Pope Martin V (Latin:Martinus V;Italian:Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), bornOddone Colonna, was the head of theCatholic Church and ruler of thePapal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431.[1] His election effectively ended theWestern Schism of 1378–1417.[not verified in body] As of 2025, he remains the last pope to have taken the pontifical name "Martin".
Oddone Colonna was born between 26 January and 20 February 1369 atGenazzano, the son of AgapitoColonna, Lord of Genazzano,Capranica Prenestina,San Vito andCiciliano from 1374, who died after 23 May 1398, and wife CaterinaConti.[citation needed][2][original research?] He belonged to one of the oldest and most distinguished families ofRome.[citation needed] His brother Giordano, Lord of Genazzano, Capranica Prenestina, San Vito and Ciciliano, a Neapolitan General, Patrician of Naples in 1417, was shortly Prince ofSalerno and Duke ofVenosa from 3 August 1419, dying of plague on 16 August 1422, having married Mascia Annibaldi, who died in 1423, without issue, while his sisterPaola wasLady of Piombino between 1441 and 1445.[citation needed]
In 1409 he took part in theCouncil of Pisa, and was one of the supporters ofAntipope Alexander V. Later he confirmed his allegiance to Alexander's successor,John XXIII, by whom his family obtained several privileges, while Oddone obtained for himself the vicariate ofTodi,Orvieto,Perugia andUmbria; He was excommunicated for this in 1411 by PopeGregory XII.[4] Oddone was with John XXIII's entourage at theCouncil of Constance [Costanza] and followed him in his escape atSchaffhausen [Sciaffusa] on 21 March 1415; later he returned toConstance and took part in the process leading to the deposition of John XXIII.[4]
After deposingAntipope John XXIII in 1415, the Council of Constance (1417) was long divided by the conflicting claims ofPope Gregory XII (1406–15) andAntipope Benedict XIII (1394–1423); eventually Gregory resigned and Benedict was deposed, ending the schism.[5] Age 48,[citation needed] Martin was elected pope at the Council on 11 November 1417, taking his pontifical name in honour ofMartin of Tours, whose feast fell on the day of his election.[6] Participants in the conclave included 23cardinals and 30 delegates of the council.[citation needed] He was ordained a priest on 13 November 1417, and consecrated bishop the next day.[3]
In exchange for the recognition ofJoanna II of Naples, Martin obtained the restitution ofBenevento, several fiefs in the Kingdom of Naples for his relatives and, most important of all, an agreement that Muzio Attendolo, then hired by the Neapolitans, should leave Rome.[6]
After a long stay in Florence while these matters were arranged, Martin was able to enter Rome in September 1420. He at once set to work establishing order and restoring the dilapidated churches, palaces, bridges, and other public structures. For this reconstruction he engaged some famous masters of the Tuscan school and helped instigate the Roman Renaissance.[6]
Faced with competing plans for general reform offered by various nations, Martin V submitted a counter-scheme and entered into negotiations forseparate concordats, for the most part vague and illusory, with theHoly Roman Empire,England,France andSpain.
By 1415Bohemia was in turmoil and the subject of much discussion at the Council of Constance. Adherents ofJan Hus, who had been previouslyburned at the stake as aheretic by the council, adopted the practice ofCommunion under both kinds. The Council sent letters to the civil and ecclesiastical authorities in Bohemia, insisting they deal with the heresy. Bohemian and Moravian nobles responded that the sentence on Hus was unjust and insulting to their country, and promised to protect priests against episcopal prosecutions for heresy.
Dutch:Beghards—community-gathered semi-religious laymen, generally tradesmen, bound if by vow, only temporary ones of chastity and obedience (but not poverty)[7]—arrived in Bohemia, attracted by its reputation for religious liberty.[8] Prague was placed under interdict for sheltering the excommunicatedCzech:Jan of Jesenice.
In 1419King Wenceslaus IV, who had resisted what he considered interference in his kingdom, commanded that all ejected Catholic beneficiaries should be reinstated in their offices and revenues. Prague prepared for armed resistance.Jan Želivský, an extreme anti-Catholic preacher of Prague, led a procession to the town hall, where under the leadership ofJan Žižka of Trocnov, a noble of southern Bohemia, the building was stormed and people found inside were thrown out of the windows on to the spears and swords of the processionists, and hacked to pieces. In Kuttenberg, hundreds of capturedHussites were thrown by the miners into the shafts of disused silver mines. King Wenceslaus swore death to all the rebels, but died of a stroke in August, 1419. The next months were marked by deeds of violence; many citizens, especially Germans, had to flee.[8]
Wenceslaus was succeeded by his brotherSigismund, King of the Romans and King of Hungary, who prepared to restore order. On 1 March 1420, Pope Martin V issued a Bull inviting all Christians to unite in a crusade against the Wycliffites (Lollards), Hussites, and other heretics.[8] In 1428, the pope commanded that the remains ofWycliffe, who was posthumously declared a heretic in 1415, be dug up and burned. The crusades against the Lollards, however, were ultimately unsuccessful.
According to Burton, Pope Martin authorized a crusade against Africa in 1418 in relation to theslave trade.[9]
In addition to the Hussite Crusades, Martin declared a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire in 1420 in response to the rising pressure from the Ottoman Turks. In 1419–1420 Martin had diplomatic contacts with the Byzantine emperorManuel II, who was invoking a council in Constantinople. On 12 July 1420 the Pope conceded to attach an indulgence to anyone who would contribute to a crusade against the latter, which would be led bySigismund, King of the Romans.[4]
The main concern of Martin's pontificate from 1423 was the resumed war against Braccio da Montone. The following year, the combined Papal-Neapolitan army, led byGiacomo Caldora andFrancesco Sforza, defeated him at theBattle of L'Aquila (2 June 1424); Braccio died a few days later.[4]
In the same year Martin obtained a reduction of the autonomy of the commune of Bologna, whose finances would be thenceforth under the authority of a papal treasurer.[4] He also ended the war with Braccio da Montone in exchange for his recognition as vicar[4] and reconciled with the deposed John XXIII, to whom he gave the title of Cardinal of Tusculum.
Canon law prohibited interest upon a loan. To avoid this, annuities were paid, interest in effect but not in name. The dispute as to the legality of annuity contracts was brought before Martin V in 1423. He held that purchased annuities, which were redeemable at the option of the seller, were lawful.[10][11] When the lawfulness of annuities was established, they were widely used in commerce; it seems that city states used them to raise compulsory loans from their citizens.
A decree of the Council of Constance (Frequens) ordered that councils should be held every five years. Martin V summoned a council in 1423 that met first atPavia and later atSiena (the "Council of Siena"). It was rather poorly attended, which gave the Pope a pretext for dissolving it, as soon as it had come to the resolution that "internal church union by reform ought to take precedence over external union". It wasprorogued for seven years. The seventeenth council then met as the "Council of Basel" in February 1431 shortly before Martin's death.
On December 9, 1425, Martin founded theUniversity of Louvain or Universitas Lovaniensis inLeuven (also known as "Louvain" in both English and French), a town in what was then the Duchy of Brabant, and what is modern dayBelgium.
The excitement of the Church during the Hussite movement rendered the Jews apprehensive, and throughEmperor Sigismund, they obtained from Pope Martin V various bulls (1418 and 1422) in which their former privileges were confirmed and in which he exhorted the friars to use moderate language. In the last years of his pontificate, however, he repealed several of his ordinances. A gathering, convoked by theJews inForlì, sent a deputation asking Pope Martin V to abolish the oppressive laws promulgated byAntipopeBenedict XIII. The deputation succeeded in its mission.[12]
During the Middle Ages, slavery had fallen out of usage in Europe, with the Church denouncing enslavement of Christians;[citation needed] however, voyages and discoveries brought other continents, where slavery still existed, into European contact, raising the question of whether slavery of unbelievers and outside of Europe was permitted.[citation needed] According to Burton, Pope Martin V authorized a crusade against Africa in 1418, and this, coupled with a later bull ofPope Eugene IV (1441), sanctioned the Portuguese trade in African slaves.[9] In March 1425, Davis notes that a bull was issued that threatened excommunication for any dealers in Christian slaves and ordered Jews to wear a "badge of infamy" to deter, in part, the buying of Christians.[13] Setton states that in June 1425 Martinanathematized those who sold Christian slaves to Muslims.[14] Maxwell states that traffic in Christian slaves was not banned, instead it was purely sales to non-Christian owners.[15] Davidson argues that the papal bull of excommunication issued to the Genoese merchants ofCaffa related to the buying and selling of Christians, but was considered ineffectual, as prior injunctions against the Viennese—including the Laws of Gazaria—made allowances for the sale of both Christian and Muslim slaves.[16] Semmes states that ten black African slaves were presented to Martin byPrince Henry of Portugal.[17][page needed] Other scholarly sources argue that Martin supported colonial expansion.[18] Davidson argues that Martin's injunction against slavery was not a condemnation of slavery itself, but rather driven through fear of "infidel power".[19]
Norman Housley states that "political weakness compelled the Renaissance Papacy to adopt an acquiescent and unchallenging position when approached for requests for privileges in favour of these ventures", and that he viewed it "hard to avoid the conclusion that the pope was agreeing to whatever was asked of him by the king".[clarification needed][20]
When the second Pope to take the name Martin was elected in 1281, there was confusion over how many Popes had taken the name before. It was believed then that there were three, so the new Pope of 1281 becameMartin IV. But, in reality, those believed to be Martin II and Martin III were actually namedMarinus I andMarinus II, although they are sometimes still referred to as "Martin II" and "Martin III". This has advanced the numbering of all subsequent Popes Martin by two. Popes Martin IV–V were actually the second and third popes by that name.
^His date of birth can be established basing on the following contemporary reports:
In a document issued on January 25, 1391 by Pope Boniface IX, Colonna is reported as being in the 22nd year of his life, see Bianca (2008)Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, op. cit.
According toBartolomeo Platina, 15th-century librarian of theVatican Library (and author ofLiber de Vita Christi ac Omnium Pontificum [The Lives of the Popes]), Martin V died in the 63rd year of his life, seePlatina, B. (1890) [1552]."Martin V. 1417-1431.". In Benham, W. (ed.).Liber de Vita Christi ac Omnium Pontificum [The Lives of the Popes]. London, England: Griffith, Farran, Okenden & Welsh. pp. 200–212, esp. 212. Retrieved16 March 2025.[non-primary source needed] See alsoBauer, Stefan (July 2013) [2008]. "Bartolomeo Sacchi (Platina)". In Pade, Marianne [chair]; Abbamonte, Giancarlo; Bianca, Concetta; Gaisser, Julia; Modigliani, Anna; Osmond, Patricia & Ramminger, Johann (ed.).Repertorium Pomponianum. Retrieved16 March 2025.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
^abMiranda, Salvador (2015). "Innocent VII (1404-1406); Consistory of June 12, 1405 (I); 9. Colonna, Oddone (1368-1431)".The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church(Biographical Dictionary). Miami, FL: Florida Atlantic University and Salvador Miranda.Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved16 March 2025.Education. Studied law at the University of Pavia. /Early life. Referendary and protonotary apostolic in the pontificate of Pope Urban VI. Named auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota and apostolic nuncio in Italy by Pope Boniface IX. /Episcopate. Elected bishop of Urbino in 1380; occupied the see until 1409; he never received the episcopal consecration until his election to the papacy. Administrator of the suburbicarian see of Palestrina, December 15, 1401 until 1405. /Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro in the consistory of June 12, 1405... /Papacy. Elected pope on November 11, 1417. Took the name Martin V. Ordained to the priesthood on Saturday November 13, 1417, in thepresbyterium of the cathedral of Constance, by Cardinal Jean Allarmet de Brogny, bishop of Ostia and Velletri, dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Consecrated bishop on Sunday November 14, 1417, in the samepresbyterium, also by Cardinal Allarmet de Brogny...
^abcdefghBianca, Concetta (2008). "Martino V, Papa".Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 71. Rome, Italy: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani. Il 25 marzo 1409 partecipò alla processione che aprì il concilio di Pisa; qui Oddone abbandonò Gregorio XII per eleggere il 26 giugno 1409 Alessandro V; questi il 21 maggio 1410 concesse ai fratelli di Oddone, Giordano e Lorenzo, il vicariato su Castro e Ripi, che sarebbe stato riconfermato dal successore. Alla morte di Alessandro V partecipò a Bologna, il 17 maggio 1410, all'elezione di Giovanni XXIII, che si appoggiò su di lui e sulla sua famiglia per il prestigio che essi godevano a Roma: il fratello Giordano fu infatti incaricato di scortare a Roma il 15 giugno il cardinale Pietro de Frias, legato pontificio di Giovanni XXIII. Per l'adesione all'obbedienza pisana Oddone fu nel 1411 scomunicato da Gregorio XII; numerosi benefici e incarichi furono invece a lui concessi da Giovanni XXIII, come l'esenzione dalle imposte del sale e del focatico per Pisoniano e Ciciliano, privilegio riguardante i fratelli, ma direttamente concesso a Oddone. Nel febbraio 1411 fu nominato vicario generale in Perugia, Todi, Orvieto e Umbria; nel maggio 1411 anche Terni fece atto di sottomissione al cardinale Colonna. / Dopo la partenza di Giovanni XXIII da Roma, Oddone divenne con tutta probabilità legato dell'Urbe e del Patrimonio. Al seguito di Giovanni XXIII si recò poi al concilio di Costanza e seguì nella fuga il papa a Sciaffusa il 21 marzo 1415, ma ben presto fece ritorno a Costanza, dove divenne testimone del processo che portò alla deposizione del pontefice.
^abcOtt, M. (1910). "Pope Martin V".The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York, NY: Robert Appleton Co. Retrieved16 March 2025.
^Barzun, Jacques & Sørensen, Marie-Louise Stig (17 January 2025). "Devotional Life [in History of Europe: The Middle Ages]".Encyclopædia Britannica (online ed.). Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved16 March 2025.During the 13th and 14th centuries, devotional movements arose that were neither monastic nor clerical in any other sense. The most notable of these was the Beguines, an order of devout women (and occasionally, but more rarely, men, who lived in all-male communities and were called Beghards) who lived together in devotional communities within towns, especially in the Low Countries and the Rhineland, followed no rule, and took no vow. They worked in the towns but lived collectively and might leave for marriage or another form of life at any time. Some of the most important devotional literature of the period was written by and for Beguines.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^abcWilhelm, J. (1910). "Hussites".The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York, NY: Robert Appleton Co. Retrieved17 March 2025.
^Semmes 1996[page needed] citingThompson, Vincent Bakpetu (1987).The Making of the African Diaspora in the Americas, 1441-1900. New York, NY: Longman.[page needed]
^Koschorke, Klaus; Ludwig, Frieder; Delgado, Mariano & Spliesgart, Roland, ed. (2007). "Africa: Africa 1450-1600. B. European Expansion and New Discoveries. 113. The Papal Privileges of Portugal".A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, 1450–1990: A Documentary Sourcebook. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans. p. 144.ISBN9780802828897. Retrieved16 March 2025.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) Note, the Google Books entry for this errantly states Roland Spliesgart as lead author (rather than fourth editor) of this edited work. Note also, the referenced content in this WP article is not available using this URL.
