Halfway down the Danube

Pope Watch 1458, part 6: Interview with a Borgia

A big shout-out to all my (two) readers! For those of you just joining us, here are links to parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. If you've liked what you've read, you should really buy a copy of the I Tatti edition of the Commentaries of Pius II (which will make one of the two very happy).

A very brief summary of the story so far: our hero, Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, cardinal of Siena, fears that an ethically challenged French cardinal, Guillaume d'Estouteville of Rouen, is about to be elected pope. He decides to twist some arms so this will not happen. Next on his list, Vice-Chancellor Rodrigo Borgia, the previous pope's nephew. (All of the following was cut by redactors.)

Then, at first light, Aeneas met the vice-chancellor, Rodrigo, and demanded to know whether he had sold himself to Rouen. "What would you have me do?" he replied, "The thing is settled. A lot of the cardinals met in the latrines and decided to elect him. There's no point remaining with the minority and out of favor with the new pope. I've considered my interests and I'm joining the rest. I won't lose the chancellorship; I have a note from Rouen promising me that. If I don't vote for him, the others will elect him anyway and I'll lose my post."

Aeneas said to him, "Young fool!"

Rodrigo Borgia was twenty-seven years old at this time. For my gentle readers' future use, the Latin here is, "O stulte iuvenis!"

Aeneas said to him, "Young fool! You'll put an enemy of your country in the Apostle's chair? And put your faith in a note from a faithless man? You'll have the note; the chancellorship will go to Avignon. What you've been promised, he's been promised, too, and he's had confirmation. Will Rouen keep faith with him or you? Will a Frenchman be a better friend to a Frenchman or a Catalan?"

Huh? Catalan? you may be asking. But the Borgia family -- originally, de Borja -- were from the Valencia area, and as a cardinal Pope Calixtus III was called 'Il Valentino'.

Will he care more about a foreigner or his fellow countryman? You inexperienced boy! You fool! Take care! Even if you think nothing of the Church of Rome, even if you have no regard for the Christian religion and despise God -- whom you'd provide with such a vicar -- at least take thought for yourself, for you will find yourself among the last and least, if a Frenchman becomes Pope." The vice-chancellor listened patiently to the words of his friend and then reversed his decision completely.

Um, OK. Thirty-four years and several infamous children later, Rodrigo Borgia would be elected Pope Alexander VI. The legend that he bought the papacy with four muleloads of silver is apocryphal.

After this, Aeneas saw the cardinal of Pavia and said to him, "I hear you too have fallen in with those who are going to lect Rouen. Is it true?" He replied, "You've heard correctly. I've agreed to give him my vote so as not to be left by myself. The matter's already decided, you see. So many cardinals have declared for him."

Aeneas replied, "You're not the man I thought you were. How far short you fall of your forebears! Think of your father's brother (or was he your mother's?), Branda, the cardinal of Piacenza. When the papacy lay beyond the mountains in Germany, when John XXIII convened the Council of Constance and conveyed the entire Curia across the Alps,

Not the recent John XXIII, who was a sweetheart. This was the Antipope of that name.

he never rested until he had brought the Holy See back to Italy. It was thanks to his diplomacy, devotion and skill that, when the contestants for the papacy all withdrew, Martin V was elected pope, a Roman of the house of Colonna. Branda brought the Apostolic Curia back from Germany to Italy; will you, his nephew, take it from Italy to France? Will an Italian prefer France over Italy? Rouen will put his own nation's interests before those of Italy; this Frenchman will fly to France, the supreme office under his wing.

Yes, Aeneas is talking about Italia. Contrary to Metternich's later quip, the idea of Italy was definitely present, even then.

"You say, 'He has sworn. He will not leave the province without the college's permission, and if he asks to go, we will not consent.' What cardinal will dare to oppose him once he is seated on the apostolic throne? You'll be the first, once you've secured some rich benefice, to say, 'Go where you will, Holy Father.' And what is Italy, our country, without the bishop of Rome? We have lost the empire but we still have the papacy; in this one light do we see the light! And now we're going to lost it, with your support, your persuasion, your help. A French pope will either go to France, leaving our beloved country bereft of its splendor, or he'll stay among us, and Italy, the queen of nations, will serve a foreign master. We'll be slaves of the French. The kingdom of Sicily will fall into French hands. The French will possess all the cities and strongholds of the Church. You might have learned from Calixtus, for when he was pope, there was nothing the Catalans did not get. You tried the Catalans, and now you want to try the French? You'll be sorry if you do! You'll see the college full of Frenchmen and we'll never get the papacy back again. Are you too stupid to see that this will lay a yoke on your nation forever?

"And what can I say about the man's life? Have you no shame? To entrust Christ's succession to this slippery character, a man who'd sell his own soul? A fine bridegroom you've chosen for the bride of Christ! You're trusting the lamb to the wolf! Where is your conscience, your passion for justice, your common sense? Will you completely betray yourself this way? Haven't we heard you say over and over that the Church would be ruined if it fell into Rouen's hands and that you'd rather die than vote for the man? Why have second thoughts? Has he changed overnight from a demon to an angel of light? Or have you changed (from angel into devil!) so you now adore his lust and filth and greed? Where is your love for your country, your consistent support for Italy over every other nation? I used to think that even if everyone else abandoned their devotion to her, you never would; but you've failed me. No, rather you've failed yourself and your country -- Italy! -- unless you come to your senses."

Pavia was stunned by these words and burst into tears, overcome by grief and shame alike.

Um, OK.

Then, stifling his sobs, he said, "I am ashamed, Aeneas. But what can I do? I've promised. If I don't vote for Rouen, I'll be accused of treachery." Aeneas answered, "As far as I can see, you're at the point where you'll be guilty of treachery whatever you do. The choice is this: do you want to betray Italy, your country, and the Church, or will you betray Rouen?" Pavia was convinced: there would be less shame in failing Rouen.

Aeneas later replaced Pavia with his protege, the humanist Jacopo Ammannati.

Next: the ballot.

Posted by coyu at February 24, 2005 04:53 AM