Pope Eugenius IV, the Council of Basel and the secular and ecclesiastical authorities in the Empire : the conflict over supreme authority and power in the Church

Title Page 3 Copyright Page 4 Table of Contents 5 Preface 11 List of Common Abbreviations 13 List of Abbreviated Titles 14 Introduction 17 I. The Relations between Eugenius IV and the Council of Basel from the Opening of the Council until the Deposition of the Pope (1431-1439) 26 1. The Beginning of the Council and the First Attempt of Eugenius IV at its Dissolution (July 1431-December 1433) 26 2. Two Years of Uneasy Truce: Eugenius IV's Revocation of the Dissolution of the Council and his Continuing Opposition to the Conciliar Reform Program (December 1433-May 1436) 35 3. Eugenius IV's Preparation for Renewed Conflict: His Appeal to the Princes and his Defense of Absolute Papal Monarchy in the "Libellus Apologeticus" (June 1436-April1437) 42 4. The Papal Council at Ferrara and Florence: Its Role in the Conflict of Eugenius IV with the Council of Basel and the Attitude of the Secular Princes of Latin Christendom toward the Papal Council (May 1437-September 1439) 51 5. The Reaction of the Council of Basel to Eugenius IV's Attempt at its Transfer to Italy: The Legal Proceedings against the Pope, his Suspension and Deposition (July 1437-June 1439) 60 6. The Election of Felix V as Pope at Basel (5 November 1439) 72 II. The Reaction of the Secular Princes in Italy, England, Burgundy, and France to the Suspension and Deposition of Eugenius IV (January 1438-June 1439) 74 1. The Policies of the Secular Princes in Italy, England, and Burgundy 74 2. Charles VII of France and the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges (7 July 1438) 80 III. The Attitude of the Universities and of the Religious Orders in the Empire toward the Conflict between Eugenius IV and the Council of Basel (1431-1449) 88 1. The Universities and the Religious Orders as Leaders of Clerical Public Opinion 88 2. The Universities in the Empire and the Church Conflict 89 3. The Religious Orders in the Empire and the Church Conflict 108 IV. The Structure of Politics in the Empire and its Bearing on the Conflict between Eugenius IV and the Council of Basel (1438-1447) 130 1. The King (of the Romans) or Holy Roman Emperor: The Limited Power of the Imperial Office in the Fifteenth Century 130 2. The German Electors and their Role in the Politics of the Empire (1438-1447) 135 3. The German Princes: Their Outlook on Government and the Political Structure of the Territorial Principalities 138 V. The Policies toward the Church Conflict in the Empire under Albrecht II: The Declaration of Neutrality, the Futile Attempts at Mediation between Pope and Council, and the Acceptation of Mainz (March 1438-November 1439) 148 1. The Electors' Declaration of the Neutrality of the Empire in the Church Conflict and their Election of Albrecht II as King (17-18 March 1438). The Futile Attempts at Mediation (March 1438-March 1439) 148 2. The Congress of Representatives of the Princes and of the Council of Basel at Mainz (March-April 1439) 171 (a) The Acceptation of the Reform Decrees of the Council of Basel for the Empire at Mainz (26 March 1439) 171 (b) The Mediation Proposals of the Representatives of the Princes and their Rejection by Pope and Council (March-June 1439) 171 3. The Reaffirmation of the Policy of Neutrality and of the Acceptation of Mainz by the Electors after the Deposition of Eugenius IV and the Death of Albrecht II (June-November 1439) 199 VI. The Conflict between Pope and Council at its Height and Turning Point: The Election of Felix V as Pope at Basel versus the Reassertion of Absolute Papal Monarchy by Eugenius IV (1439-1444) 206 VII. The Rivalry between the Emperor and the Electors over the Determination of Ecclesiastical Policy: The Elector of Trier as an Advocate of the Conditional Recognition of Eugenius IV versus Frederick III as an Advocate of a Policy of Neutrality and of a New Council (February 1440-December 1442) 219 1. The Character of Frederick III's Reign and his Initial Stand in the Church Conflict 219 2. The Proposal of the Electors (except Cologne) for the Recognition of Eugenius IV on the Basis of the "Avisamenta Moguntina" and Frederick III's Counter-Proposal for a New Council of Mediation (February 1441-June 1442) 231 3. The Adoption of Frederick III's Proposal for a New Council of Mediation by the Imperial Diet at Frankfurt (June-August 1442) 253 4. The Reaction of Council and Pope to the Emperor's Proposal for a New Council of Mediation: The Plan's Conditional Acceptance by the Council of Basel and its Rejection by Eugenius IV (September-December 1442) 262 VIII. The Reversal of the Alignments in the Empire toward Council and Pope: The Elector of Trier and his Allies as Advocates of the Council of Basel versus Frederick III and his Chancellor Kaspar Schlick as Advocates of Eugenius IV (January 1443-February 1446) 267 1. The Elector of Trier as Leader in the Shift of the Electors of Saxony and of the Palatinate toward Felix V. The Elector of Cologne as a Consistent Supporter of the Council of Basel 267 2. The Appointment of Kaspar Schlick as Imperial Chancellor and the Shift of Frederick III from a Policy of Neutrality to the Recognition of the Claims of Eugenius IV (1443-1446) 275 IX. The Settlement of the Church Conflict, 1446-1449 292 1. The Role of Frederick III in Bringing About the Recognition of Eugenius IV and of Nicholas V as Legitimate Popes in the Empire (1446-1447) 292 2. The German Concordat of 1448 and the Ensuing Gravamina of the German (Clerical) Nation 320 3. The Role of King Charles VII of France in the Settlement of the Church Conflict. The Resignation of Felix V and the End of the Council of Basel at Lausanne (1447-1449) 338 X. In Retrospect and Prospect: The Outlook of the German Princes and Clergy on the Authority of Pope and Council in the Church and on the Relation of Church and Secular Government (1431-1449) 347 Appendices 365 A. Sources and Studies Concerning the Papacy at the Time of the Council of Basel (1431-1449) 367 B. Papal Reservations and Annates in the Fifteenth Century 386 C. Cardinal Giovanni Berardi and the Election of Tommaso Parentucelli as Pope Nicholas V in the Light of their Past Roles at the Council of Basel 391 D. Sources and Studies Concerning the Council of Basel (1431-1449) 394 E. The Text of the Crucial Sections of the Decrees "Haec Sancta" and "Frequens" of the Council of Constance as Renewed by the Council of Basel 421 F. The Decrees of the Council of Basel on Succession to Clerical Benefices, Especially their Reservation, Taxation and Confirmation by the Pope 424 G. The Structure and Style of Politics in the Empire, Particularly in the Territorial Principalities (c. 1438-c. 1486) 426 H. The Estate of the Princes in the Empire during the Fifteenth Century 451 I. The Succession of Archbishops and Bishops in the Empire during the Period between the Acceptation of Mainz in 1439 and the German Concordat of 1448 454 J. A Bibliographical Note on the Emperor Frederick III, Especially for the First Decade of his Reign (1440-1450) 456 K. Basic Chronology of the Council of Basel (1431-1449) 459 Bibliography 465 Index 501 Studies in the History of Christian Thought 532