Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/675

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EUGENE
601
EUGENE

with Mass and Office rilu duplici on the anniversary of his death.

For the earlier lives by Boso, John of Salisbury, Bern- hard Guidoms, and Amalricus Augerii see Muratori. .SS. Rer. Hal., Ill, 439 sqq. Cf. Lib. Ponl., ed. Duchesne, II, 386; Hefele, Conciliengesch., V, 494; his letters are in P. L., CLXXX. 1009 sqq. (Jaffe, II, 20 sqq.). See also Sainati, Vita del beato Eugenio III (Monza. 1874); Annal. Bolland. (1S91), X, 45.5; and histories of the city of Rome by Von Reumont and Gregorovius.

James F. Loughlin.

Eugene IV (Gabriello Condulmaro, or Con- DULMERio), b. at Venice, 1383; elected 4 March, 1431; d. at Rome, 23 Feb., 1447. He sprang from a wealthy Venetian family and was a nephew, on the mother's side, of Gregory XII. His personal presence was princely and imposing. He was tall, thin, with a re- markably winning countenance. Com- ing at an early age into the possession of great wealth, he distributed 20,000 ducats to the poor and, turning his back upon the world, entered the Augustinian monastery of St. George in his native city. At the age of twenty-four he was appointed by his uncle Bi-shop of Siena; but since the people of that city objected to the rule OF tuGENE IV of a foreigner, he resigned the bishopric and, in 140S, was created Cardinal-Priest of St. Clem- ent. He rendered signal service to Pope Martin V by his labours as legate in Picenum ( March of Ancona) and later by quelling a sedition of the Bolognesi. In recog- nition of his abilities, the conclave, assembled at Rome in the church of the Minerva after the death of Martin V, elected Cardinal Condulmaro to the papacy on the first scrutiny. He assumed the name of Eugene IV, possibly anticipating a stormy pontificate similar to that of Eugene III. Stormy, in fact, his reign was destined to be; and it cannot be denied that many of his troubles were owing to his own want of tact, whicii alienated all parties from him. By the terms of the capitulation which he signed before election anil afterwards confirmed by a Bull, Eugene secured to the cardinals one-half of all the revenues of the Church, and promised to consult with them on all questions of importance relating to the spiritual and temporal con- cerns of the Church and the Papal Stat3S. He was crowned at St. Peter's, 11 March, 1431.

Eugene continued on the throne his simple routine of monastic life and gave great edification by his regu- larity and unfeigned piety. But his hatred of nepo- tism, the solitary defect of his great predece,ssor, led him into a fierce and sanguinary conflict with the house of Colonna, which would have resulted disas- trously for the pope, had not Florence, Venice, and Naples come to his aid. A peace was patched up by virtue of which the Colonnesi surrendered their castles and paid an indemnity of 7.5,000 ducats. Scarcely was this danger averted when Eugene became in- volved in a far more serious struggle, destined to trouble his entire pontificate. Martin V had con- voked the Council of Basle (q. v.) which opened with scant attendance 23 July, 1431. Ui.strusting the spirit which was reigning at the council, Eugene, by a Bull dated 18 Dec, 1431, dissolved it, to meet eigh- teen months later in Bologna. There is no doubt that this exercise of the papal prerogative would sooner or later have become imperative; but it seems unwise to have resorted to it before the council had taken any overt steps in the wrong direction. It al- ienated public opinion, and gave colour to the charge tliat the ( 'uria was opposed to any measures of reform. ■The prelates at B:isle refu.sed to separate, and issued an encyclical to all the faithful in which they pro- claimed their determination to continue their labours. In this course they had the assurance of support from all the .secular powers, and on Hi Feb., 1432, they re- asserted the Gallican doctrine of the superiority of the


council to the pope (see Constance, Council op). All efforts to induce Eugene to recall his Bull of disso- lution having failed, the council, on 29 April, formally summoned the pope and his cardinals to appear at Basle within three months, or to be punished for con- tumacy. The schism which now seemed inevitable was for the time averted by the exert ions of Sigismund, who had come to Rome to receive the imperial crown, 31 May, 1433. The pope recalled the Bull and ac- knowledged the council as ceeumenical, 15 Dec, 1433. In the following May, 1434, a revolution, fomented by the pope's enemies, broke out in Rome. Eugene, in the garb of a monk, and pelted with stones, escaped down the Tiber to Ostia, whence the friendly Floren- tines conducted him to their city and received him with an ovation. He took up his residence in the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella, and sent Vitelleschi, the militant Bishop of Recanati, to restore order in the States of the Church.

The prolonsi'il M.jduni of tlic Roman Court in Flor- ence, then the centre of the literary activity of the age.

San Salvatore in Lauro, Rome


gave a strong impetus to the Humanistic movement. During his stay in the Tuscan capital, Eugene conse- crated the beautiful cathedral, just then finished by Brunelle-schi. Meanwhile, the rupture between the Holy See and the revolutionists at Ba.sle, now com- pletely controlled by the radical party under the leadership of Cardinal d'AUemand, of Aries, became complete. This time our sympathies are entirely on the side of the pontiff, for the proceedings of the little coterie which assumed the name and authority of a general council were utterly subversive of the Divine constitution of the Church. By abolishing all sources of papal revenue and restricting in every way the papal prerogative, they sought to retluce the head of the Church to a mere shadow. Eugene answered with a dignified appeal to the European powers. The struggle came to a crisis in the matter of the negotia- tions for union with the Greeks. The majority at Basle were in favour of holding a council in France or Savoy. But geography was against them. Italy was much more convenient for the Greeks; and they declared for the pope. This so provoked the radical party at Ba.sle that on 3 July, 14.37, they issued a mnniium against Eugene, heaping all sorts of accusa- tions upon him. In reply the pope publi-shed (18 Sept.) a Bull in which he transferred the council to Ferrara. Though the council declared the Bull in- valid, and threatened the pope with deposition, yet the Bull dealt a deadly blow to the adversaries of papal suprera.acy. The better disposed leaders, no- tably Cardinals Cesarini and Cusa, left them and re- paired to Ferrara, where the council convened by Eu- gene opened, 8 Jan., 1438, under the presidency of Cardinal Albergati.