URBAN
216
tfRBAM
Akms of Urba
The ancient lives will be found in Baluze, VUce paparum Aven-
ionensium (Paris. 1693); see also the Procis-Verbaux. written ia
1376 and the following years, of the miracles wrought by his
intercession, and the process for his canonization undertaken by
order of Clement VII in Alban'ES. Acte^i anciens et documents
concernant le B. Urbain V (Paris, 1897) ; see also LF.CACHErx,
Leilres secreles et curmles du Pape Urbain V (Paris. 1900) ; HocE-
DEZ, La Vita Prima Urbani V auctore anonymo in Annlecta
Botlandiana, XXVI (Brussels, 1907); the best modern life is
Chaill.\n. B. Urbain V in the series Les Saints (Paris. 1911).
Pastor. History of the Popes, I (London, 1891); Creighton,
History of the Papacy, I (London. 1882); Milman. History of
Latin Christianity, VIII (London. 1872): GREGOROVirs. Rome in
the Middle Ages, tr. Hamilton-, VI, pt. II (London, 1898); Cole-
ridge in The Month, II (London, 1865); Prou, Etude sur les
relations politiques du Pape Urbain V avec les rois de France Jean
II el Charles V (Paris, 1888); Liber Pontif, ed. Duchesne, II
(Paris, 1892); Chaillan. Studium d' Urbain V a Trels (Paris.
1898); Idem. Studium d' Urbain Va Manosque (Aix-en-Provence,
1904); GtJiRAUD, Fondations du Pape Urbain V a Montpellier
(3 vols., 1889-91); Fournier, Statuts et privileges des universites
fran^aises (Paris. 1890 — ); Denifle. Chartularium Unisersilalis
Parisiensis (Paris, 1889-94) ; Chevalier. Bio-bibliographie, 4600.
Raymdnd Webster.
Urban VI, Pope (Bartolomeo Prigxano), the first Roman pope during the Western Schism, b. at Naples, about 1.318; d. at Rome, 15 Oct., 1389; according to many he was poisoned by the Romans. At an early age he went to Avignon, where ne gained many powerful friends. On 21 March, 1364, he was consecrated Archbishop of Acerenza in the Kingdom of Naples, and on 14 April, 1377, Gregory XI trans- ferred him to the archiepiscopal See of Bari, on the coast of the Adriatic. Meanwhile the Cardinal Vice- Chancellor, Peter of Pampelona, remaining at Avignon, Prignano was given the management of the papal chancery. After the death of Gregory XI the Conclave proposed him as a candidate for the tiara. Not only his business abihty, integrity, and knowledge of law, but also his being a subject of Queen Joanna of Naples favoured his eligibility. The Conclave of 1378, which opened on 7 April (nine days after Gregory's death), was influenced by the pubhc opinion of Rome; it consisted of four ItaUan cardinals, five French, and seven belonging to the Limoges faction. The Italian and French cardinals, though anxious to push forward their own candidates, unanimously determined to oppose one of the Limoges party. The latter were not strong enough to advance a candidate, but they hoped to make an alliance with the less important parties and so attain their end. Their plan, however, was frustrated, the French and the Italians having previously resolved to choose a prel- ate outside the Sacred College. Robert of Geneva (one of the French cardinals) even resigned his claim in favour of Prignano, and Pedro de Luna (Robert's successor in the See of Avignon) did the same. In this way Prignano's chances increased considerably. An Italian, though not a Roman, he was supported by the rivalry of the parties. Perhaps the French and Italian cardinals expected that, not being a cardinal, he would be an obedient pope, and for this reason some of the Limoges party, uneasy about the coalition between the French and the Italian cardi- nals, were drawn to this candidature.
This conclave was one of the shortest in history. When the cardinals entered the Vatican some of the populace .stole into the palace and tried to extort the promise that an Italian pope would be chosen. Cardi- nal d'Aigrefeuille declared that the cardinals could not make any such concessions, but the disappointed people remained in the Vatican the whole night, drinking the wine and crying: "Romano lo volemo, o al manco Itahano." The next morning, while the cardinals were at Mass, the tocsin was rung, and suddenly the bells of St. Peter mingled their tones with it. Fear and disorder overtook the cardinals;
the guardian of the conclave besought them to hasten,
saying that the people wanted a Roman or an Italian,
and that resistance would be dangerous. Then
Pedro de Luna (Benedict XIII) proposed the elec-
tion of the Archbishop of Bari, adding that he was,
as they all knew, a saintly, learned man, of mature
age. This proposal obtained the desired effect.
After some hesitation, the cardinals, excepting
Orsini (who declared himself not sufficiently hee),
agreed to accept Prignano, but preferred to keep their
choice secret until certain that the latter would
accept. Prignano was requested to repair to the Vati-
can accompanied by several other prelates, so as to
conceal from the people the person chosen. The
uproar did not abate, and the cardinals began to fear
that their choice would not satisfy the multitude.
During a comparative calm thej' went to breakfast
and renewed the election of Prignano. The lawful-
ness and renewed choice thus having been established,
Orsini announced the election of a pope to the people,
omitting to mention the name. Various suppositions
soon ran through the crowds, some saying that the
chosen one was Tebaldeschi (an aged Italian cardinal)
and others that Jean de Bar (one of the most detested
servants of Gregory) was elected. The confusion
increased. Suddenly the cardinals took a desperate
resolution. They presented Tebaldeschi, in the
papal insignia, to the people and commenced the
"Te Deum", paying no attention to his refusal and
protests. Meanwhile, Prignano had reached the
Vatican and declared that he accepted the papal
dignity and the homage of all the cardinals. One
fact seems evident : the moment the cardinals regarded
the choice of Prignano as vahd, they removed all
doubt by a re-election and honoured him as the
rightful successor of St. Peter.
It is to be regretted that after his election Prignano did not show the good qualities which had distin- guished him before. Soon he quarrelled with the Sacred College. Desirous of reforming the Church in head and members, he began aright by a reform of the Curia, though perhaps not with the necessary prudence. It was unwi.se to abuse the cardinals and high dignitaries of the Church and to insult Otto of Brunswick (husband of Joanna of Naples). Never- theless, public opinion was in the beginning favour- able to him, and not only the cardinals in Rome, but also the six who remained at Avignon submitted to him. However the tempest, which broke out at Fondi in September of the same year, was already brewing at Rome a few weeks after his election. Urban's ambassadors, doubtless inspired by the French and Limousin cardinals, left Rome too late, when the calumnies concerning the illegitimacy of the pope's election were widespread. The ground having thus been prepared, the opposition was strengthened at Rome; Castel Sant' Angelo never hoisted I'rban's colours, and the discontented found there a refuge and the protection of armed soldiers. The heat of early May afforded the dissatisfied cardi- nals a pretext for leaving Rome for Anagni, but no public sign of rebellion showed itself, Urban's opj^o- nents preferring, perhaps, to conceal their project for the present. 'The pope's suspicions were eventu- ally aroused, and in June he requested the three Italian cardinals who had not followed the others to join their colleagues and to try and restore kinder feelings. The French cardinals renewed their prot- estation of fidehly to the pope, but assembled the same day lo cstalilish the unlawfulness of the April election. Moreover they eventually won over the Italian members of the Sacred College.
Meanwhile, in the name of the pope, the aforesaid cardinals proposed two expedients to settle the differences, a general council or a compromise. Both these means were made ti.se of at the time of the Western Schism. But the opponents of I'rban
