raffaele Riario entertained the Spanish Envoys with a
dramatic representation of the Conquest of Granada and the triumphal entry of
the King and Queen; while Cardinal Borgia delighted the Roman people with the
novel spectacle of a bull fight, which had never before been seen in Rome.
From the time that Ferrante concluded Peace with the
Pope on January 22, 1492, he appears to have begun again to take an interest in
the Turkish question, at least so his letters informing Innocent VIII of the
movements of the Turks would seem to indicate. In May 1492, Pontano was sent to Rome to discuss what joint-measures could be taken to repel the
common enemy. The Sultan, always on the watch in his dread of mischief from
Dschem, soon discovered the change in Ferrante’s attitude, and sent fresh
Envoys to Naples as well as to Rome. The latter brought with them a precious
relic,—the head of the Spear of Longinus, which had pierced the side of Our
Lord. By order of the Pope the sacred relic was received at Ancona by Niccolò
Cibò, Archbishop of Arles; and Luca Borsiano, Bishop
of Foligno placed it in a crystal reliquary set in gold, and brought it to Narni. From thence it was taken by the Cardinals Giuliano
della Rovere and Giorgio Costa to Rome. Although Innocent was far from well at
the time, he was determined to take part in its solemn reception. When, on May
31, 1492, the Cardinals arrived before the gates of Rome, the Pope went to meet
them outside the Porta del Popolo, took the reliquary in his hands with the
greatest reverence, and delivered a short address on the Passion of Christ. He
then carried it in solemn procession to S. Peter’s, the streets through which
he passed being richly decorated in its honour. From thence he had it conveyed
to his private apartments, where it was kept. In the farewell audience given by
Innocent to the Turkish Envoys on June 14, 1492, he desired them to inform the
Sultan that, in case of an attack by the latter on any Christian country, he
would retaliate by means of Prince Dschem. He also sent a private messenger of
his own to Constantinople with the same message.
The reception of the Holy Spear, says a contemporary
writer, may be said to have been the last act of Innocent VIII. During the
whole of his reign this Pope had been so harassed by war and the fear of war
that he had never been able to accomplish his earnest desire of visiting Loreto
or any of the more distant portions of his dominions. He hardly ever left Rome,
and then only to go to Ostia or Villa Magliana. In
addition to the war difficulty, the feeble health of the Pope was also an
obstacle to his travelling far.
In the autumn of 1490, as in that of the previous
year, Innocent VIII suffered from repeated attacks of fever, but recovered on
each occasion; thanks to the skill of the famous physician Giacomo di San Genesio but from March 1492 the Pope’s health began again
to fail. Just at this time the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici (April 8) seemed to
threaten anew to disturb the peace of Italy; Innocent at once took measures to
meet the danger, as also in regard to the revolt of Cesena, which took place
shortly after. In spite of these anxieties the Pope’s condition improved so
much that he was able to take part in the solemn reception of the Holy Spear,
and the marriage of Luigi of Aragon with Battistina Cibò. In the latter half of the month of June, Innocent was fairly well; after
the feast of SS. Peter and Paul he thought of going somewhere in the
neighbourhood of Rome, for change of air and to hasten his recovery; but, on
the 22nd or 23rd June, the abdominal pains returned, an old sore on his leg
broke out again, and the feverish attacks came back. The physicians differed in
their opinions, but the worst was feared. At the same time the Pope felt still
so strong that at first he made light of the apprehensions of his physicians.
On the 30th June he was better. The fluctuations lasted on into the month of
July, but the general opinion was that the Pope was slowly dying.
The first effect of the hopeless state of the Pope’s
health was notably to increase the insecurity of life and property in the city.
For a time it seemed as if all law and order would break down; hardly a day
passed without a murder somewhere. The Cardinals kept a stricter watch over
Dschem. An inventory was made of the treasures of the Church, and the
Vice-Camerlengo, Bartolomeo Moreno, thought it prudent to retire first to the
Palazzo Mattei, and finally to the Belvedere. The disorders at last became so serious
that several of the Barons, at the persuasion of Cardinal Giuliano della
Rovere, agreed to waive their party feuds and combine with the Conservators of
the city to maintain order. After this the town was quieter.
The Pope’s end was that of a pious Christian. On the
15th July he confessed, and received Holy Communion on the following day. On
the 17th it was thought that the last hour had come, but his strong vitality
resisted death for another week. The resources of the physicians were
exhausted, and there was no hope of recovery. “All hope is abandoned” writes
the Florentine Envoy on July 19; “the Pope’s strength is so entirely exhausted
that the spirit is all that is left of him; but he retains his full consciousness.”
Except for his too great solicitude for his own relations, which occupied his
mind to the last, the death of Innocent VIII was a most edifying one.
Sigismondo de’ Conti and the Florentine Envoys agree in relating how, although
by that time speaking had become very difficult to him, the Pope summoned the
Cardinals to his bed-side, asked their forgiveness for having proved so little
equal to the burden which he had undertaken, and exhorted them to be united
among themselves and to choose a better successor. He then desired an inventory
to be taken in their presence by the Chamberlains of all the money and
valuables in the Palace, and gave orders that the Holy Spear should be taken to
S. Peter’s. After this he dismissed the Cardinals and received the Holy
Viaticum with tears of devotion.
After a death-agony which lasted five days, Innocent
VIII. passed away on 25th July, 1492, about the 24th hour (9 o’clock in the
evening). His body was laid in S. Peter’s. He has been in a sense more
remembered than many greater Popes, because his tomb, executed in bronze by
Antonio Pollajuolo, is one of the few monuments which
have been transferred from the old to the new S. Peter’s. It stands against one
of the pillars in the left aisle of the nave. “The Pope, a colossal figure with
massive drapery, sits on a throne, his right hand raised in blessing, and his
left holding the Holy Spear; on each side of him, in shallow niches in the
wall, stand the four cardinal virtues; on the hemicycle above, the theological
virtues,—graceful figures, full of life and motion, are portrayed in low
relief. Below, on an urn, is the recumbent form of the Pope on a bed of State.
Apparently this was originally placed on the wide projecting cornice of the
hemicycle, and the perspective of the whole design shows that it was meant to
be seen from a much more level point of view. At the height at which it is now
placed, much of its exquisite workmanship, especially in the decorative part,
is quite lost to the spectator. For its originality, clearness of outline, and
mastery of the technique of its material, this work deserves to be ranked
amongst the masterpieces of Quattrocento Florentine Art.”
The inscription on the monument, which was added at a
later date, contains a slight anachronism in regard to the discovery of
America. It was not till August 3, 1492, that the Pope’s great
fellow-countryman Columbus set sail from the port of Palos to found a new
world.
CHAPTER V
Innocent VIII as Patron of Art and Scholarship.
The disturbed state of Italy, the exhaustion of the
Papal treasury, and the want of energy arising from the state of the Pope’s
health are quite sufficient to account for the poverty of the records of the
reign of Innocent VIII in the matter of Art and Scholarship as compared with
that of Sixtus IV. At the same time, as regards Art, so many of the works of
his time have been either destroyed or become unrecognisable that the creations
in that department appear smaller than they really were. On investigation, we
find that both in architecture and in painting a large number of important
works were produced.
In the Vatican, Innocent went on with the works begun
by Paul II, whose love for precious stones he shared. He erected a noble
fountain in the Piazza of S. Peter’s in marble, with two large circular basins,
one above the other; one of these now serves the drinking fountain on the right
of the obelisk. A good deal of work by way of repair was done in the time of
Innocent VIII. Restorations were effected in the castle and bridge of S.
Angelo, the Ponte Molle, the Capitol, the fountain of Trevi, the gates and walls
of the city, and a large number of churches. Among these latter may be
mentioned especially S. Agostino, Sta Croce, S. Giuliano de’ Fiamminghi, S. Giovanni in Laterano,
and S. Stefano in Coeliomonte. Sta Maria della Pace
was completed, Sta Maria in Via Lata rebuilt. With the strange indifference of
those days to the preservation of Roman remains, the ruins of an old arch were
demolished in the prosecution of this latter work.
In S. Peter’s, Innocent went on with the building of
the Loggia, for the bestowal of the solemn Blessing, which had been begun by
Pius II; commenced a new Sacristy, and constructed a Shrine for the Holy Spear,
which, together with the chapel built by Cardinal Lorenzo Cibò, was destroyed
in 1606. The diligence with which Innocent VIII prosecuted the continuation of
the new streets begun by his predecessors, was of great advantage to the city.
The carrying out of these works was entrusted to the Treasurer-General, Falcone
de’ Sinibaldi, who is so highly praised by Sigismondo de’ Conti.
Outside Rome, Baccio Pontelli was commissioned by the
Pope to execute or set on foot architectural work in the town of Argnano, Corchiano, Jesi, Osimo,
Terracina and Tolfa, and in the Papal Palaces at Viterbo and Avignon. Innocent
VIII also assisted in the building of the Cathedral at Perugia. The number of
documents still extant, relating to works in the harbour and Citadel of Civita
Vecchia, seem to indicate that they must have been somewhat extensive. These
were, for the most part, managed by Lorenzo da Pietrasanta,
who was frequently employed by the Pope.
In addition to the works already mentioned, Innocent
VIII. also built the Belvedere in the Vatican, and the Villa Magliana in the Valley of the Tiber about six miles from
Rome. He had begun the hunting lodge at Magliana while he was still a Cardinal. When he became Pope he proceeded to enlarge and
decorate it as is shewn by the inscriptions over the windows. Unfortunately, it
is now in a very dilapidated state. Magliana and
Ostia were the only country places to which he could resort during his troublous reign; the state of Italy was such, that it was
impossible for him to visit the cities in his dominions or to fulfil his vow of
making a pilgrimage to Loreto.
The interior of the summer residence built on the
slope of the Vatican hill towards Monte Mario, which now constitutes the
central point of the sculpture-gallery, underwent a complete transformation by
command of Innocent VIII, in accordance, it is said, with a design drawn by
Antonio Pollajuolo. The management of the work was
entrusted to Jacopo de Pietrasanta. The building was
a square with pinnacles connecting it with the round tower of Nicholas V.
Infessura says that the Pope spent 60,000 ducats upon it. This sum no doubt
included the paintings with which the villa was decorated. The name of
Belvedere was given to it on account of the splendid view which it commands of
Rome and its neighbourhood, from Soracte to the Alban
hills.
Unfortunately, the paintings executed for this villa
by Pinturicchio and Mantegna have almost entirely perished.
According to Vasari, the whole of the Loggia of the
Belvedere was adorned at the Pope’s desire by Pinturicchio with views of
various cities “after the Flemish fashion” which, being a novelty in Rome, was
then very much in vogue; Rome, Milan, Genoa, Florence, Venice and Naples were
thus portrayed. The same writer also states that Pinturicchio painted a fresco
of the Blessed Virgin in the Belvedere. The poetical beauty of Pinturicchio’s
landscapes in his paintings in the Buffalini Chapel
in Sta Maria in Aracoeli, enables us to conjecture
the loss which the world has sustained by the destruction of the frescoes in
the Belvedere. We may also gather from the fact that Innocent VIII. evidently
recognised Pinturicchio’s special gift for landscape painting, that this Pope
was not so devoid of artistic feeling as he is often represented to have been.
More deplorable still is the loss of the frescoes of
the other painter employed by Innocent in the decoration of this building. As
early as the year 1484, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere had commenced
negotiations on behalf of the Pope with Gonzaga to obtain the services of
Andrea Mantegna who already enjoyed a well earned celebrity in Mantua; but it
was not till 1488 that Mantegna at last came to Rome, with the sanction of the
Marquess of Mantua, who bestowed on him the honour of knighthood on his departure.
The work of painting the chapel in the Belvedere was at once entrusted to him.
He spent two full years in Rome, endeavouring, as he himself says, with all
possible diligence, to do honour to the illustrious house of Gonzaga, whose
child he considered himself. This makes it all the more to be regretted that
these frescoes should have been destroyed when the new wing was built by Pius
VI. Vasari bestows the highest praise on the delicate finish of these paintings
which were almost like miniatures. He says, that among other subjects the
baptism of Christ was portrayed in the Chapel of S. John. In consequence of the
Pope’s financial difficulties, the artist had a good deal to complain of in the
matter of remuneration. His discreetly mild observations on this subject are
corroborated by Vasari. He relates that on one occasion Innocent, having asked
the painter what one of the figures was meant to represent, Mantegna replied,
“It is Economy” (discrezione), on which the Pope
observed, “If you want a good pendant to it you had better paint Patience.” On
his departure, however, in 1490, Innocent VIII seems to have done something to
make up for this.
Besides Pinturicchio and Mantegna, Filippino Lippi and
Perugino were also employed in Rome. The latter was generously patronised by
Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, while Lippi was commissioned by Cardinal
Oliviero Caraffa to decorate the Chapel of S. Thomas Aquinas, which was built
by the prelate in the Dominican Church of Sta Maria sopra Minerva. These
pictures are clever but somewhat superficial. There can be no doubt that the
Cardinal himself arranged the scheme of the paintings. Numerous inscriptions explain
the meaning of the frescoes, some of which are concealed behind the monument of
Paul IV. The principal picture on the wall to the right of the entrance
represents the victory of S. Thomas over heresies. In the lunette, Christ is
painted on the Cross saying to the Saint, “Thou hast written well of me,
Thomas, what shall I give thee in reward?” to which S. Thomas answers, “Noting
but Thyself, Lord.” On the wall behind the Altar, Lippi has painted the
Annunciation with the portrait of the founder. Here we see the hand of the
master. Nothing could be more beautiful than the joyous soaring angels.
Pinturicchio was employed by several of the Cardinals.
He executed paintings in Sta Maria del Popolo for Giuliano della Rovere and
Giorgio da Costa, and in Sta Croce for Carvajal.
It is interesting in connection with the development
of Art in the time of Innocent VIII to note, that in 1484 he bought tapestries
from some Flemish merchants, representing S. George accompanied by
personifications of the liberal arts. He encouraged art manufacturers by the
bestowal of honorary distinctions, most frequently by the gift of a consecrated
sword. One of these, still preserved in the Museum of Cassel, was presented in
1491 to the Margrave William I of Hesse, who visited Rome in that year on his
way home from the Holy Land.
In the matter of scholarship and literature as in Art,
Rome under Innocent VIII compares most unfavourably with the Rome of Sixtus IV.
Nevertheless it would not be correct to suppose that Innocent was entirely
devoid of literary tastes. He made it evident that this was not the case when,
in the year 1484, Angelo Poliziano came to Rome with the Florentine embassy of
Obedience. On that occasion, the Pope in presence of an illustrious company,
ordered him to make a Latin translation of the historical works of the Greeks,
referring to the exploits of the Romans, so that they might be more accessible
to the majority of readers. In obedience to this flattering command, Poliziano
selected Herodian for his translation, and endeavoured to make it read as it
would have done had the author written it in Latin. Innocent VIII, rewarded the
dedication of this work with a special Brief and a gift of 200 ducats, in order
to set the translator free to devote himself more completely to work of this
kind. Poliziano thanked the Pope in a beautiful Sapphic ode, in which both
thought and language reflect the spirit of classical poetry. Innocent VIII
accepted dedications also from Tito Vespasiano Strozzi, Peter Marsus, and the celebrated physician, Gabrielle Zerbi; he
bestowed marks of distinction also on foreign Humanists such as Johann Fuchsmagen.
Innocent VIII had for his secretaries, Gasparo Biondo,
Andrea da Trebisonda, Giacomo da Volterra, Giovanni Pietro Arrivabene,
Sigismondo de’ Conti and Giovanni Lorenzi. This
latter, a distinguished Hellenist, was born at Venice in 1440, and came to Rome
in 1472 as secretary to his fellow countryman Marco Barbo; Innocent VIII made
him one of his secretaries in 1484, and a librarian in the Vatican in the
following year. Financial difficulties prevented any additions worth mentioning
from being made to the Vatican Library during this reign. It is noteworthy,
however, that the greatest liberality continued to be shown in regard to the
use of manuscripts, which were frequently lent to students, even out of Rome. A
considerable number were sent by Poliziano to Florence, at the request of
Lorenzo de’ Medici. The numerous marks of favour bestowed by Innocent VIII on
Giovanni Lorenzi are an additional proof of the friendly disposition of this
Pope towards the Renaissance.
An event which occurred in Rome in the Spring of 1485,
shows how powerful the Renaissance had become there in the time of Innocent
VIII and how the movement had penetrated to the lower classes.
Towards the end of April in that year some masons
working in the Fondo Statuario belonging to the
Olivetan Fathers of Sta Maria Nuova, came upon some ancient monuments. This
property is situated in the midst of the well-known bed of ruins, about six
miles from Rome on the Appian way, which is called Roma Vecchia. They found
here two pedestals of statues with inscriptions belonging to the Praefectus praetorie Herennius Potens; the remains
of a vault in which the freedmen of the gentes Tullia and Terentia were buried;
and finally a sarcophagus without any inscription, containing a body in a
marvellous state of preservation. This was evidently owing to the efficacy of
the composition which had been employed in embalming it, and which consisted of
a mixture of balsam, cedar oil, and turpentine. The body was immediately taken
to the Palace of the Conservators, where it was exhibited to the public. The
whole city seems, from the sensational character of most of the accounts, to
have gone mad with joy and excitement. The antiquarians and Humanists were in
ecstasy; the eager curiosity of the populace was insatiable. Rome was flooded
with all sorts of contradictory reports and conjectures, many of them wild
exaggerations or pure inventions. The extraordinary variations in the accounts,
in which the few grains of personal observation or authentic history are
largely outweighed by the matter supplied by the imagination of the narrator,
betray the universal excitement. All are agreed as to the wonderful state of
preservation of the body and as to its sex. They describe with enthusiasm the
suppleness of the limbs, the blackness of the hair, the perfection and
whiteness of the nails and teeth. Ornaments are also said to have been found on
the head and fingers of the body.
The eager crowd which from morning till night beset
the Palace of the Conservators to gaze on the dead Roman maiden could only be
compared to the scene when a new Indulgence had just been proclaimed. This
passionate enthusiasm about the body of a heathen seems to have aroused serious
alarm in the mind of Innocent VIII, lest it should prove the harbinger of a paganisation of the lower classes which would have worse
consequences than that of the men of letters. He gave orders to have the body,
which had begun to turn black from exposure to the air, removed in the night
and buried outside the Porta Pinciana.
CHAPTER VI.
INNOCENT VII AND THE DEFENCE OF THE LIBERTIES AND DOCTRINES
OF THE FAITH
THE BULL ON WITCHCRAFT OF 1484
It was not in politics alone that Innocent VIII found
his authority contemned and attacked; in purely ecclesiastical matters the case
was no better. Next to Naples the Republics of Venice and Florence were the two
States which gave him the most trouble by their persistent encroachments on the
rights and independence of the Church. In the negotiations with Venice in
connection with the removal of the ecclesiastical penalties imposed upon this
city by Sixtus IV, Innocent had done his best to protect the Venetian clergy
against arbitrary taxation and the interference of the State in appointments to
benefices, but with little success. As time went on, it became evident that the
Signoria had no notion of giving up its pretensions to absolute control in
ecclesiastical as well as in temporal matters. In the year 1485 the See of
Padua fell vacant. Innocent VIII gave it to Cardinal Michiel. The Venetian
government nominated the Bishop of Cividale, Pietro Barozzi. Neither party
would give way. The Pope sent a special Envoy to remonstrate with the Signoria,
but he could make no impression; the Republic refused to yield, and finally had
recourse to violence. The revenues of all the benefices held by Cardinal
Michiel within the Venetian dominions were confiscated, and on this the Pope
and the Cardinal gave up the contest.
The death of the illustrious Cardinal Marco Barbo,
Patriarch of Aquileia, in 1491, was the occasion of a new and sharp contest
between Venice and Rome. Innocent VIII had on 2nd March bestowed this dignity
on the Venetian Ambassador at Rome, the learned Ermolao Barbaro, who had accepted it without first obtaining the necessary permission
from the Venetian government. For this the Signoria resolved to punish Barbaro
severely. They had intended to obtain the Patriarchate for Niccolo Donato,
Bishop of Cittanova, and that Barbaro should be
forced to resign. The new Patriarch himself being out of reach, his father was
threatened with severe pecuniary penalties, unless he could persuade his son to
give way. On this Barbaro was anxious to resign; but, as the Pope would not
permit this, the Signoria summoned him to appear within twenty days before the
Council of Ten, under pain of banishment and the confiscation of all his
Venetian benefices. Ermolao chose the latter
alternative; he devoted the rest of his life to the pursuit of learning, and
died in exile in 1493. During the life-time of Innocent VIII, the Patriarchate
remained vacant, the Venetian government meanwhile absorbing its revenues;
under Alexander VI it obtained the nomination of Donato
Florence and Bologna did not fall far behind Venice in
attacks on the rights and liberties of the Church. In Florence, Innocent was
obliged to protest against the arbitrary taxation of the clergy; in Bologna
against the punishment of a priest by the secular tribunal, in contravention of
the Canon-law. He was equally forced more than once to make a stand against the
Milanese Government in defence of the liberties of the Church.
Outside of Italy there was no lack of troubles of the
same nature. Mathias Corvinus, King of Hungary, especially behaved towards the
Church with a high-handed insolence that had to be resisted. In the year 1485
he promulgated a decree that no prelate who did not reside in Hungary, was to
possess or draw the revenues of any benefice within the kingdom. He at once
proceeded to put the law in force by intercepting one of the officials of the
Cardinal Bishop of Erlau, taking from him 25,000
ducats which he was bringing to his master in Rome, and carrying the money back
to Buda. In the same year he came into open collision with Rome by appointing
Ippolito d’Este, a mere child, to the Archbishopric
of Gran. In vain Innocent represented to the King that to entrust the
government of a diocese to a child “was as unreasonable as it was wrong”.
Corvinus replied by maintaining that “on other occasions His Holiness had
accepted less capable, and from an ecclesiastical point of view, more
objectionable persons than Ippolito; and further declared, that whoever else
the Pope might appoint, no one but his nominee should touch the revenues of the
diocese”; and in order to give due emphasis to this declaration, he announced
that 2000 ducats out of these revenues would be sent to Ferrara as “a
foretaste.” Finally, the King carried his point and in the Summer of 1489
Ippolito came to Hungary and was installed in his Archbishopric.
Though in this matter Innocent was forced to give way,
he stood firm in insisting on the liberation of the Archbishop of Kalocsa, who
had been put in prison by Mathias. Several Briefs having proved of no avail, in
the Autumn of 1488, the Nuncio, Angelo Pecchinolli was sent to remonstrate by word of mouth. Mathias now said he was ready,
pending the result of the proceedings against him, to hand over the Archbishop
to the safe-keeping of the Papal Legate; but the promise was hardly made before
it was withdrawn. Upon this the Legate calmly but firmly pointed out to the
angry King the difficult position in which he was placed by this action on his
part, he having already informed the Pope of the promise made by Corvinus. “If
I now contradict what I have just stated,” he said, “either His Holiness will
think that I am a liar, or that your Majesty’s word is not to be trusted.” With
great difficulty Pecchinolli at last prevailed upon
the King to undertake to release the Archbishop from prison and send him, at
the Legate’s choice, either to Erlau or Visigrad, there to be kept under guard, and the promise was
fulfilled.
In France as in Hungary Innocent VIII had to withstand
most unjustifiable attacks on the rights of the Church. In 1485 we find him
complaining that in Provence the secular authorities set at naught and
ill-treated the clergy. Throughout the kingdom Church matters were often
tyrannically dealt with, Parliament withheld its placet from the Pope’s Bulls,
obedience to his commands was frequently refused, and the Universities
persisted in appealing from the Pope ill-informed to the Pope better-informed.
Innocent VIII had to enter repeated protests against the Pragmatic Sanction; at
the close of the year 1491 he endeavoured by means of a Concordat to place his
relations with France on a better footing. Similar encroachments on the part of
the rulers of England and Portugal had to be resisted. Innocent succeeded in
his energetic repudiation of the pretension of John II of Portugal to make the
publication of Papal Bulls and Briefs depend on a placet from the Government,
and the Pope forced him to relinquish it. In January 1492 he promulgated a
general constitution in support of the immunities and liberties of the Church.
Notwithstanding all this, Sigismondo de’ Conti accuses Innocent VIII of
negligence in defending the rights of the Church. He adduces as instances of
this negligence the Pope’s acquiescence in the taxation of the clergy in
Florence and other Italian States, and his toleration, after the treaty with
Lorenzo de’ Medici, of things in Perugia which were derogatory to the dignity
of the Church.
Perhaps he was really more to be blamed for the
concessions which, on purely political grounds, he made to Ferdinand of Spain.
In December 1484 he bestowed on him the patronage of all the churches and
convents in Granada and all other territories conquered or to be conquered from
the Moors. To these he added later, extensive rights of provision in Sicily.
Only one canonisation, that of the Margrave Leopold of
Austria, of the Babenberg family, took place during the reign of Innocent VIII.
The Emperor Frederick III had already asked both Paul II and Sixtus IV for the
canonisation; and repeated his request to Innocent VIII immediately after his
election; in consequence the date of the ceremony was fixed for Christmas 1484.
It actually took place on January 6, 1485.
Requests were made to Innocent VIII from Sweden for
the canonisation of Catherine, daughter of S. Bridget, from the Grand-master of
the Teutonic Order; for that of Dorothea of Mariemverder,
and from King Ferrante for Jacopo della Marca; none, however, of these
processes were concluded during his Pontificate.
Amongst the ecclesiastical acts of Innocent VIII
mention must be made of the much-contested privilege which he granted to the
Abbot, John IX of Citeaux, and to the Abbots of the four first Cistercian
daughter-houses, of powers to confer sub-deacon and deacon’s orders, the former
on all members of the Order, and the latter on the monks in their own
monasteries. The Bulls of Innocent VIII, granting various privileges to the
Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians are undoubtedly genuine. In
consequence of the decrease of leprosy, which, towards the close of the 15th
century, had become very rare, in 1490 Innocent dissolved the Order of
Lazarists and united them with the Knights of St. John. But this Bull took
effect in Italy only, and was not accepted by the French.
Innocent VIII showed great zeal in the defence of the
purity of the Faith against the numerous heresies which cropped up during his
time in many different directions. The Waldensian and the Hussite heresies were
the two which occupied him most. In Dauphiné the Waldenses not only preached
their false doctrines openly, but put to death those who refused to join them.
In the Spring of 1487, Innocent sent Alberto de Cattanco to Dauphiné who with the help of the King of France succeeded in almost
entirely eradicating them in this province. In Bohemia also, where Innocent
recognised King Ladislaus’ title, he was successful in effecting the
reconciliation of a number of Hussites with the Church.
The arrival in Rome of the famous Pico della Mirandola
in the year 1486, brought to light the jealous care with which the integrity of
the Faith was guarded in the Papal city. Many of the opinions put forth by this
gifted but fanciful and impulsive philosopher were made up of a confused medley
of Platonic and Cabalistic notions. Brimming over with youthful ambition and
conceit, Pico announced his intention of holding a public disputation in which
he would produce no less than 900 propositions in “dialectics, morals, physics,
mathematics, metaphysics, theology, magic and Cabalism” for discussion. Some of
these would be his own; the rest would be taken from the works of Chaldean,
Arabian, Hebrew, Greek, Egyptian and Latin sages. In regard to those that were his
own, and which he purposed to defend by arguments worked out in his own mind,
he expressly declared that he would “maintain nothing to be true that was not
approved by the Catholic Church and her chief Pastor, Innocent VIII.” He
invited learned men from all parts of the world, offered to pay their
travelling expenses, and confidently expected to score a brilliant triumph. The
reverse, unfortunately, was what happened. Some experienced theologians
declared several of the proposed theses to be tainted with heresy, and in
consequence the Pope refused to permit the disputation, and appointed a
commission of bishops, theologians and canonists to examine them. This
commission pronounced some of Pico’s propositions to be heretical, rash, and
likely to give scandal to the faithful; many contained heathen philosophical
errors which had been already condemned, others favoured Jewish superstitions.
The judgment was perfectly just, and was adopted by Innocent, and though a
great number of the propositions were acknowledged to be Catholic and true, the
reading of the whole series was forbidden on account of the admixture of
falsehood. Nevertheless, since the character of the theses was purely academic,
and since the author had expressed his willingness to submit them to the
judgment of the Holy See, and had sworn never to defend any similar assertions,
no blame of any sort was to attach to Pico’s reputation. The Papal Brief
pronouncing this decision was dated August 4, 1486, but was not published till
December. Meanwhile Pico—so his enemies assert—in great haste “in twenty
nights,” composed an apology explaining his propositions in a Catholic sense,
which he dedicated to Lorenzo de’ Medici, and had printed in Neapolitan
territory, antedating it (May 31), so as to avoid any appearance of defending
what the Pope had condemned, after having previously declared his absolute
submission to the judgment of the Church. Pico on his side maintained that he
had not known of the Papal Brief, until told of it the 8th January, 14S9, when
he was on his way to France. This probably was literally net untrue; but it can
hardly be supposed that when he wrote his apology he had no inkling of the
contents of the Brief, which had been written on August 8.
Matters now became more complicated. Pico was charged
with having broken his oath, and endeavoured to give greater publicity to his
views. In consequence he was summoned to Rome, and efforts were made to have
him arrested. Thanks to the energetic mediation of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Pico was
permitted to retire to a villa in the neighbourhood of Florence. Meanwhile a
complete change had been wrought in the young scholar’s soul by the unexpected
humiliation. Hitherto his life had been much the same as that of other young
men of his rank and position. From henceforth he renounced all desire for fame
and ambition, and gave himself up entirely to prayer, penance and works of
mercy, except in so far as he still continued to prosecute his theological and
philosophical studies with redoubled zeal. These resulted in the production of
several exegetical and philosophical works; one of which, on the seven enemies
of religion—unbelievers, Jews, Mahomedans, pagans, heretics, false Christians,
and occultists (astrologers, magicians, etc.),—was never finished. By
Savonarola’s advice he resolved upon entering the Dominican Order, but his life
of eager and unremitting toil was cut short by death, before he had time to
carry out his purpose. He died November 17, 1494. In the previous year the new
Pope, Alexander VI had, in an autograph Brief granted him absolution, in case
he might have indirectly violated his oath, and also the assurance, that
neither by his apology nor in any other way had he ever been guilty of formal
heresy. There is no mention in the Brief, as has been asserted by some writers,
of the theses condemned by Innocent VIII.
The Jews in Spain were a source of considerable
trouble to Innocent VIII. They had become a real danger to the population by
their usury and their proselytising. In 1484, the Pope took measures to
counteract the evil; and in the following year he granted permission to several
Jews and heretics to make their abjuration privately, but “in presence of the
King and Queen.” About the same time disturbances broke out in Aragon on
account of the introduction into that province of the Inquisition. The Jews who
had submitted to baptism, called Maranos, opposed the
measure by every means that they could. Money proving of no avail they
determined to resort to assassination. On September 15, 1485, the inquisitor,
Pedro Arbues, who has been quite groundlessly accused
of extreme harshness, was attacked in the Cathedral of Saragossa, and mortally
wounded. This and other occurrences showed that it was necessary to have
recourse to severe measures. Crucifixes were mutilated, consecrated hosts
profaned; in Toledo a plot was concocted by the Jews for obtaining possession
of the city on Good Friday, and massacring all the Christians. Ferdinand
finally determined to resort to a drastic remedy; on March 31, 1492, an edict
was published requiring all Jews either to become Christians, or to leave the
country by the 31st July. Most of the Spanish Jews crossed over to Portugal; a
good many went to Italy, and to Rome, where they were treated with great
toleration by the majority of the fifteenth century Popes. Many Spanish Jews
who had been banished in former years had settled in Rome, and even contrived
to insinuate themselves into various ecclesiastical offices; an abuse which
Innocent took measures to prevent.
Torrents of abuse have been poured forth against
Innocent VIII on account of his Bull of December 5, 1484, on the subject of
witchcraft. It has been obstinately maintained that the Pope by this Bull
authoritatively imposed on the German nation the current superstitions in
regard to the black art, demonology, and witchcraft. There could not be a
greater distortion of facts than is involved in this assertion. All evidence
goes to show that long before the Bull of Innocent VIII the belief in
witchcraft had prevailed in Germany. The “Formicarius”
of the Dominican inquisitor Johannes Nider, which appeared at the time of the
Council of Basle, shows what fantastic notions on the subject were current at
the beginning of the 15th Century. Nearly all the delusions which appear in the
later witch-trials are to be found here; though there do not seem to have been
so many executions as in later times, it is plain that the process of trial for
witchcraft was in use long before the Bull of 1484. But the secular authorities
had been accustomed to interfere in these trials, whereas in the process by the
Inquisition, the cooperation of the secular power was only invited when the
trial was ended.
What then did Innocent VIII do?
The Bull of December 5th, 1495, begins by saying that
he had lately heard “not without deep concern,” that in various parts of upper
Germany as also in the provinces, cities, territories, districts, and
bishoprics of Mainz, Cologne, Treves, Salzburg and Bremen, many persons of both
sexes falling away from the Catholic Faith, had contracted carnal unions with
devils, and by spells and magic rhymes, with their incantations, curses, and
other diabolical arts, had done grievous harm to both men and beasts. “They
even deny with perverse lips, the Faith in which they were baptised.” Two
Dominican professors of theology, Heinrich Institoris in Upper Germany, and Jacob Sprenger, in many parts of the Rhine Country, had
been appointed Papal Inquisitors into all forms of heresy; but as the
localities named in the Bull had not been expressly mentioned in these
inquisitors’ faculties, several persons, clerics as well as laymen, inhabiting
these places, had presumptuously taken upon themselves to deny that they had
power there to arrest and punish these offenders.
Hence in the plenitude of his Apostolical powers
Innocent now commands that these persons are not to be hindered in the exercise
of their office towards any individual, whatsoever may be his rank and
condition. After this, in accordance with the old Catholic custom, the Pope
goes on to exhort the inquisitors to quench superstition by seeing that the
Word of God is duly preached to the people in the parish churches, and
employing whatever means may seem to them best calculated to secure that they
shall be well instructed. He specially commands the Bishop of Strasburg to
protect and assist them, to inflict the severest penalties of the Church on all
who resist them or put hindrances in their way, and if necessary to call in the
assistance of the secular power.
The Bull contains no dogmatic decision of any sort on
witchcraft. It assumes the possibility of demoniacal influences on human beings
which the Church has always maintained, but claims no dogmatic authority for
its pronouncement on the particular cases with which it was dealing at the
moment. The form of the document, which refers only to certain occurrences
which had been brought to the knowledge of the Pope, shows that it was not
intended to bind any one to believe in the things mentioned in it. The question
whether the Pope himself believed in them has nothing to do with the subject.
His judgment on this point has no greater importance than attaches to a Papal
decree in any other undogmatic question, e.g., on a dispute about a benefice.
The Bull introduced no new element into the current beliefs about witchcraft.
It is absurd to accuse it of being the cause of the cruel treatment of witches,
when we see in the “Sachsenspiegel” that burning
alive was already the legal punishment for a witch. All that Innocent VIII did
was to confirm the jurisdiction of the inquisitors over these cases. The Bull
simply empowered them to try all matters concerning witchcraft, without
exception, before their own tribunals, by Canon-law; a process which was
totally different from that of the later trials. Possibly the Bull, in so far
as it admonished the inquisitors to be on the alert in regard to witchcraft may
have given an impetus to the prosecution of such cases; but it affords no
justification for the accusation that it introduced a new crime, or was in any
way responsible for the iniquitous horrors of the witch-harrying of later
times.
Unfortunately, nothing of any importance was done
under Innocent VIII for the reform of ecclesiastical abuses. At the same time Infessura’s statement that the Pope had authorised
concubinage in Rome is absolutely unfounded. We have documentary evidence that
in France, Spain, Portugal and Hungary, he punished this vice with severity. No
proof that he favoured it in Rome has yet been adduced. The mere assertion of
an admittedly uncritical chronicler with a strong party bias and given to
retailing without examination whatever gossip was current in Rome, could not be
accepted in any case without further testimony. In this particular instance it
is not difficult to find the probable origin of the calumny. In 1489 it was
discovered that a band of unprincipled officials were carrying on a profitable
traffic in forged Bulls. Neither entreaties nor bribes were of any avail to
induce Innocent to abstain from punishing the crime with the utmost severity.
Domenico of Viterbo and Francesco Maldente who were
found guilty were hanged, and their bodies burnt in the Campo di Fiore.
Now it is notorious that some of the forged Bulls were
to this effect, and the supposed permission accorded by Innocent VIII to the
Norwegians to celebrate Mass without wine was also a forgery.
The existence of such a confederacy for forging Bulls,
throws a lurid light on the state of morals in the Papal Court, where
Franceschetto Cibò set the worst possible example. The increasing prevalence of
the system of purchasing offices greatly facilitated the introduction of
untrustworthy officials. The practice may be explained, but cannot be excused
by the financial distress with which Innocent VIII had to contend during the
whole of his reign, and the almost universal custom of the time. In the Bull increasing
the number of the College of Secretaries from the original six to thirty, want
of money, which had obliged the Pope to pawn even the Papal mitre, is openly
assigned as the reason for this measure. Between them, the new and the old
secretaries (amongst the later were Gasparo Biondo, Andreas Trapezuntius,
Jacobus Volaterranus, Johannes Petrus Arrivabenus, and Sigismondo de’ Conti) brought in a sum of
62,400 gold florins and received in return certain privileges and a share in
various taxes. Innocent VIII also created the College of Piombatori with an entrance fee of 500 gold florins. Even the office of Librarian to the
Vatican was now for sale. No one can fail to see the evils to which such a
state of things must give rise. Sigismondo de’ Conti closes his narrative of
the increase in the number of secretaries with the words; “Henceforth this
office which had been hitherto bestowed as a reward for industry, faithfulness,
and eloquence, became simply a marketable commodity. Those who had thus
purchased the new offices endeavoured to indemnify themselves out of other
people’s pockets. These greedy officials whose only aim was to get as much for
themselves as possible out of the churches with which they had to do, were
naturally detested in all countries, and the most determined opponents of
reform. The corruptibility of all the officials increased to an alarming
extent, carrying with it general insecurity and disorder in Rome, since any
criminal who had money could secure immunity from punishment. The conduct of
some members of the Pope’s immediate circle even, gave great scandal.
Franceschetto Cibò was mean and avaricious, and led a disorderly life “which
was doubly unbecoming in the son of a Pope. He paraded the streets at night
with Girolamo Tuttavilla, forced his way into the
houses of the citizens for evil purposes, and was often driven out with shame.”
In one night Franceschetto lost 14,000 ducats to Cardinal Riario and complained
to the Pope that he had been cheated. Cardinal de La Balue also lost 8000 to the same Cardinal in a single evening.
In order to obtain the means for the gratification of
such passions as these, or worse, the worldly-minded Cardinals were always on
the watch to maintain or increase their power.
This explains the stipulation in the election
capitulation that the number of the Sacred College was not to exceed
twenty-four. Innocent VIII however did not consider himself bound to observe
this condition, and already in 1485 we hear of his intention of creating new
Cardinals. The College refused its consent, and the opposition of the older
Cardinals was so violent and persistent, that some years passed before the Pope
was able to carry out his purpose. In the interval as many as nine of the old
Cardinals had died; in 1484, Philibert Hugonet (September 12), Stefano Nardini
(October 22), Juan Moles (November 21); in 1485, Pietro Foscari
(September) and Juan de Aragon; in 1486,Thomas Bourchier (June) and the good
Gabriel Rangoni (September 27); in 1488, Arcimboldi and Charles de Bourbon
(September I3).
Though, in one respect, these deaths facilitated the
creation of new Cardinals, on the other, great difficulties were caused by the
urgent demands of the various Powers for the promotion of their candidates. In
the beginning of March 1489 the negotiations were at last brought to a
conclusion, and on the 9th of the month five new cardinals were nominated. Two
of these, the Grand-Master of the Knights of St. John, Pierre d’Aubusson, and the Archbishop of Bordeaux, Andre d’Espinay, were absent. The three who were on the spot,
Lorenzo Cibò (son of the Pope’s brother Maurizio), Ardicino della Porta of Novara, and Antoniotto Pallavicini of
Genoa, received their Red Hats at once. Three others, Maffeo Gherardo of
Venice, Federigo Sanseverino (son of Count Robert), and Giovanni de’ Medici
were reserved in petto.
Some of the new Cardinals, as Ardicino della Porta, were fit and worthy men, which made it all the sadder that the
natural son of Innocent’s brother, and the boy Giovanni de’ Medici should have
been added to their ranks. Raffaele de Volterra severely blames this open
violation of the prescriptions of the Church, and the Annalist Raynaldus rightly endorses his judgment.
Giovanni de’ Medici, Lorenzo’s second son, was then
only in his fourteenth year; he was born December 11, 1475. His father had
destined him for the Church at an age at which any choice on his part was out
of the question, and confided his education to distinguished scholars such as
Poliziano and Demetrius Chalkondylas.
At seven years old he received the tonsure, and the
chase after rich benefices at once began. Lorenzo in his notes details these
proceedings with appalling candour. In 1483, before he had completed his eighth
year, Giovanni was presented by Louis XI to the Abbacy of Font Douce in the
Bishopric of Saintes. Sixtus IV confirmed this nomination, declared him capable
of holding benefices and made him a Protonotary Apostolic. Henceforth “whatever
good things in the shape of a benefice, commendam,
rectorship, fell into the hands of the Medici, was given to Lorenzo’s son.” In
1484 he was already in possession of the rich Abbey of Passignano,
and two years later was given the venerable Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino in commendam. But even this was not enough for
Lorenzo, who with indefatigable persistency besieged the Pope and Cardinals to
admit the boy into the Senate of the Church. He did not scruple to represent
Giovanni’s age as two years more than it really was. Innocent VIII resisted for
a long time, but finally gave way; and he was nominated with the stipulation
that he was to wait three years before he assumed the insignia of the
cardinalate or took his seat in the College. Lorenzo found this condition
extremely irksome, and, in the beginning of 1490, instructed his Ambassador to
do everything in his power to get the time shortened. The Pope, however, who
wished Giovanni to devote the time of probation to the study of Theology and
Canon-law, was inexorable, and Lorenzo had to wait till the full period had
expired. When, at last, the day for his son’s elevation arrived he was too ill
to be able to assist at any of the ceremonial services. The moment they were
concluded the young Cardinal started for Rome, where great preparations were
being made for his reception. On March 22, 1492, the new Cardinal Deacon of Sta
Maria in Dominica entered Rome by the Porta del Popolo; on the following day
the Pope admitted him, with the customary ceremonies, to the Consistory. The
General of the Camaldolese, Pietro Delfino, says that
the bearing and demeanour of the young Cardinal made a favourable impression
upon all present, and that he seemed more mature than could have been expected
at his age. Lorenzo at once wrote to his son an admirable letter of advice and
warning, displaying not only great political sagacity and knowledge of human
nature, but the Christian faith and sentiment to which he had returned at the
close of his life. It is touching to read the earnest exhortations to the young
man to lead “an honourable, exemplary and virtuous life” which seemed
especially needed by one going to reside in a great city which had become “a
very focus of all that was evil.” There would be no lack of “bad counsellors,
seducers and envious men,” who would endeavour to “drag you down into the abyss
into which they themselves have fallen. Counting upon your youth they will
expect to find this an easy task. Thus it behoves you to set yourself to prove
that this hope is unfounded, and all the more because the College of Cardinals
is at this moment so poor in men of worth. I remember the days when it was full
of learned and virtuous men, and theirs is the example for you to follow. For
the less your conduct resembles that of those who now compose it, the more
beloved and respected will you be. You must equally avoid the Scylla of sanctimoniousness and the Charybdis of profanity. You
should study to be moderate in all things, and avoid everything in your
demeanour and in your words that might annoy or wound others, and especially
not make a parade of austerities or a strict life. Your own judgment, when
matured by experience, will instruct you better how to carry out my advice than
any detailed counsels that I could give you at present.
“You will have no difficulty in understanding how much
depends on the personality and example of a Cardinal. If the Cardinals were
such as they ought to be, the whole world would be the better for it; for they
would always elect a good Pope and thus secure the peace of Christendom.
Endeavour, therefore, to be such that it would be well for all if the rest were
like you. Be careful in all your intercourse with the Cardinals and other
persons of high rank, to be guarded and reserved, so as to keep your judgments
cool and unswayed by the passions of others, for many
act irrationally, because their aims are illicit. Keep your conscience clear by
avoiding in your conversation anything that could be injurious to others. I
think this is of the first importance for you, for if any one from passion
thinks he has a grudge against you, it is much easier for him to change his
mind if there is no real ground of offence. It will be best for you, in this
your first sojourn in Rome, to make much more use of your ears than of your
tongue.
“Today I have given you up entirely to God and to His
Holy Church. Be therefore a worthy priest, and act so as to convince all who
see you that the well-being and honour of the Church and the Holy See arc more
to you than anything else in the world. If you keep this steadfastly before
you, opportunities will not be wanting for being of use both to this city and
to our family; for to be united with the Church is advantageous to the city,
and you must be the bond of union between the two, and the welfare of our house
depends on that of Florence. Though the future must always remain impenetrable,
yet I am confident that if you are constant in generously pursuing the good of
the Church, we shall not fail to find means to secure ourselves on both sides.
“You are the youngest member of the College, not only
of the present College, but the youngest that has ever as yet been made a
Cardinal. You should, therefore, in all that you have to do with your
colleagues be observant and respectful, and keep yourself in the background in
the Papal Chapels and Consistories, or in deputations. You will soon learn
which among them are deserving of esteem. You must avoid both being and seeming
to be intimate with those whose conduct is irregular. In conversation keep to
generalities as far as you can. In regard to festivities, I think it will be
prudent for you to keep rather under the mark than to run any risk of exceeding
what is permissible.
“Spend your money rather on keeping a well-appointed
stable and servants of a superior class than on pomp and show. Endeavour to
lead a regular life, and gradually get your household into strict order,—a
thing which cannot be done immediately where both master and servant are new.
Silks and jewels are for the most part unsuitable for you, but you should
possess some valuable antiques and handsome books, and your circle should be
rather select and learned than numerous. Also, it is better for you to entertain
your friends at home than to dine out often; but in this matter you should
follow a middle course. Let your food be simple and take plenty of exercise;
many in your present position bring great sufferings on themselves by
imprudence. This position is one which is both secure and exalted, and thus it
often happens that those who have succeeded in attaining it become careless and
think they can now do as they like, without fear of consequences, whereby both
it and their health are imperilled. In regard to this point I recommend you to
use all possible caution, and to err rather on this side than on that of
over-confidence.
“Let it be your rule of life to rise early. Setting
aside the advantage of the practice to your health, it gives you time to get
through the business of the day and to fulfil your various obligations, the
recitation of the office, study, audiences, and whatever else has to be done.
There is another practice which is also very necessary for a person in your
position, namely, always, and especially now that you are just beginning, to
call to mind in the evening what will be the work of the day following, so that
you may never be unprepared for your business. If you speak in the Consistory,
it seems to me, considering your youth and inexperience, that it will be in all
cases best and most becoming for you to adhere to the wise judgment of the Holy
Father. You will be often pressed to speak to the Pope about this thing or
that, and to make requests. Make it your rule in these early days to make as
few of these as possible, so as not to be burdensome to him; for he is disposed
by nature to give most to those who are least clamorous. It will be useful to
be on the watch to say nothing that would annoy him, but rather to tell him
things that will give him pleasure; while modesty in preferring requests
corresponds best with his own disposition, and puts him in a better humour.
Take care of your health.”
Lorenzo de’ Medici’s low estimate of the College of
Cardinals in the time of Innocent VIII was unfortunately only too well founded.
There still remained, no doubt, some good men in the Senate of the Church, but
they were quite borne down by the worldly majority; Marco Barbo, one of the
leaders of the nobler party, had died in the Spring of 1491; his death, says
one of his contemporaries, was a great loss to the Holy See and to the whole of
Christendom.
Of the worldly Cardinals, Ascanio Sforza, Riario,
Orsini, Sclafenatus, Jean de La Balue,
Giuliano della Rovere, Savelli, and Rodrigo Borgia were the most prominent. All
of these were deeply infected with the corruption which prevailed in Italy
amongst the upper classes in the age of the Renaissance. Surrounded in their
splendid palaces, with all the most refined luxury of a highly-developed
civilisation, these Cardinals lived the lives of secular princes, and seemed to
regard their ecclesiastical garb simply as one of the adornments of their rank.
They hunted, gambled, gave sumptuous banquets and entertainments, joined in all
the rollicking merriment of the carnival-tide, and allowed themselves the
utmost licence in morals; this was specially the case with Rodrigo Borgia. His
uncle, Calixtus III, had made him a Cardinal and Vice-Camerlengo while he was
still very young, and he had accumulated benefices to an extent which gave him
a princely income. In the time of Sixtus IV he was already, according to d’Estouteville,
the wealthiest member of the College of Cardinals. One of his contemporaries
describes him as a fine-looking man and a brilliant cavalier, cheery and genial
in manner, and winning and fluent in conversation; irresistibly attractive to
women. His immoral courses brought upon him a severe rebuke from Pius II. But
nothing had any effect. Even after he had received priest’s orders, which took
place in August 1468, and when he was given the Bishopric of Albano, which he
afterwards exchanged in 1476 for that of Porto, he still would not give up his
dissolute life; to the end of his days he remained the slave of the demon of
sensuality.
From the year 1460 Vanozza de Cataneis, born of Roman parents in 1442, was his
acknowledged mistress. She was married three times; in 1474 to Domenico of Arignano; in 1480 to a Milanese, Giorgio de Croce; and in
1486 to a Mantuan, Carlo Canale, and died in Rome on the 26th of November,
1518, aged 76. The names of the four children whom she bore to the Cardinal are
inscribed on her tomb in the following order :—Caesar, Juan, Jofre, and
Lucrezia.
Besides these, Cardinal Rodrigo had other children,—a
son, Pedro Luis, certainly born before 1460, and a daughter, Girolama, but
apparently by a different mother. Rodrigo turned to his Spanish home for the
careers of these children, who were legitimised one after another. In 1485 he
obtained the Dukedom of Gandia for Pedro Luiz; in the deed of King Ferdinand he
is described as the son of noble parents, and he is stated to have
distinguished himself by his military acquirements and to have rendered valuable
services in the war against the King of Granada. Pedro was betrothed to the
daughter of Ferdinand’s uncle and majordomo, Donna
Maria Enriquez; in 1488 he came to Rome, and in August fell sick there and
died, certainly before the year 1491. He left all that he possessed to his
brother Juan, the best of Rodrigo’s sons, born in 1474, who eventually married
his brother’s intended bride.
The Cardinal’s third son Caesar, born in 1475, was
from childhood, without any regard to his aptitude or wishes, destined to the
Church. Sixtus IV, on 1st October, 1480, dispensed him from the canonical
impediment for the reception of Holy Orders, caused by his being born out of
wedlock, because he was the son of a Cardinal and his mother was a married
woman. At the age of seven years Caesar was made a Protonotary, and was
appointed to benefices in Xativa and other cities in
Spain, and under Innocent VIII to the Bishopric of Pampeluna.
Jofre also, born in 1480 or 1481, was intended for the Church; he is mentioned
as a Canon, Prebendary, and Archdeacon of the Cathedral of Valencia. Lucrezia,
born in 1478, seemed, like her brothers, destined to make her home in her
father’s native land, for in 1491 she was betrothed to a Spaniard.
The mother of these children, Vanozza de Cataneis, possessed substantial property in Rome,
and a house on the Piazza Branca, close to the palace which Rodrigo Borgia had
built for himself. This mansion, now the Palazzo Sforza-Cesarini, was
considered the finest, not only in Rome, but in the whole of Italy.
In the reign of Innocent VIII Jacopo da Volterra
writes of Cardinal Borgia: “He has good abilities and great versatility, is
fluent in speech, and though his literary attainments are not of the first
order, he can write well. He is naturally shrewd, and exceedingly energetic in
all business that he takes in hand. He is reputed to be very rich, and his
influence is great on account of his connections with so many kings and
princes. He has built for himself a splendid and commodious palace midway
between the Bridge of S. Angelo and the Campo di Fiore. His revenues from his
numerous benefices and abbeys in Italy and Spain and his three bishoprics of
Valencia, Porto, and Cartagena are enormous; while his post of Vice-Camerlengo
is said also to bring him in 8000 gold ducats yearly. He possesses immense
quantities of silver plate, pearls, hangings, and vestments embroidered in gold
and silk, and learned books of all sorts, and all of such splendid quality as
would befit a king or a pope. I pass over the sumptuous adornments of his
litters and trappings for his horses, and all his gold and silver and silks,
together with his magnificent wardrobe and his hoards of treasure” .
We obtain a highly interesting glimpse into the
amazing luxury of Cardinal Borgia’s palace from a hitherto unknown letter of
Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, dated 22nd of October, 1484. On that day Borgia, who,
as a rule, was not a lover of the pleasures of the table, gave a magnificent
banquet in his palace, at which, besides Ascanio, three other Cardinals were
included amongst the guests, one of these being Giuliano della Rovere. The
whole palace was splendidly decorated. In the great entrance-hall the walls
were covered with hangings representing various historical events. A smaller
room opened into this, also hung with exquisite Gobelin tapestry. The carpets
on the floor were selected to harmonise with the rest of the furniture, of
which the most prominent piece was a sumptuous state-couch upholstered in red
satin, with a canopy over it. This room also contained the Cardinal’s credenza,
a chest surmounted by a slab, on which was ranged for exhibition an immense
quantity of table plate and drinking vessels in gold and silver, while the
lower part was a marvel of exquisitely finished work. This apartment was
flanked by two others, one of which was hung with satin and carpeted, the divan
in it being of Alexandrian velvet; while in the other, still more splendid, the
couch was covered with gold brocade and magnificently decorated. The cloth on
the central table was of velvet, and the chairs which surrounded it were
exquisitely carved.
Ascanio Sforza, created a Cardinal from political
motives in 1484, by Sixtus IV and loaded with benefices, came next to Rodrigo
in wealth and love of show. He was an ardent sportsman, and “Rome stood amazed
both at the splendour of his Court and the number of horses, dogs, and hawks,
which he kept. The enormous income which he drew from his many benefices and
large temporal possessions, hardly sufficed to meet his boundless expenditure.
The Roman annalist says he dares not attempt to describe the feast which
Ascanio gave in the latter days of Innocent VIII in honour of Ferrantino the
Prince of Capua, Ferrante’s grandson, lest he should be mocked as a teller of
fairy tales.” His friends justly praised his talent for diplomacy and politics.
He had also a taste for literature and art, wrote Latin and Italian poems, and
was a generous patron of learned men. It should also be mentioned that Ascanio,
in dispensing his gifts, was not unmindful of the poor. From a moral point of
view Cardinal Federigo Sanseverino and the wealthy Battista Orsini, were not
much better than Rodrigo Borgia.
Another of the worldly-minded Cardinals was the astute
and ambitious La Balue who, since 1485, had returned
to reside in Rome. His two master passions were politics and the accumulation
of riches. In spite of all the vicissitudes of his tempestuous life, when he
died in 1491 he was worth 100,000 ducats.
Equally worldly was Giuliano della Rovere, undoubtedly
the strongest personality in the College of Cardinals. Politics and war were
the main interests in his life. He “bore the stamp of the 15th Century to which
he belonged, and carried into the next age its strength of will, its
impetuosity in action, and its largeness in aim and idea. He was proud,
ambitious, self-confident and hot-tempered, but never small or mean. He paid no
more regard to his vow of celibacy than the majority of his colleagues; but
through all his worldliness there was in him a certain seriousness, a capacity
for something better, which was destined to show itself in later years. He was
a noble patron of Art, and maintained his interest in it through all the
stormiest episodes of his life.
Between the wealth acquired by the accumulation of
benefices and foreign bishoprics, and their connections with so many powerful
kings and princes, the influence of the Cardinals had become so great that
there was manifest danger of the subjection of the Papacy to the Sacred
College. The power of Giuliano della Rovere, during the reign of Innocent VIII
and the high-handed manner in which he exercised it, went quite beyond the
bounds of what was permissible. During the war of the Neapolitan Barons, he, on
his own authority, had a Courier sent by the Duke of Milan, arrested, and his
papers taken from him. The Milanese, Florentine, and Ferrarese Ambassadors of
that day complained that two Popes were more than they could do with; one was
quite enough.
These too-human princely Cardinals are likened by a
modern historian to the old Roman Senators. “Most of them, like the Pope, were
surrounded by a Curia of their own and a circle of nephews. They went about in
martial attire and wore swords elaborately decorated. As a rule, each Cardinal
had several hundred servants and retainers living in the Palace, and their
number might be on occasion augmented by hired bravi.
This gave them a following among the populace who depended on the Cardinals’
Courts for their livelihood. Most of these Princes of the Church had their own
factions, and they vied with each other in the splendour of their troops of
horsemen, and of the triumphal cars filled with masques, musicians, and actors,
which paraded the streets during the Carnival, and on all festal occasions. The
Cardinals of that day quite eclipsed the Roman nobles.”
The encouragement which they gave to Literature and
Art, the patronage of which was looked upon as an indispensable adornment of
greatness in the age of the Renaissance, is the one redeeming spot in the lives
of these Princes of the Church, which in all other ways were so scandalously
out of keeping with their spiritual character. It was not strangers only who
were scandalised by the behaviour of these unworthy priests; many born
Italians, especially the mission preachers, complain bitterly of them. The most
energetic and outspoken of all was the Dominican, Girolamo Savonarola. In his
sermons, but more especially in his poems, he paints a gruesome picture of the
corruptions in the Church, and prophesies terrible manifestations of the wrath
of God in the near future.
Anticipations of impending judgments prevailed widely
during this period. Many prophets appeared, and predictions of the complete
overthrow of all existing institutions, and the condign punishment of the
corrupt clergy, were passed from mouth to mouth. One appeared in Rome in 1491.
A contemporary writer describes the preacher as poorly
clad and only carrying in his hand a small wooden cross, but very eloquent and
well educated. He collected the people in the public squares and announced in
prophetical tones that in the current year there would be much tribulation, and
Rome would be filled with the sound of weeping. In the year following the
distress would spread over the whole country; but in 1493 the Angel Pope would
appear (Angelicus Pastor), who would possess no temporal power, and would seek
nothing but the good of souls.
The prophecies of Savonarola, however, produced far
more impression than any of these, and the extraordinary influence of his
sermons and writings is, for the most part, due to them. Many of them had their
origin in visions, which he thought had been granted to him. In the Advent of
1492 he had a dream which he firmly held to be a Divine revelation. “He saw in
the middle of the sky a hand bearing a sword, on which these words were
inscribed—Gladius Domini super terram cito et velociter.” He heard many clear and distinct voices
promising mercy to the good, threatening chastisement to the wicked, and
proclaiming that the wrath of God was at hand. Then, suddenly the sword was
turned towards the earth; the sky darkened; swords, arrows and flames rained
down; terrible thunderclaps were heard; and all the world was a prey to war,
famine and pestilence.”
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