Boniface IX, Pope

BONIFACE IX, POPE. — When Urban VI died in Rome on 15 October 1389, he left the papacy in extremely difficult circumstances; Clement VII was seated as antipope in Avignon, while those who had remained faithful to the Roman obedience had become disgusted with Urban’s bitter excesses. The 14 cardinals loyal to him promptly assembled in Rome and on 2 November elected as pope Cardinal Pietro Tomacelli, a Neapolitan, under the name of B. IX. He was in the prime of manhood, courteous and conciliatory in manner, but resolute and perceptive; consequently, he soon succeeded in winning back those who had moved away from Urban and in restoring the fortunes of his obedience, which had also been seriously compromised by the rebellion of some cardinals. Excommunicated by Clement VII, he responded with a counter-excommunication, making a personal understanding for ending the schism impossible. What the state of mind of the Avignonese party was, moreover, became clear at Clement’s death (16 September 1394), when his cardinals, deaf to the appeal of Charles VI of France to refrain from a new election, elected Cardinal Pietro de Luna twelve days later under the name of Benedict XIII, frustrating every attempt at reunion. To eliminate the power of Louis II of Anjou, who had succeeded in taking possession of a large part of the kingdom of Naples, B. supported the fortunes of the house of Durazzo by every means at his disposal; he undertook to disperse the Breton bands that still held power around Lake Bolsena and to recover Viterbo. Forced to leave Rome in October 1392 because of his disputes with the Romans, B. took refuge in Perugia; he returned to Rome on 26 September 1393 after having compelled the Romans to accept terms that made him the true lord of the city. Having broken the power of Onorato Caetani, Count of Fondi, and of Giovanni di Sciarra, thanks to the assistance of Ladislaus, King of Naples, he was able to secure predominance over all his enemies. For this reason, in 1400 he undertook to rebuild Castel S. Angelo, which the Romans had destroyed under Urban VI, and to fortify the Capitoline Hill. In these hazardous undertakings B. was effectively assisted by his brother Andrea and by his nephews, toward whom he displayed a favor that seemed excessive, but which should be excused on account of the needs of the moment. He did not shrink from obtaining the necessary money through the granting of indulgences and spiritual graces, through the granting of benefices, in violation of ecclesiastical laws, and through the imposition and intensification of taxes, such as the “annates,” when conferring minor benefices; for this he was accused of simony, and ecclesiastical discipline certainly suffered serious harm as a result, while those abuses that the following age vainly set out to eradicate gained broad ground. The jubilees of 1389 (already promulgated by his predecessor) and of 1400 also served to increase B.’s prestige in all the countries of his obedience, particularly in Germany, where they recognized Rupert after the deposition of the emperor Wenceslaus. His Avignonese adversary was struggling with still greater difficulties: on 8 January 1404 he promulgated five bulls promising to work for the restoration of religious unity; at the end of June he decided to send an embassy to Rome charged with seeking a meeting with B. in order to bring peace to the Church. His ambassadors arrived in Rome on 22 September; on 1 October B. IX died without having been able to conclude anything on the matter. During his pontificate he created six cardinals and canonized Bridget of Sweden.