Forgot password? Don't have an account? Sign in via your Institution. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Sign in with your library card Please enter your library card number. Basel, Council of in World Encyclopedia Length: 64 words. All rights reserved. Sign in to annotate. Delete Cancel Save. Cancel Save. The members then nominated Bishop Philibert of Constance as president. In the general assembly 6 December, he refused to agree to the wishes of the majority that Basle, Avignon , or some city of Savoy should be selected as the meeting place of the council to be held for the reunion of the Greeks with the Western Church , but he continued to act as president till the 31st of July, , when a decree was passed summoning Pope Eugene IV to appear at Basle within sixty days to answer for his disobedience.
After his withdrawal, Cardinal d'Allemand played the leading part and on the election of the antipope , Felix V , was nominated by him as president of the assembly. The nomination however, was disregarded by the members who thereupon elected the Archbishop of Tarentaise. These six came together 11 April and issued pressing letters of invitation to the cardinals , bishops , and princes of Europe. On the reception of this letter the legate determined, after consultation with Sigismund, to remain with the military forces, but at the same time to dispatch two of his companions, John of Palomar and John of Ragusa , to act as his representatives at Basle.
These arrived there on 19 July and held an assembly 23 July in the Cathedral of Basle at which the documents of authorization were read, and the council declared formally opened. Though there were not a dozen members present the assembly immediately arrogated itself the title of a general council , and began to act as if its authority were secured. The delegate who was unfavourable to the continuance of the council represented to the pope that very few prelates had attended, that there was little hope of an increased number owing to the war between Burgundy and Austria and the general unsafety of the roads, and that even the city of Basle itself was in danger and its people unfriendly to the clergy.
Meanwhile the assembly at Basle had entered into communication with the Hussites , requesting them to send representatives to the council, and, in case they complied, granting letters of safe-conduct. This was understood at Rome as indicating a desire to reopen for discussion questions of doctrine already settled at Constance and at Sienna , and as a result Eugene IV issued 18 December a Bull dissolving the council and convoking another to meet at Bologna.
Naturally enough, the Bull of dissolution, though not entirely unexpected, gave great offense, to those present, and on the 3rd of January, , when it was to have been read, the members absented themselves from the sitting to prevent its publication. Sigismund, who had already appointed Duke William of Bavaria protector of the council, was also opposed to the action of Eugene IV , as he had great hopes that through this council the Hussite controversy might be terminated; on the other hand, he wished to stand well with the pope , from whom he expected the imperial crown.
Hence it is that while sympathizing generally with the council, he played the role of mediator rather than that of defender. Delegates were dispatched from Basle to secure the withdrawal of the Bull. Many of the princes of Europe who had hoped for useful reforms from the labours of the council expressed their disapproval of the papal action, and more especially the Duke of Milan who was personally hostile to Eugene IV.
Relying on this support the second public session was held 15 February, at which were renewed the decrees of Constance declaring that a general council had its authority directly from Christ and that all, even the pope , are bound to obey it. Besides, it was decreed that the "General Council" now in session could not be transferred, prorogued, or dissolved without its own consent.
Everything seemed just then to favour the council. Sigismund had a powerful army in Northern Italy ; an Assembly of the French Clergy at Bourges February, declared for the continuation of the council at Basle and resolved to send representatives; the Duke of Burgundy wrote that he would send the bishops of his own nation and would use his influence with the King of England to induce him to do likewise; the Dukes of Milan and Savoy were equally sympathetic, while the Paris University declared that the devil alone could have inspired the pope to adopt such a course.
Thus encouraged the council held its third public session 29 April, in which the pope was commanded to withdraw the Bull of dissolution and to appear at Basle either personally or by proxy within three months. A similar summons was addressed to the cardinals , and both pope and cardinals were threatened with judicial proceedings unless they complied.
In the fourth public session 20 June, it was decreed that in case the papal throne should become vacant during the time of the council, the conclave could be held only at its place of session; that in the meantime Eugene IV should appoint no cardinals except at the council, nor should he hinder any person from attending, and that all censures pronounced against it by him were null and void.
They even went so far as to appoint a governor for the territory of Avignon and to forbid any papal embassy to approach Basle unless letters of safe-conduct had been previously requested and granted. Sigismund was in constant communication with the pope and urged him to make some concessions. In the beginning Eugene IV agreed to allow a national council to be held in some German city for the reform of the abuses in the Church of Germany and for the settlement of the Hussite controversy.
Later on, he was willing to permit the council at Basle to continue its discussions on church reform, the Hussite controversy, and the establishment of peace among Christian nations, provided that its decisions were subject to the papal confirmation, and provided, too, that a council should be held in Bologna, or some Italian city for the reunion of the Eastern Church.
Sigismund forwarded this letter to Basle 27 July and exhorted the delegates to moderation. On the 22d of August, the plenipotentiaries of the pope were received at Basle and addressed the council at length, pointing out that the monarchical form of government was the one established by Christ, that the pope was the supreme judge in ecclesiastical affairs, and that the Bull of dissolution was not due to the pope's jealousy of a general council as such.
They ended by declaring that the assembly at Basle, if it persisted in its opposition to Eugene, could be regarded only as a schismatical conventicle, and was certain to lead, not to reform, but to still greater abuses.
In the name of the pope they made an offer of Bologna or some city in the Papal States as the place for the future council, the pope to resign his sovereign rights over the city selected, so long as the assembly should be in session.
The council replied to this communication 3 September by reasserting the superiority of a general council over the pope in all matters appertaining to faith , discipline, or the extirpation of schism , and by an absolute rejection of the offers made by the penipotentiaries. In October, the standing orders for the transaction of the business of the council were drawn up. Without reference to their ecclesiastical rank the members were divided into four committees, on which the four nations attending the council should be equally represented.
The votes of the cardinals or bishops were of no more importance than those of the professors, canons, or parish priests ; in this way it was secured that the inferior clergy should have the controlling voice in the decisions of the council. Each committee was to carry on its sittings in a separate hall and to communicate its decisions to the others, and it was only when practical unanimity had been secured among the committees that the matter was introduced at a public session of the whole body.
This arrangement, whereby the irresponsible members had gained the upper hand, tended to bring affairs to a crisis. In the seventh public session 6 November it was arranged that in case of Eugene's death the cardinals should appear at the council within 60 days for the holding of the conclave.
Shortly afterwards, at the eighth public session 18 December , the pope was allowed a further term of sixty days to withdraw the Bull of dissolution, under threat of canonical proceedings in case he failed to comply, and, finally, at the tenth public session 19 February, this threat was enforced, and in the presence of five cardinals and forty-six bishops the pope was declared contumacious and canonical proceedings were instituted against him.
Eugene IV , afflicted with bodily suffering, deserted by many of his cardinals , and hard pressed by Italian rebels, endeavoured by every means in his power, together with the support of Philip, Duke of Milan , to bring about a settlement. He proposed 14 December, an Italian town as the place for the council, allowing the assembly at Basle four months to settle up the Hussite controversy; on the rejection of this, he agreed that it should be held in a German city provided twelve impartial bishops and the ambassadors of the different countries so wished it.
Later still 1 February, he accepted a German town unconditionally, and even went so far as to agree to accept 14 February, Basle itself in case the decrees against the papal power were withdrawn, his own legate allowed to preside, and the number of bishops present at least seventy-five. These offers were rejected by the council March, , the decree about the superiority of a general council renewed 27 April , and it was with difficulty that Duke William of Bavaria prevented the opening of the process against the pope in the twelfth general session 13 July.
Meanwhile Sigismund had made peace with Eugene and had received the imperial crown in Rome 31 may, He requested the council not to proceed further against the pope until he himself should be present, and on the other hand he pressed the pope to make some further concession. In response to this appeal Eugene issued 1 August, a Bull in which he declared that he was willing and content that the council should be recognized as lawfully constituted from the beginning and continued as if nothing had happened, and that he himself would assist its deliberations by every means in his power, provided, however, that his legates were admitted as real presidents, and that all decrees against himself or his cardinals were withdrawn.
This change was displeasing to the council, implying, as it did, mere toleration and not the approbation which they desired; so relying upon Eugene's troubles in Italy with the Colonnas, the Duke of Milan , and others, they refused to accept even this concession. Finally, on the 15th of December, , Eugene issued a Bull in which he accepted the formula "we decree and declare" by which he withdrew all his previous manifestos against the Council of Basle.
Thus peace was established between the two parties, but the reconciliation was more apparent than real. The papal legates were indeed admitted as presidents, but their jurisdiction was denied, their powers limited by the will of the council, they were even forced to accept the decrees of Constance which they did in their own name but not in the name of the pope 24 April, , and finally when in the eighteenth public session 26 June the Constance decrees were solemnly renewed they refused to attend.
In spite of their efforts the council continued in its opposition to the pope , claiming jurisdiction in all affairs, political and religious, and entering into negotiations with the Greeks about the reunion of the Churches. At the twentieth public session 22 January, the reform of the church discipline was begun.
Decrees were passed against concubinage of the clergy and the abuse of excommunications and interdicts. Latest Key Figures. Latest Financial Press Releases and Reports.
Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Share Information. Specialty Products. Catalogs, Flyers and Price Lists. Open Access. Open Access for Authors. Open Access and Research Funding. Open Access for Librarians. Open Access for Academic Societies. About us. Stay updated. Corporate Social Responsiblity. Investor Relations. Review a Brill Book. Reference Works. Primary source collections. Open Access Content. Contact us. Sales contacts. Publishing contacts. Social Media Overview.
Terms and Conditions. Privacy Statement. Login to my Brill account Create Brill Account. Authors: Michiel Decaluwe , Thomas M. Izbicki , and Gerald Christianson. The Council of Basel met to defend the faith and reform the Church. The council divided over the site of a council of union with the Eastern churches. While that council was negotiating reunion with Eastern churches, in Basel was acting to claim supremacy and depose Eugenius.
These essays address multiple aspects of the Council of Basel, including its reforming efforts and bureaucracy. Izbicki, Jesse D.
0コメント