Difference between revisions of "Pope Adrian VI" - New World Encyclopedia

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Adrian IV was born Adriaan Florisz Boeyens under modest circumstances in the city of [[Utrecht]], which was then the capital of the bishopric of Utrecht, the [[Netherlands]]. Utrecht was at that time part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], which was largely populated by Germans was largely inhabited by Germans, and for this reason he is sometimes regarded as a German pope, although culturally and ethnically he was clearly a Dutchman.
 
Adrian IV was born Adriaan Florisz Boeyens under modest circumstances in the city of [[Utrecht]], which was then the capital of the bishopric of Utrecht, the [[Netherlands]]. Utrecht was at that time part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], which was largely populated by Germans was largely inhabited by Germans, and for this reason he is sometimes regarded as a German pope, although culturally and ethnically he was clearly a Dutchman.
  
Adrian was probably born in a house on the corner of the Brandsteeg and Oude Gracht that was owned by his grandfather Boudewijn (Boeyen for short). also born in Utrecht, and his wife Gertruid. His father, a carpenter and likely [[shipwright]], died when Adrian was 10 years or younger.   
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Adrian was probably born in a house on the corner of the Brandsteeg and Oude Gracht that was owned by his grandfather Boudewijn (Boeyen for short). His father was Floris/Florens Boeyens van Utrecht, also born in Utrecht, and his mother's name was Gertruid. His father, a carpenter and likely [[shipwright]], died when Adrian was 10 years or younger.   
  
Adrian studied from a very young age under the [[Brethren of the Common Life]], either at [[Zwolle]] or [[Deventer]]. He was also a student of the [[Latin school]] (now ''[[Gymnasium Celeanum]]'') in Zwolle. In June 1476, he started his studies at the [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven|University of Louvain]], where he pursued [[philosophy]], [[theology]] and [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Canon Law]], due to a scholarship granted by [[Margaret of York|Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy]]. He earned a [[Doctorate|Doctor]] of theology in 1491, became[[dean (religion)|dean]] of St. Peter's, and later vice-[[chancellor]] of the university. His lectures were recreated and published from the notes of his students one of whom was the young [[Erasmus]] of Rotterdam.
+
Adrian studied from a very young age under the [[Brethren of the Common Life]], either at [[Zwolle]] or [[Deventer]]. He was also a student of the [[Latin school]] (now ''[[Gymnasium Celeanum]]'') in Zwolle. In June 1476, he started his studies at the [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven|University of Louvain]], where he pursued [[philosophy]], [[theology]] and [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Canon Law]], due to a scholarship granted by [[Margaret of York|Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy]]. He earned a [[Doctorate|Doctor]] of theology in 1491, became[[dean (religion)|dean]] of St. Peter's church in Louvain, and later vice-[[chancellor]] of the university. His lectures were recreated and published from the notes of his students one of whom was the young [[Erasmus]] of Rotterdam.
  
 
==Early career==
 
==Early career==
<!-- Between 1488 and 1515 he accumulated many high ranking functions; see e.g. http://www.gerardweel.nl/adrianus/adrianus_1.php —>
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In 1507 Adrian was appointed [[tutor]] to Emperor [[Maximilian I]]'s (1493 &ndash; 1519) seven year old grandson, Charles, who was later to become Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] (1519 &ndash; 56). In 1515 Adrian was sent to [[Spain]] on a diplomatic errand, and after his arrival at the imperial court in [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] became [[bishop]] of [[Tortosa]]. November 14, 1516 was commissioned as[[Inquisitor]] General of the kingdom of [[Aragon]]. The following year, [[Pope Leo X]] (1513 &ndash; 21) created Adrian a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] and gave him charge of the [[basilica]] of Saints John and Paul.
In 1507 he was appointed [[tutor]] to Emperor [[Maximilian I]]'s (1493 &ndash; 1519) seven year old grandson, Charles, who was later to become Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] (1519 &ndash; 56). In 1515 Adrian was sent to [[Spain]] on a diplomatic errand, and after his arrival at the Imperial Court in [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], Charles V secured his succession to the [[See]] of [[Tortosa]], and on 14 November 1516 commissioned him [[Inquisitor]] General of [[Aragon]]. The following year, [[Pope Leo X]] (1513 &ndash; 21) created Adrian a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]], naming him Cardinal Priest of the [[Basilica]] of Saints John and Paul.
 
  
 
[[Image:Geboortehuis van Paus Adriaan.jpg|thumb|Pope Adrian VI's birthplace in Utrecht]]
 
[[Image:Geboortehuis van Paus Adriaan.jpg|thumb|Pope Adrian VI's birthplace in Utrecht]]
  
During the minority of Charles V, Adrian was named to serve with [[Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros|Francisco Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros]] as co-[[regent]] of Spain. After the death of the Jimenez, Adrian was appointed (14 March 1518) General of the Reunited [[Inquisition]]s of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]], in which capacity he acted until his departure for [[Rome]]. During this period, Charles V left for the Netherlands in 1520, making the future pope Regent of Spain, during which time he had to deal with the [[Revolt of the Comuneros]].
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During the minority of Charles V, Adrian was named to serve with [[Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros|Francisco Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros]] as co-[[regent]] of Spain. After the death of the Jimenez, Adrian was appointed (March 14, 1518) general of the unified [[Inquisition]]s of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]], in which capacity he acted until his departure for [[Rome]].
 +
 
 +
After being elected emperor in 1519, Charles V left for the Netherlands in 1520 and appointed the future pope regent of Spain. During this time he had to deal with the [[Revolt of the Comuneros]], which lasted nearly a year until the Battle of Villalar on April 23, 1521, after which the rebel leaders were beheaded.
  
 
==Election as Bishop of Rome==
 
==Election as Bishop of Rome==
In the conclave after the death of the [[Medici]] [[Pope Leo X]], his cousin, Cardinal [[Pope Clement VII|Giulio de' Medici]] was the leading figure. With Spanish and French cardinals in a deadlock, the absent Adrian was proposed as a compromise and on January 9, 1522 he was elected by an almost unanimous vote. Charles V was delighted upon hearing that his tutor had been elected to the papacy but soon realised that Adrian VI was determined to reign impartially. [[Francis I]] of France, who feared that Adrian would become a tool of the Emperor, and had uttered threats of a schism, later relented and sent an embassy to present his homage. Fears of a Spanish Avignon based on the strength of his relationship with the Emperor as his former tutor and regent proved baseless, and Adrian left for Italy at the earliest opportunity, making his solemn entry into Rome on 29 August. He was crowned in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] on the 31 August 1522, at the age of sixty-three and immediately entered upon the path of the reformer. The 1908 edition of the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' characterised the task that faced him:
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After the death of the [[Medici]] [[Pope Leo X]], his cousin, Cardinal [[Pope Clement VII|Giulio de' Medici]] was the leading candidate to succeed him. However, with Spanish and French cardinals in a deadlock, the absent Adrian was proposed as a compromise candidate. He was thus elected pope on January 9, 1522 by an almost unanimous vote.
  
:''"To extirpate inveterate abuses; to reform a court which thrived on corruption, and detested the very name of reform; to hold in leash young and warlike princes, ready to bound at each other's throats; to stem the rising torrent of revolt in Germany; to save [[Christendom]] from the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]], who from [[Belgrade]] now threatened [[Hungary]], and if [[Rhodes]] fell would be masters of the [[Mediterranean]]—these were herculean labours for one who was in his sixty-third year, had never seen Italy, and was sure to be despised by the Romans as a 'barbarian'.''<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01159b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia (1908)]</ref>
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Charles V was delighted upon hearing that his old tutor had been elected to the papacy, but soon realized that Adrian VI was determined to reign impartially. [[Francis I]] of France, who feared that Adrian would become a tool of the emperor, and threatened a [[schism]] but soon relented and sent an embassy to present his homage. Adrian left Spain for Italy at the earliest opportunity, making his solemn entry into Rome on August 29, 1522. He was crowned in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] on August 31 at the age of 63.
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After arrive in Rome, Adrian immediately instituted reforms with a very resistant papal court. He also had to contend with the Lutheran revolt in Germany, while at the same time dealing with the threat of  the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]], who already controlled [[Belgrade]] and now threatened [[Hungary]].  
  
His plan was to attack notorious abuses one by one; but in his attempt to improve the system of [[indulgences]] he was hampered by his cardinals; and he found reducing the number of matrimonial dispensations to be impossible as the income had been farmed out for years in advance by [[Pope Leo X]].
 
  
 
==Pope==
 
==Pope==
The Italians saw in him as a pedantic foreign [[professor]], blind to the beauty of classical antiquity. Musicians such as [[Carpentras (composer)|Carpentras]], the composer and singer from [[Avignon]] who was master of the papal chapel under Leo X, left Rome due to Adrian VI's indifference to the arts. <!-- Thus, musical standards at the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] declined significantly during his tenure. ? In 18 months people forgot how to write or perform music? —>
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Adrian's plan was to attack notorious abuses one by one, beginning with the practice of selling indulgences. In this attempt, however, he was hampered by his cardinals, who needed the money. He also found that reducing the number of dispensations to divorce and remarry was impossible as the income from these had been already advanced [[Pope Leo X]] by local authorities.
 +
 
 +
The Italian nobility, meanwhile, tended to view Adrian a pedantic foreign [[professor]] and even as a bit of a barbarian who was blind to the beauty of classical antiquity. Musicians such as [[Carpentras (composer)|Carpentras]], the composer and singer from [[Avignon]] who was master of the papal chapel under [[Leo X]], left Rome due to Adrian VI's indifference to the arts.  
  
Adrian was not successful as a peacemaker among Christian [[prince]]s, whom he hoped to unite in a war against the Turks. In August 1523 he was forced into an alliance with the [[Holy Roman Empire|Empire]], [[England]], [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], against [[France]]; meanwhile in 1522 the [[Sultan]] [[Suleiman I]] (1520 &ndash; 66) had conquered [[Rhodes]].
+
Adrian was also unsuccessful as a peacemaker among Christian [[prince]]s, whom he hoped to unite in a war against the Turks. In August 1523, he was forced into an alliance with the [[Holy Roman Empire|Empire]], [[England]], and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] against [[France]]. Meanwhile, in 1522 the [[Sultan]] [[Suleiman I]] (1520 &ndash; 66) had conquered [[Rhodes]], a strategic gateway to .
  
 
In his reaction to the early stages of the [[Lutheran]] revolt, Adrian VI did not completely understand the gravity of the situation. At the [[Diet of Nuremberg]] which opened in December 1522 he was represented by Francesco Chiericati, whose private instructions contain the frank admission that the disorder of the Church was perhaps the fault of the [[Roman Curia]] itself, and that it should be reformed. However, the former professor and Inquisitor General was strongly opposed to any change in doctrinal, and demanded that [[Martin Luther|Luther]] be punished for teaching [[Christian heresy|heresy]].
 
In his reaction to the early stages of the [[Lutheran]] revolt, Adrian VI did not completely understand the gravity of the situation. At the [[Diet of Nuremberg]] which opened in December 1522 he was represented by Francesco Chiericati, whose private instructions contain the frank admission that the disorder of the Church was perhaps the fault of the [[Roman Curia]] itself, and that it should be reformed. However, the former professor and Inquisitor General was strongly opposed to any change in doctrinal, and demanded that [[Martin Luther|Luther]] be punished for teaching [[Christian heresy|heresy]].

Revision as of 15:56, 25 November 2008

Adrian VI
Hadrian VI.jpg
Birth name Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens
Papacy began January 9, 1522
Papacy ended September 14, 1523
Predecessor Leo X
Successor Clement VII
Born March 2 1459(1459-03-02)
Utrecht, Holy Roman Empire
Died September 14 1523 (aged 64)
Rome, Papal States
Other popes named Adrian

Pope Adrian VI (Utrecht, March 2, 1459 – September 14, 1523), born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, served as Bishop of Rome from January 9, 1522 until his death some 18 months later. The only Dutchman to become pope, he was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II, 456 years later.

Adrian VI was known for having attempted to launch a Catholic Reformation (or counter reformation) as a response to the Protestant Reformation. His efforts were fruitless as they were ignored by most of his Renaissance ecclesiastical contemporaries and his tenure as pope was too brief to make a lasting impression.

Early life

Adrian IV was born Adriaan Florisz Boeyens under modest circumstances in the city of Utrecht, which was then the capital of the bishopric of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Utrecht was at that time part of the Holy Roman Empire, which was largely populated by Germans was largely inhabited by Germans, and for this reason he is sometimes regarded as a German pope, although culturally and ethnically he was clearly a Dutchman.

Adrian was probably born in a house on the corner of the Brandsteeg and Oude Gracht that was owned by his grandfather Boudewijn (Boeyen for short). His father was Floris/Florens Boeyens van Utrecht, also born in Utrecht, and his mother's name was Gertruid. His father, a carpenter and likely shipwright, died when Adrian was 10 years or younger.

Adrian studied from a very young age under the Brethren of the Common Life, either at Zwolle or Deventer. He was also a student of the Latin school (now Gymnasium Celeanum) in Zwolle. In June 1476, he started his studies at the University of Louvain, where he pursued philosophy, theology and Canon Law, due to a scholarship granted by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. He earned a Doctor of theology in 1491, becamedean of St. Peter's church in Louvain, and later vice-chancellor of the university. His lectures were recreated and published from the notes of his students one of whom was the young Erasmus of Rotterdam.

Early career

In 1507 Adrian was appointed tutor to Emperor Maximilian I's (1493 – 1519) seven year old grandson, Charles, who was later to become Emperor Charles V (1519 – 56). In 1515 Adrian was sent to Spain on a diplomatic errand, and after his arrival at the imperial court in Toledo became bishop of Tortosa. November 14, 1516 was commissioned asInquisitor General of the kingdom of Aragon. The following year, Pope Leo X (1513 – 21) created Adrian a cardinal and gave him charge of the basilica of Saints John and Paul.

Pope Adrian VI's birthplace in Utrecht

During the minority of Charles V, Adrian was named to serve with Francisco Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros as co-regent of Spain. After the death of the Jimenez, Adrian was appointed (March 14, 1518) general of the unified Inquisitions of Castile and Aragon, in which capacity he acted until his departure for Rome.

After being elected emperor in 1519, Charles V left for the Netherlands in 1520 and appointed the future pope regent of Spain. During this time he had to deal with the Revolt of the Comuneros, which lasted nearly a year until the Battle of Villalar on April 23, 1521, after which the rebel leaders were beheaded.

Election as Bishop of Rome

After the death of the Medici Pope Leo X, his cousin, Cardinal Giulio de' Medici was the leading candidate to succeed him. However, with Spanish and French cardinals in a deadlock, the absent Adrian was proposed as a compromise candidate. He was thus elected pope on January 9, 1522 by an almost unanimous vote.

Charles V was delighted upon hearing that his old tutor had been elected to the papacy, but soon realized that Adrian VI was determined to reign impartially. Francis I of France, who feared that Adrian would become a tool of the emperor, and threatened a schism but soon relented and sent an embassy to present his homage. Adrian left Spain for Italy at the earliest opportunity, making his solemn entry into Rome on August 29, 1522. He was crowned in St. Peter's Basilica on August 31 at the age of 63.

After arrive in Rome, Adrian immediately instituted reforms with a very resistant papal court. He also had to contend with the Lutheran revolt in Germany, while at the same time dealing with the threat of the Turks, who already controlled Belgrade and now threatened Hungary.


Pope

Adrian's plan was to attack notorious abuses one by one, beginning with the practice of selling indulgences. In this attempt, however, he was hampered by his cardinals, who needed the money. He also found that reducing the number of dispensations to divorce and remarry was impossible as the income from these had been already advanced Pope Leo X by local authorities.

The Italian nobility, meanwhile, tended to view Adrian a pedantic foreign professor and even as a bit of a barbarian who was blind to the beauty of classical antiquity. Musicians such as Carpentras, the composer and singer from Avignon who was master of the papal chapel under Leo X, left Rome due to Adrian VI's indifference to the arts.

Adrian was also unsuccessful as a peacemaker among Christian princes, whom he hoped to unite in a war against the Turks. In August 1523, he was forced into an alliance with the Empire, England, and Venice against France. Meanwhile, in 1522 the Sultan Suleiman I (1520 – 66) had conquered Rhodes, a strategic gateway to .

In his reaction to the early stages of the Lutheran revolt, Adrian VI did not completely understand the gravity of the situation. At the Diet of Nuremberg which opened in December 1522 he was represented by Francesco Chiericati, whose private instructions contain the frank admission that the disorder of the Church was perhaps the fault of the Roman Curia itself, and that it should be reformed. However, the former professor and Inquisitor General was strongly opposed to any change in doctrinal, and demanded that Luther be punished for teaching heresy.

The statement in one of his works that a pope may err, privately or in a minor decree, including matters of faith, attracted attention. Catholics claim that it was a private opinion, not an official pronouncement and therefore does not conflict with the dogma of papal infallibility. Catholic apologists point to the fact that Adrian VI merely theoreticised about the issue.

Death

Adrian VI died on 14 September 1523, after a somewhat brief tenure. Most of his official papers were lost after his death. He published Quaestiones in quartum sententiarum praesertim circa sacramenta (Paris, 1512, 1516, 1518, 1537; Rome, 1522), and Quaestiones quodlibeticae XII. (1st ed., Leuven, 1515).

Italian writer Luigi Malerba used the confusion among the leaders of the Catholic Church, which was created by Adrian's unexpected election, as backdrop for his 1995 novel, Le maschere (The Masks), about the struggle between two Roman cardinals for a well-endowed church office.

See also

  • Pasquinade
  • The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Notes

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Luther Martin. Luther's Correspondence and Other Contemporary Letters, 2 vols., tr.and ed. by Preserved Smith, Charles Michael Jacobs, The Lutheran Publication Society, Philadelphia, Pa. 1913, 1918. vol.I (1507-1521) and vol.2 (1521-1530) from Google Books. Reprint of Vol.1, Wipf & Stock Publishers (March 2006). ISBN 1-59752-601-0
  • Gross, Ernie. This Day In Religion. New York:Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 1990. ISBN 1-55570-045-4.
  • Malerba Luigi. e maschere, Milan: A. Mondadori, 1995. ISBN 88-04-39366-1

External links

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Roman Catholic Popes
Preceded by:
Leo X
Pope
1522–23
Succeeded by: Clement VII

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