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A Successful Defeat

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A Successful Defeat A Successful Defeat Eugene IV's Struggle with the Council of Basel for Ultimate Authority in the Church 1431-1449 Michiel Decaluwe Bruxelles - Brussel - Roma Belgisch Historisch Instituut te Rome Institut Historique Beige de Rome Istituto Storico Belga di Roma 2009 CONTENTS Introduction 11 Defining the problem and formulating the objective 13 Methodological observations 14 Questions 18 Sources and literature 20 Part 1. Previous history 33 Papal authority prior to the Western Schism 36 Papal authority under pressure: before and during the "Western Schism 42 The Council of Constance 45 The decree Haec sancta 46 The decree Frequens 50 Part 2. Papal politics in the first years of the Council of Basel Traditionalpapal authority collapses (1431-1435) 53 Chapter 1. The difficult start to the Council of Basel (1431-1433) 57 Changes in the upper echelons of the Church 57 A new pope: Eugene IV (1431-1447) 57 A new general council: the Council of Basel (1431-1449) 62 A spiral of misunderstanding. The initial contacts between 66 pope and council lead to a crisis A low attendance 66 Different missions 69 The pope draws conclusions 71 A papal delegation 76 Cardinal Cesarini's response 79 81 The response of the papacy's opponents Lack of understanding ends in a bitter struggle 85 A more trenchant stance 86 Cesarini's response 91 An anti-papal response 92 The Council of Basel's claim to power 95 After Quoniam alto (2) and the second session of the Council of Basel 97 6 CONTENTS Chapter 2. Words are only words. Eugene has to formally bow before the Council of Basel (1432-1433) 100 Pope Eugene IV realizes he must retrace his steps 103 The pope and the council are convinced of their own authority 103 Eugene IV is confronted with defiance 106 Giovanni Ceparelli 108 A first package of concessions 112 Cesarini again tries to persuade the pope 112 An initial package of concessions 116 Cesarini and Haec sancta 119 A conflict over principles and belief 121 A second wave of concessions 121 The Council of Basel full of self-confidence 125 The ultimate concession? 128 A matter of principles and faith 133 Eugene refuses to yield 136 Sigismund endeavours to pre-empt schism 142 The pope bows his head before the council 147 Given the circumstances 148 Chapter 3. The Council of Basel as a constant threat to papal authority (1434-1435) 152 The debate on papal presidents 153 Four opinions 155 The papal chairmen accepted 162 Hope and anxiety for the pope 163 The abolition of annates (1435) 166 Unanimity on a decree against annates 167 The papal response 169 Chapter 4. The collapse of belief in papal authority (1431-1435) 174 The judicialised belief in papal authority 174 Haec sancta 182 Part 3. Paced with a never-ending conflict. Papal policy in the period 1434/1435 to 1439 193 5. The and the Church of Rome Chapter pope (1434-1436) . 197 Three parties difficult to please by the council 198 CONTENTS 7 The cardinals 198 Emperor Sigismund 204 The Greek Church 206 The negotiations with the Greek Church and the relations between Eugene and his cardinals 209 Different tracks 210 Envoys of the Basel cardinals to Eugene 215 Two routes to the union council 217 Allies of the papal cause 223 All roads lead to the Church of Rome 224 Giuliano Cesarini 225 Other allies for the pope 231 of the Church of at Envoys Rome the Council of Basel. 234 Still three views on authority in the Church 236 Eugene IV returns to a Papal State 239 Nicolo and the true the Albergati pope of Church of Rome . 242 6. The Council of Basel Chapter disintegrates (1436-1437). 244 Discord at the Council of Basel 245 A rift: between the Council of Basel and Giuliano Cesa¬ rini 246 A rift between majority and minority 248 The rift at the Council of Basel and papal policy 250 The more realistic tone 251 Approaching Cesarini 255 Cesarini's conversion? 262 Papal policy and power-sharing conciliarism 266 Chapter 7. The conflict over authority in the Church changes in nature (1437-1439) 270 Three players no longer play a mediating role 271 Cesarini leaves 271 The Greek Church opts for the pope 276 Emperor Sigismund dies 281 the to Both the pope and council try impose their own will . 282 Tres veritates 284 Union with the Greeks 287 a Neutral intermediaries, third player, or the real arbiters. 289 The choice of neutrality 290 A third player 291 An arbiter 294 8 CONTENTS Chapter 8. Two equally strong doctrines on authority in the Church (1434/1435-1439) 295 The power of Haec sancta embedded in Tres veritates .... 296 The papal doctrine of authority 300 Confirmation of papal authority 302 Part 4. The response to the conciliar threat: a downgrading of papal authority. Papalpolicy from 1439 307 Chapter 9. The situation in 1439 310 The balance of power in 1439 310 Eugene's secular allies in 1439 313 Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy 314 Henry VI of England 315 The final battle 317 Chapter 10. The end of the Council of Basel in sight (1439-1449) 319 Turning the Papal States into a safe haven 319 The situation prior to 1439 319 Alfonso of Aragon gains control 322 The contest for the German Empire 325 Neutral, with variations 325 In the papal camp 327 France, the cool lover 332 De facto French withdrawal 333 The Council of Basel put to rest 334 The King of France as the victor 336 Chapter 11. Ecclesiastical authority downgraded in relation to temporal power (1439-1449) 337 Downgrading papal authority in relation to the authority of European sovereigns 338 Politics replaces belief 338 A new defence of papal authority 340 A downgrading in comparison to the authority of secular rulers 342 How the Council of Basel downgraded the pope's eccle¬ siastical in relation to the authority pope's temporal power . 344 No response in Etsi non dubitemus 345 A downgrading of the pope's ecclesiastical authority buys Eugene time 347 CONTENTS 9 General conclusion and epilogue 349 General conclusion 349 Epilogue 358 Appendices 363 Appendix 1: Survey of the relevant papal bulls, letters and instructions of Eugene IV 363 Appendix 2: Survey of the relevant decrees, sessions and documents emanating from the Council of Basel and its chairman Cardinal Cesarini 365 Bibliography 367 Unpublished primary sources 367 Printed sources 367 Secondary sources 369 Colophon 399.
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