THE KING OF FRANCE, ON THE DEATH OF POPE EUGENIUS, HAS A GRAND COUNCIL HELD AT LYONS, WHITHER CAME MANY AMBASSADORS FROM GERMANY, ENGLAND AND OTHER PARTS, TO RESTORE UNION IN THE CHURCH AND PUT AN END TO ALL SCHISMS.
ON the first of April, in the year 1447, the truces between the kings of France and England expired, but were prolonged until the first of April in 1449, and thence until the first day of June ensuing, in the hope that a general peace might be concluded in the mean time.
Great differences had existed during the late papacy between pope Eugenius and the council of Basil; which council the pope declared was at an end, for that he had transfered it to Ferrara, and afterward to Florence and to Rome. The council at Basil maintained that the pope could not thus transfer them without their consent,—and had proceeded against him, with the authority of a general council, to suspend him from all power in the church, and to depose him from all authority. They afterwards elected pope the lord Amadeus of Savoy, who led the life of a monk at Ripaille, and took the name of Felix V.[141]
Several anathemas and excommunications were issued, as well by pope Eugenius as by pope Felix, which created many wounds and schisms in the church. When the king of France heard of these differences, being anxious to restore union and greatly hurt at the measures now passing, sent several embassies to Basil, to Rome, and to Savoy, to put an end to such shameful disputes. In like manner did duke Louis of Savoy, son to Amadeus now pope Felix, send several times to the king of France at Tours, to endeavour to bring about a reconciliation.
The king of France, in the month of November in the year 1447; seeing there was no end to these disputes deliberated with his council on the shortest means to stop this schism, and resolved that all the anathemas and censures that had been published respectively by each pope against the other should be considered as null and void; that pope Eugenius should be acknowledged as the true pope, as had been done before the commencement of these disputes; and that the lord Amadeus of Savoy, who had been styled Felix V. should remain with dignity and honour in the holy church; that those of his party in the council of Basil should be recommended to ecclesiastical dignities and honours, that peace might be universally restored, and a general council called for the strengthening of the union of our holy church, which could not take place until an end was put to these discords, nor could any solid judgments be given until such a happy pacification should take effect.
King Charles sent these resolutions, which had been concluded by himself and his council, to pope Eugenius by the archbishop of Aix in Provence, who was going to Rome on other matters. He sent likewise copies of them to Savoy and Basil, by master Helye de Pompadour, archdeacon of Carcassonne, who was afterward bishop of Alet in Languedoc.
It happened unfortunately, that before the king could receive an answer from eight of the parties, pope Eugenius died, namely, in the month of February following, and the archbishop found him dead on his arrival at Rome. Almost instantly on his decease, Thomas de Sarzana, bishop of Bologna, was elected pope and took the name of Nicholas V. At his election, every accustomed ceremony was observed.
Duke Louis of Savoy sent also to the king at Bourges, to urge him to cause pope Nicholas to be acknowledged, and to desire that he would in the first place have a general council assembled. In the mean time, the king, having received bulls from pope Nicholas to make him acquainted with his election, determined, after some deliberations in council to acknowledge him in the same manner as he had done pope Eugenius, but not to desist from the measures he was taking for the general union of the church.
The king in consequence, sent commissioners to Lyons, and told the ambassadors from the duke of Savoy, that he wished their lord to do the same,—and that the members of the council of Basil should also meet them, in order that there might be a numerous assembly, to consider on the means of restoring peace to the church.
In the ensuing month of July, the king's commissioners arrived at Lyons, where they met the archbishop of Treves and ministers from the archbishop of Cologne, from the duke of Saxony, one of the electors of the empire, who had waited on the king, respecting this matter of union. Thither came also the cardinal of Arles[142], the provost of Montieu, and many others, as well from the duke of Savoy as from the council at Basil.
After several conferences, it was the opinion of those who came from Basil, that the king's commissioners should go to Geneva, where pope Felix resided, to have a personal interview with him, who would gladly see them. While this matter was under discussion, the count de Dunois came to Lyons, sent thither by the king to escort the ambassadors from England. These ambassadors agreeing in the said proposal, they all set out together for Geneva, in the month of November, accompanied by the archbishop of Embrun, the lord de Malicorne, the bishop of Marseilles, the ambassador from the king of Sicily, who had come to Lyons to assist in promoting a general union of the church.
The ambassadors from the duke of Saxony went also with them to Geneva; but the archbishop of Treves had returned home, and the commissioners from the archbishop of Cologne had gone to Rome.
When they were all arrived at Geneva, they held many conferences with pope Felix, his cardinals and counsellors, and concluded on certain articles for a pacification, on condition that pope Nicholas would also agree to them. When this was done, the french commissioners returned with these articles to the king at Tours, and reported to him all that had passed. He approved of what had been done as a probable ground-work for an union of the church, and sent ambassadors to pope Nicholas to request that he would also approve of these articles or otherwise arrange matters for a general pacification.