1462.
3 Kal. Sept.
(30 Aug.)
Pienza.
(f. 148.) |
To all Christ's faithful in the realm of England. Declaration etc., as below. In the first year of his pontificate, when the pope was going to Mantua for the purpose of holding the assembly which he had appointed for resisting the Turks, he judged necessary to send to Henry king of England and to the said realm in the name of the pope and the apostolic see some one in order to obtain help for the
expedition against the Turks, (fn. 4) and to calm any discords in the realm and endeavour to make peace, and he therefore sent Francis bishop of Terni with the power of a legate de latere, who, as the pope has learned, behaved himself far otherwise than became him, perpetrated things which he was never ordered by the pope to do, and did against the pope's intention and will many things which the pope was afterwards grieved to learn. And since it has been reported to the pope by many that when the said bishop was in England, and grave discords had arisen between the said king and a number of his nobles and barons, so that there was even recourse to arms, he showed himself not a mediator, as became him and as he had been ordered, but a partisan, and adhered to those who had risen against the king, and when a battle was at hand, and both sides were betaking themselves to arms, raised the standard of the Roman church in battle against Christ's faithful, gave plenary absolution of all their sins to those who fell in arms against the king, and on the other hand excommunicated all who were fighting on the king's side, forbade burial to those of them who died in battle, and did many like things, by which he both showed himself partial and an enemy of the king, and also exceeded the limits of his legation and gravely offended the pope and the apostolic see, wherefore the pope, on his return to the pope and so defamed, at once cast him into prison to render an account of his doings and be duly punished for his excesses. In order therefore that none may fear on account of the said censures, interdict of ecclesiastical burial and plenary absolution of sins said to have been promulgated and granted by the said bishop against the helpers of the said king, the pope hereby declares that they emanated without his order, and on the contrary against his intention, and moreover, ad cautelem maiorem, annuls them. Anno primo nostri pontificatus. (G. de Piccolominibus. | D. de Piscia.) [1⅓ pp. See Raynaldi Annales, an. 1460 § 107, 1461 § 116 and 133, 1462 § 48; Fædera, an. 1459 Jan. 7, 1460 Dec. 9, 1461
Nov. 20 and 25, 1462 March 22, and passim in the Calendar of State Papers (Milan), ed. Hinds, Vol. I.] |