Report on an Imperial Mission to Bohemia, 1451, by Enea Silvio Piccolomini . Edited and translated by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg. 3rd preliminary version. (Reports on Five Diplomatic Missions by Enea Silvio Piccolomini; 3) Michael Von Cotta-Schönberg To cite this version: Michael Von Cotta-Schönberg. Report on an Imperial Mission to Bohemia, 1451, by Enea Silvio Pic- colomini . Edited and translated by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg. 3rd preliminary version. (Reports on Five Diplomatic Missions by Enea Silvio Piccolomini; 3). 2020. hal-02907943v3 HAL Id: hal-02907943 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02907943v3 Submitted on 11 Feb 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. (Reports on Five Diplomatic Missions by Enea Silvio Piccolomini; 3) 0 Report on an Imperial Mission to Bohemia, 1451, by Enea Silvio Piccolomini. Edited and translated by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg 3rd version 2021 1 Abstract In 1451, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Bishop of Siena and senior imperial diplomat, went on a mission for Emperor Friedrich III to Bohemia. The purpose of the mission was to communicate to the Bohemian estates the emperor’s refusal to end his wardship over the Bohemian boy king, Ladislaus, then 11 years old. Piccolomini took the opportunity to have an important political conversation with the Bohemian governor, Georg Podiebrad, investigating the possibilities for a modus vivendi between the Papacy and the Bohemian Hussites. He also visited the city of Tabor, home of radical Hussites, and had a debate with them concerning the Hussite claims for communion under both species (Utraquism). Keywords Enea Silvio Piccolomini; Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini; Æneas Silvius Piccolomini; Pope Pius II; Papa Pio II; Emperor Frederick III (Habsburg); Kaiser Friedrich III (Habsburg); Renaissance diplomacy; 15th century; 1451; Georg Podiebrad; George Podiebrad; Jiri Podiebrad; Cardinal Juan de Carvajal; King Ladislaus Posthumus (Habsburg); Bohemia; Hussites; Hussitism; Tabor; Ulrich von Rosenberg; Heinrich von Rosenberg; Prokop von Rabstein; Utraquism; Communion under both species; Communion under both kinds; Bohemian Compacts; Hussite Compacts Editor and translator Michael von Cotta-Schönberg Mag. Art. (University of Copenhagen) Bachelier en Philosophie (Université de Louvain) Emeritus Deputy Director / The Royal Library, Copenhagen Emeritus University Librarian / University of Copenhagen ORCID identity: 000-0001-8499-4142 e-mail: [email protected] 2 Foreword to the present volume Piccolomini’s report on his mission to Bohemia in 1451, often called his Dialogue with Taborites, Hussites or something similar, was published by Wolkan more than 100 years ago as part of his edition of Piccolomini’s letters. The present edition is based on seven manuscripts collated directly for the purpose and on Wolkan’s edition. A translation of the text seems not to have been published previously. A note of caution: the present text only provides a brief introduction and notes to make the text more immediately comprehensible to a modern reader. It is not a study as such of Piccolomini’s report nor of his views of and dealings with Hussitism and Bohemia. Michael Cotta-Schönberg 28 July 2020 3 Table of volumes in Reports on Five Diplomatic Missions by Enea Silvio Piccolomini 1. Report on an Imperial Mission to Rome, 1447 2. Report on a Imperial Mission to Milan, 1447 3. Report on a Imperial Mission to Bohemia, 1451 4. Report on an Imperial Mission to the Diet of Regensburg, 1454 (Historia de Ratisponensi Dieta) 5. Report on a Imperial Mission to Rome, 1455 4 Table of contents I. INTRODUCTION 1. Context 2. Themes 2.1. Politics 2.2. Communion under both species 2.2.1. Ritual 2.2.2. Faith 2.2.3. Authority 2.3. Church properties 2.4. Jan Rokycana 3. Conduct of diplomacy 4. Date, addressee and format 5. Text 5.1. Manuscripts 5.2. Editions 5.3. Present edition 6. Sources 7. Sigla and abbreviations II. TEXT AND TRANSLATION 1. Introduction [1] 2. Visit to Tabor [2-15] 2.1. Reception [2-3] 2.2. Zizka [4] 2.3. Taborite sect [5-7] 2.4. City of Tabor [8-11] 2.5. Piccolomini’s host [12] 2.6. Departure [13] 2.7. Pest in Prague [14] 2.8. Death of Empress Barbara [15] 3. Assembly at Benesov [16-17] 5 4. Dialogue with Georg Podiebrad [18-34] 4.1. Introduction [18-19] 4.2. Hussite rejection of the Catholic Church [20-21] 4.3. Hussite claim of communion under both species as necessary for salvation [22- 26] 4.4. Church properties [27] 4.5. Jan Rokycana [28-33] 4.6. Conclusion [34] 5. Travel back to Tabor [35] 6. Debate with the Taborites [36-73] 6.1. Introduction [36-37] 6.2. Supreme religious authority established by God [38-41] 6.2.1. The Old Testament [38] 6.2.2. The New Testament [39] 6.2.3. Exhortation to the Taborites to obey the Roman Church [40-41] 6.3. Hussite objection: the teachings of the popes are false [42-46] 6.3.1. The papess [43] 6.3.2. Criminal popes [44] 6.3.3. Popes change church laws [45] 6.3.4. Roman communion practice erroneous [46] 6.4. Discussion of communion under both species [47-73] 6.4.1. Hussite arguments [47] 6.4.1.1. Bible [47-48] 6.4.1.2. The Primitive Church [48] 6.4.1.3. The Greek Church [48] 6.4.1.4. Doctors and popes [48] 6.4.2. Piccolomini’s refutation [49-73] 6.4.2.1. Gospel of John [51-52] 6.4.2.2. Synoptic evangelists and Saint Paul [53-55] 6.4.2.3. The Primitive Church [56] 6.4.2.4. The Greek Church [57-59] 6.4.2.5. Doctors [60-61] 6.4.2.6. Popes and councils [62-73] 7. End of visit to Tabor [74-76] 8. Conclusion [77-78] Appendix: Conciliar decree Cum in nonnullis of 15 June 1415 (Council of Konstanz, XIII Session) 6 I. INTRODUCTION 7 1. Context1 2 Piccolomini wrote extensively about Bohemia and the Hussites.3 If anybody in Europe was a specialist on Hussitism, it was he, even if he was somewhat prejudiced in his general understanding of the Hussite phenomenon. Moreover, he may not have fully comprehended the differences between the various Hussite factions.4 He was in Basel during the discussions with the Hussites, being close to Cardinal Cesarini who, by then, favoured a peaceful solution to the Hussite problem. At the imperial chancellery, he had many occasions to deal with Bohemian matters, and he apparently used his access to the imperial archives to study Bohemian history. He travelled in Bohemia, even visiting the Hussite city of Tabor, having direct contacts with persons knowledgeable about Hussitism, and debating with Taborite theologians. He had extensive discussions with Bohemian nobles and especially the Hussite governor of Bohemia, Georg Podiebrad. And he wrote a book on Bohemian history, including the Hussite period. His letters frequently touched upon Bohemian matters, and several of his orations concerned Bohemia, including the two very important orations “Res Bohemicas” from 1456 and “Superioribus diebus” from 1462. In his Revised History of the Council of Basel from 1450, the year before his mission to Bohemia, Piccolomini wrote about the process against Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague at the Council of Constanz,5 the development of Hussitism and the Hussite wars, including the failed crusade against the Hussites led by Cardinal Cesarini in 1431,6 and the debates and negotiations at the Council of Basel with a Hussite delegation.7 In this account, Piccolomini stated as follows concerning the communion under both species: It pleased the council to indulge the Bohemians so that the laity, too, could receive the sacrament of the Eucharist under the species of bread and wine, but with the added condition that they should preach in public sermons that it was not a necessity but a privilege to receive both species.8 In the Revised History, Piccolomini also wrote about the battle of Lipany (1434), opposing various Hussite factions and ending with the defeat of the Taborites and the Orphans.9 So when in Summer 1451, Piccolomini went on an imperial mission to Bohemia, he was reasonably informed about the general and political situation in Bohemia and especially the Hussite question. The object of the mission was to communicate the emperor’s refusal of yet another Bohemian request to end his wardship over the then 11 year old boy king, Ladislaus the Posthumous. He was also to persuade the Bohemian estates to accept that this issue should be deferred until the emperor returned from his coronation voyage to Rome, on which he would be accompanied by Ladislaus. Apparently, Piccolomini was successful in this regard, and he also had a very important political conversation with the Bohemian governor, Georg Podiebrad. The conversation opened the 11 This section is to a great extent based upon the 3 See HB, I, pp. 101-113 section on the Hussite heresy in Pius II: Collected, sect. 4 Kaminsky, p. 302; Fudge: Seduced, pp. 94, 99 6.3.4. 5 Reject, I, p. 323 2 CO, I, 21; HB, I, pp. 486-497; Piccolomini’s orations 6 Reject, I, p. 325-328 “Petivistis ex Caesare” (1451), “Res Bohemicas” (1455) 7 Reject, I, pp.