[hprints-00683151, v2] Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pius II ... - Hprints.org

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hprints-00683151, version 2 - 19 Mar 2013 Firstly, the pope would not dream of having the council in the territory of his mortal enemy, the Duke of Milan 20 , who had sent his condottieri against the Papal State for years 21 and had even plotted against his person the year before 22 . Everybody knew that the formal peace of August 10, 1435, between Florence, Venice and the pope on the one side and Milan on the other was tenuous 23 , and that the duke would most likely resume his depredations against the Papal State later, as actually happened in 1438 24 . Secondly, the non-Italian council fathers did not want to go to Italy for the reason stated above, and they did not really want the pope to be present. As the Bishop of Albenga, in Milanese territory, put it: It was not expedient that the pope should be personally present in the council, where he would have pre-eminence and authority … 25 . Piccolomini was perfectly aware of this. A short time before he gave the speech, he wrote to the senate of Siena: The pope and all the Italians are in favour of an Italian city, but all the rest – enemies of the Latin name – refuse to come to Italy. I do not know whether it will be possible to transfer the council to Italy, but I hope that our prudence and perseverance may triumph 26 , and that Italy may eventually have the council. 27 And even if the council would accept an Italian city, they would be careful about choosing a city belonging to the Duke of Milan. The duke was obviously a friend of the council, but he was known as a devious and conniving prince and “feared alike by his friends at Basel and his enemies of the papal party” 28 . Nobody would be unaware that his support was directly aimed at creating a counterbalance to the pope. When the duke no longer needed the council, he might very well turn against it. And this was exactly what happened when the duke and his ally, King Alfonso, 20 Gill, p. 36, 46, 55 21 Pius II: Revised, p. 344 22 Gill, p. 82 23 Gill, p. 82 24 Gill, pp. 108-109 25 Quoted after Gill, p. 89 26 Better translation: ”that our prudence will overcome their stubbornness” 27 Papa et Italici omnes Italiam petunt, reliqui omnes, Latini nominis inimici, venturos se in Italiam negant, nec scio, an erit possible concilium ad Italiam transmutari, sed spero nostrorum prudentiam pertinaciam istorum superaturam et demum Italiam habiturum concilium. Piccolomini: Der Briefwechsel, I/1, 2 (ep. 20). English translation quoted after Ady, p. 57 28 Boulting, p. 78; Ady, p. 58 18
hprints-00683151, version 2 - 19 Mar 2013 became reconciled with the pope in 1442-1443 and immediately declared themselves the enemies of the council. 29 So, generally the council fathers would have reasonable cause for concern about choosing a place for the council that would make them even more dependent on the Duke of Milan. And finally, although the French king was diplomatic in his relationship with the pope, whose support for the French candidate to the crown of the Kingdom of Naples he needed 30 , the French party at the council evidently wanted a city in the French sphere, e.g. Avignon 31 – with the ulterior motive of attempting to draw the papacy back to that city and thus under French domination. In the summer of 1436, the French party did in fact propose three French cities for the council: Vienne, Lyon and Avignon. In conclusion, persuading the council to move to Italy was an extremely difficult task, and persuading the pope to go to a Milanese city, in casu Pavia, was impossible. As this was evident to everybody and to Piccolomini himself, what other motives did he have for giving the speech, apart for defending a standpoint which to him was perfectly logical? The Greeks had clearly stated their preference for an Italian city, and they also wanted the reunion council to take place under the aegis of the pope, as Piccolomini reminded the fathers. If the council would eventually have to give in to the Greeks and opt for an Italian city, Pavia and any city under the Duke of Milan was clearly unacceptable to the pope and not quite acceptable to the council 32 , whereas a city in the Papal State, e.g. Bologna, or in the territories of the pope’s allies, Venice and Florence, would be unacceptable to Milan 33 and to the council. So, a compromise candidate would have to be found. Piccolomini himself was – with the 29 Stieber, p. 62 30 Gill, p. 87 31 Boulting, p. 78 32 … the Duke of Milan was a mighty Prince, feared alike by his friends at Basel and his enemies of the Papal party, and .. all hesitated to place the future council under his influence. Ady, p. 58 33 Ady, p. 57-58 19
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