POPE GREGORY VIII AND THE THIRD CRUSADE
POPE PIUS II, STATESMAN, AUTHOR AND ORATOR
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash
Pope Pius II reigned 19 August, 1458 – 14 August 1464. He was born Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini in Cosigno, near Siena 18 October 1405. His was a poor noble family trying to cultivate a rundown estate. Getting some early education from his priest, Aeneas got into the University of Siena at 18. He studied hard and played harder.
In 1425, Aeneas heard St. Bernardine of Siena speak. Bernardine’s words almost got Aeneas to adopt the religious life. But his friends talked him out of it.
A few years later, Aeneas studied poetry and classics in Florence. He then returned to Siena to study law. Shortly after he got back, he met Cardinal Domenico Capranica, the Bishop of Fermo, who was on his way to the Council of Basel. This was a council bent on church reform. Capranica hired Aeneas as his secretary, and they continued to Basel. There they formed part of the opposition to Pope Eugene IV. Unfortunately, Capranica had difficulty with money so he “rented out” his secretary to various other bishops.
Eventually, Aeneas ended up working for Cardinal Albergati. He went with Albergati on various diplomatic missions. After a time, he was sent to Scotland alone. The sea voyage was rough. The young diplomat feared for his life and vowed to walk barefoot to the nearest shrine to Our Lady, if she would get him to land safely. He landed and walked, through ice and snow, the ten miles to Our Lady of Whitekirk. His experience made him develop gout, which bothered him the rest of his life.
In 1436, Aeneas returned to Basel. His original employer, to whom he still owed allegiance, decided to back Eugene IV and left the council. Aeneas stayed on, taking minor roles in the meetings and showing great oratorical skills. He fueled opposition to Pope Eugene and led a dissolute lifestyle. But he retained his Faith. He was offered the diaconate so that he could be an elector at the next conclave. He refused but did serve as master of ceremonies at the next conclave, which elected Anti-pope Felix V.
For several years, Aeneas served as secretary to the Anti-pope. He came to realize how poor the Council’s position was. He was sent to represent the prelates at the Diet of Frankfurt. And changed his position on Church reform.
He was invited by King Frederick III of Austria to be his secretary and poet laureate. In 1443, Aeneas moved to Vienna and worked in the Imperial Chancery. He became actively pro-Pope Eugene. A sudden illness brought him to amend his life. In two years, he was officially reconciled to the pope and absolved for his part at Basel. He converted his lifestyle.
In March 1446, Aeneas was ordained a subdeacon after breaking up the Electors League, which consisted of princes politically against Pope Eugene and King Frederick.
A year later, he was consecrated Bishop of Trieste by Pope Nicholas V and in 1450, he became the Bishop of Siena. Not only did he work at his see, but he did diplomatic work still. Six years later King Frederick was elected Holy Roman Emperor. Bishop Aeneas accompanied him to Rome for the coronations. Pope Callistus III made him a cardinal as a reward for negotiating peace with Alfonso or Aragon and Naples.
In 1458, Aeneas was elected pope at the death of Callixtus, taking the name Pius. Pius’s goal was to restore peace in the west. He was able to regain control of the papal states. He reduced the French ecclesiastical independence after King Louis XI came to the throne. Pius was very reform-minded and appointed a commission to set up a means of reforming the Church.
He was very supportive of the concept of a crusade. Six months later, Pius called for an assembly of European rulers at Mantua. Few of the leaders attended. Fewer were willing to help.
Later, a lull in the western European hostilities and promises of support made the now-sickly old man decide to lead the Crusade himself. He went to Ancona, where the Crusaders were to gather. Before he could step onboard a ship, he died. The troops dispersed.
His heart was interred at Ancona. His body was buried at the old St. Peters.
Even during his busy pontificate, Pope Pius Ii continued a literary life. He wrote a geographical and ethnological description of Asia and Europe and wrote his “Memoirs”. He wrote historical works, a comedy and other works previous to them.
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About the Author
Debra Booton McCoy is a cradle Catholic and is a native of central New York. She works in the health care field and spends her spare time writing and enjoying her family, two grown children, and husband Bob. Growing up through the Vatican II era, she remembers the traditional teaching of the Church and was witness to the changes. For many years Debra was a Catholic on the sidelines, going to Mass every week, but not living the Faith. When she decided to homeschool her son, she found that she had to teach herself what she had forgotten or never learned. That is when she realized her role.
Debra is a published author, having written a column for a women’s monthly newspaper in the mid-1990s. Debra started a Catholic publishing company in 2013, Lanternarius Press. With that, she published her first book in 2014, an edited version of a French book from the 1800s, “A Catholic Mother Speaks to Her Children” by Marie, Countess de Flavigny. This is an advice book for children. She has also edited and published an advice book for young men, "Conferences for Boys" by Fr. Reynauld Kuenhel. For those who like stories of popes, Debra is writing a series, using many of the articles on this site. The first book is History of the Popes, 34AD - 499AD.
You can visit her website at http://lanternariuspress.net or visit Lanternarius Press on Facebook.
