Pope Pius II

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(Enea Silvio de' Piccolomini).

Born at Corsignano, nearSiena, 18 Oct., 1405; elected 19 Aug., 1458; died atAncona, 14 Aug., 1464. He was the eldest of eighteen children of Silvio de' Piccolomini and Vittoria Forteguerra. Although of noble birth, straitened circumstances forced him to help hisfather in the cultivation of the estate which thefamily owned at Corsignano. This village he later ranked as a town and made an episcopal residence with the name of Pienza (Pius). Having received some elementary instruction from apriest, he entered, at the age of eighteen, theUniversity of Siena. Here he gave himself up to diligent study and the free enjoyment of sensual pleasures. In 1425 the preaching ofSt. Bernardine of Siena kindled in him the desire of embracing a monastic life, but he was dissuaded from his purpose by his friends. Attracted by the fame of the celebrated Filelfo, he shortly after spent two years in the study of the classics and poetry at Florence. He returned toSiena at the urgent request of his relatives, to devoted his time to the study ofjurisprudence. Passing throughSiena on his way to the Council of Basle, Capranica,Bishop ofFermo, invited Enea to accompany him as his secretary. Bishop and secretary arrived there in 1432, and joined the opposition toPope Eugene IV.

Piccolomini, however, soon left the service of the impecunious Capranica for more remunerative employment with Nicodemo della Scala,Bishop of Freising, with Bartolomeo,Bishop ofNovara, and withCardinal Albergati. He accompanied the latter on several journeys, particularly to the Congress ofArras, which in 1435 discussed peace betweenBurgundy andFrance. In the same year his master sent him on a secret mission toScotland. The voyage was very tempestuous and Piccolomini vowed to walk, if spared, barefoot from the port of arrival to the nearest shrine ofOur Lady. He landed at Dunbar and, from thepilgrimage of ten miles through ice and snow to the sanctuary of Whitekirk, he contracted the gout from which he suffered for the rest of his life. Although on his return fromScotlandCardinal Albergati was no longer at Basle, he determined to remain in the city, and to hishumanistic culture and oratorical talent owed his appointment to different important functions by the council. He continued to side with the opposition toEugene IV, and associated particularly with a small circle of friends who worshipped classical antiquity and led dissolute lives. That he freely indulged his passions is evidenced not only by the birth of twoillegitimate children to him (the one inScotland, the other atStrasburg), but by the frivolous manner in which he glories in his own disorders. The low moral standard of the epoch may partly explain, but cannot excuse his dissolute conduct. He had not yet receivedHoly orders, however, and shrank from theecclesiastical state because of theobligation of continence which it imposed. Even the inducement to become one of the electors of a successor toEugene IV, unlawfully deposed, could not overcome this reluctance; rather than receive thediaconate he refused the profferedhonour.

He was then appointed master of ceremonies to theconclave which elected Amadeus ofSavoy to thepapacy. He likewise belonged to the delegation which was to escort to Basle in 1439 the newly- electedantipope, who assumed the name ofFelix V and chose Piccolomini as his secretary. The latter's clearsightedness, however, soon enabled him to realize that the position of theschismatic party could not fail to become untenable, and he profited by his presence as envoy of the council at the Diet ofFrankfort in 1442 again to change masters. His literary attainments were brought to the attention of Frederick III, whocrowned him imperial poet, and offered him a position in his service which was gladly accepted. On 11 Nov., 1442, Enea left Basle forVienna, where he assumed in January of the following year theduties of secretary in the imperial chancery. Receding gradually from his attitude of supporter ofFelix V, he ultimately became, with the imperial chancellor Schlick, whose favour he enjoyed, a partisan ofEugene IV. The formal reconciliation between him and thispope took place in 1445, when he came on an official mission toRome. He was first absolved of the censures which he had incurred as partisan of the Council of Basle and official of theantipope. Hand in hand with this change in personal allegiance went a transformation in his moral character and in March, 1446, he wasordainedsubdeacon atVienna. The same year he succeeded in breaking up the Electors' League, equally dangerous toEugene IV and Frederick III, and shortly afterwards a delegation, of which he was a member, laid before thepope the conditional submission of almost allGermany. In 1447 he was appointedBishop of Trieste; the following year he played a prominent part in the conclusion of the Concordat ofVienna; and in 1450 he received the Bishopric ofSiena. He continued, however, until 1455 in the service of Frederick III, who had frequent recourse to his diplomatic ability. In 1451 he appeared inBohemia at the head of a royal embassy, and in 1452 accompanied Frederick toRome for the imperialcoronation. He was createdcardinal 18 Dec., 1456, byCalixtus III, whose successor he became.

The centralidea of his pontificate was the liberation ofEurope fromTurkish domination. To this end he summoned at the beginning of his reign all theChristian princes to meet in congress on 1 June, 1459. Shortly before his departure for Mantua, where he was personally to direct the deliberations of this assembly, he issued aBull instituting a newreligious order ofknights. They were to bear the name of Our Lady of Bethlehem and to have their headquarters in the Island of Lemnos. History is silent concerning the actual existence of this foundation, and the order was probably never organized. At Mantua scant attendance necessitated a delay in the opening of the sessions until 26 Sept., 1459. Even then but few delegates were present, and the deliberations soon revealed the fact that theChristian states could not be relied on for mutual co-operation against theTurks.Venice pursued dilatory and insincere tactics;France would promise nothing, because thepope had preferred Ferrante ofAragon for the throne ofNaples to the pretender of the House of Anjou. Among the German delegates,Gregory of Heimburg assumed an ostentatiously disrespectful attitude toward Pius II; the country, however, ultimately agreed to raise 32,000 footmen and 10,000 cavalry. But the promise was never redeemed, and although a three years'war was decreed against theTurks, the congress failed of its object, as no practical results of any importance were attained. It was apparent that thepapacy no longer commanded the assent and respect of any of the Powers. This was further demonstrated by the fact that Pius, on the eve of his departure fromMantua, issued theBull "Execrabilis", in which he condemned all appeals from the decisions of thepope to an oecumenical council (18 Jan., 1460).

During the congresswar had broken out in southernItaly about the possession of theKingdom of Naples. Thepope continued to support Ferrante against the Angevin claimant. This attitude was adverse toecclesiastical interests inFrance, where he aimed at the repeal of thePragmatic Sanction ofBourges. At his accession to the throne in 1461, Louis XI suppressed indeed that instrument; but thispapal success was more apparent than real. For Louis's expectation of support in southernItaly was not realized; and opposition to the suppression manifesting itself inFrance, his dealings with theChurch underwent a corresponding change, and royal ordinances were even issued aiming at the revival of the former Gallican liberties. InGermany Frederick III showed readiness to comply with theobligations assumed atMantua, but foreign and domestic difficulties rendered him powerless. Between Pius II and Duke Sigismund of Tyrol, however, an acute conflict developed concerning the Bishopric ofBrixen. Likewise the refusal of theArchbishop ofMainz,Diether of Isenburg to abide by thepope'sdecree of deposition led to civil strife. Diether was ultimately defeated and supplanted by Adolf of Nassau, who had been appointed in his stead. More difficult to adjust were the troubles inBohemia. Hussitism was rampant in the kingdom, which was governed by the wily George Podiebrad, a king seemingly devoid of religious convictions. He had promised in a secretcoronationoath personally to profess theCatholicfaith and to restore, in his realm, union withRome in ritual and worship. This was tantamount to a renunciation of the "Compact of Basle", which, under certain conditions subsequently not observed by theBohemians, had granted them communion under both kinds and other privileges. Thepope, deceived for a time by the protestations of royal fidelity, used his influence to bring back theCatholic city ofBreslau to the king's allegiance. But in 1461 Podiebrad, to further his fanciful schemes of political aggrandizement, promised his subjects to maintain the Compact. When in 1462 his long- promised embassy appeared inRome, its purpose was not only to do homage to thepope, but also to obtain the confirmation of that agreement. Pius II, instead of acceding to the latter request, withdrew the misused concessions made by Basle. He continued negotiations with the king, but died before any settlement was reached.

The prevalence of such discord inChristendom left but little hope for armed opposition to theTurks. As rumours had been circulated that the sultandoubted thefaith ofIslam, thepope attempted to convert him to theChristian faith. But in vain did he address to him in 1461 a letter, in which were set forth the claims ofChristianity on hisbelief. Possibly the transfer with extraordinary pomp of thehead ofSt. Andrew toRome was also a fruitless attempt to rekindlezeal for theCrusades. As a last resort, Pius II endeavoured to stir up the enthusiasm of the apatheticChristian princes by placing himself at the head of thecrusaders. Although seriously ill he leftRome for the East, but died atAncona, the mustering-place of theChristian troops.

There have been widely divergent appreciations of the life of Pius II. While his varied talents and superior culture cannot bedoubted, the motives of his frequent transfer of allegiance, the causes of the radical transformations which his opinions underwent, the influences exercised over him by the environment in which his lot was cast, are so many factors, the bearing of which can be justly and precisely estimated only with the greatest difficulty. In the early period of his life he was, like manyhumanists, frivolous and immoral in conduct and writing. More earnest were his conceptions and manner of life after his entrance into theecclesiastical state. Aspope he was indeed not sufficiently free from nepotism, but otherwise served the best interests of theChurch. Not only was he constantly solicitous for the peace ofChristendom againstIslam, but he also instituted a commission for the reform of the Roman court, seriously endeavoured to restore monastic discipline, and defended thedoctrine of theChurch against the writings of Reginald Peacock, the formerBishop ofChichester. He retracted theerrors contained in his earlier writings in aBull, the gist of which was "Reject Eneas, hold fast to Pius".St. Catherine of Siena wascanonized during his pontificate.

Even among the many cares of his pontificate he found time for continued literary activity. Two important works of his were either entirely or partly written during this period: his geographical and ethnographical description ofAsia andEurope; and his "Memoirs", which are the only autobiography left us by apope. They are entitled "Pii II Commentarii rerum memorabilium, quae temporibus suis contigerunt". Earlier in his life he had written, besides "Eurialus and Lucretia" and the recently discovered comedy "Chrysis", the following historical works: "Libellus dialogorum de generalis concilii auctoritate et gestis Basileensium"; "Commentarius de rebus Basileae gestis"; "Historia rerum Frederici III imperatoris"; "Historia Bohemica". Imcomplete collections of his works were published in 1551 and 1571 at Basle. A critical edition of his letters by Wolkan is in course of publication.

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