The Council of Pisa (Latin: Concilium Pisarum; Italian: Concilio di Pisa, also nicknamed the conciliabolo, "secret meeting", by those who considered it illegitimate) was a controversial council held in 1409. It attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing both Benedict XIII (Avignon) and Gregory XII (Rome) for schism and manifest heresy. The College of Cardinals, composed of members from both the Avignon Obedience and the Roman Obedience, who were recognized by each other and by the Council, then elected a third papal claimant, Alexander V, who lived only a few months. He was succeeded by John XXIII.
Preliminaries
During the conclave of November 1406, Cardinal Angelo Correr had promised, along with all the other cardinals who signed the electoral capitulations, that if elected Pope, he would not create new cardinals except to keep the college of the Roman Obedience on a par with the Avignon Obedience. When he was elected Pope Gregory XII, he signed and ratified those capitulations. But in May 1408, without need, he insisted on creating four new cardinals, two of whom were his nephews. The current cardinals objected loudly, citing the Electoral Capitulations, and they actually refused to attend the Consistory to elevate the four new cardinals. On 11 May one of the cardinals, Jean Gilles, left Lucca, where Pope Gregory was staying at the time, and withdrew to Pisa. The Pope's nephew Paolo Correr (Corrario) was sent with troops to fetch him back by force. The papal action was so shocking that seven more cardinals deserted the same evening, and another who had just arrived in Lucca followed along without delay. On 29 June 1408, thirteen cardinals (who held the proxies of two additional cardinals) met in the port city of Livorno, where they prepared a manifesto which looked toward the holding of a general council to bring the schism to an end. Four more cardinals joined in the agreement in writing on 30 August, another on 14 September, another on 5 October, and yet another on 11 October.
On 2 and 5 July 1408, the cardinals at Livorno addressed an encyclical letter to the princes and prelates of the Christian world, summoning them to a general council at Pisa, which was to begin on 25 March 1409. To oppose this project, Benedict XIII convoked the Council of Perpignan; while Gregory XII announced that he would hold a general council in the territory Aquileia, or perhaps that of Rimini. But instead he fled from Lucca with his one remaining loyal cardinal in November 1408, and ended up the guest of the Malatesta family in Rimini. He never made it to Aquileia. The Universities of Paris, Oxford, and Cologne, many prelates, and the most distinguished doctors, like Pierre d'Ailly and Jean Gerson, openly approved the action of the revolted cardinals, and sent delegations to the Council. The princes on the other hand were divided, but most of them no longer relied on the good will of the rival popes and were determined to act without them, despite them, and, if needs were, against them.
The cardinals of the reigning pontiffs being greatly dissatisfied, both with the pusillanimity and nepotism of Gregory XII and the obstinacy and bad will of Benedict XIII, resolved to make use of a more efficacious means, namely a general council. The French king, Charles V, had recommended this, at the beginning of the schism, to the cardinals assembled at Anagni, who had anathematized Urban VI as an Intruder on the papal throne, and elected Pope Clement VII (Robert of Geneva) instead, without dissent. King Charles, on his deathbed, again expressed the same wish (1380), though he and France solidly supported Clement over Urban.
The idea of a general council had been upheld by several regional councils, by the cities of Ghent and Florence, by the Universities of Oxford and Paris, and by some most prominent doctors of the time, for example: Henry of Langenstein ("Epistola pacis", 1379, "Epistola concilii pacis", 1381); Conrad of Gelnhausen ("Epistola Concordiæ", 1380); Jean de Charlier de Gerson (Sermo coram Anglicis); and especially the latter's master, Pierre d'Ailly, the Bishop of Cambrai, who wrote of himself: "A principio schismatis materiam concilii generalis … instanter prosequi non timui" (Apologia Concilii Pisani, in Paul Tschackert). Encouraged by such men and by the known dispositions of King Charles VI and of the University of Paris, four members of the Sacred College of Avignon went to Leghorn where they arranged an interview with those of Rome, and where they were soon joined by others. The two bodies thus united were resolved to seek the reunion of the Church in spite of everything, and thenceforth to adhere to neither of the competitors.
The cardinals considered it their indisputable right to convene a general council to put an end to the schism. The principle behind this was "salus populi suprema lex esto", i.e. that the welfare of the church superseded any legal considerations. The behaviour of the two papal claimants seemed to justify the council. It was felt that the schism would not end while these two obstinate men were at the head of the opposing parties. There was no undisputed pope who could summon a general council, therefore the Holy See must be considered vacant. There was a mandate to elect an undisputed pope. Famous universities upheld the cardinals' conclusion. However, it was also argued that, if Gregory and Benedict were doubtful, so were the cardinals whom they had created. If the source of their authority was uncertain, so was their competence to convoke the universal church and to elect a pope.
Meeting of the council
On 25 March 1409, the Feast of the Annunciation, four patriarchs, 22 cardinals and 80 bishops assembled in the Cathedral of Pisa under the presidency of Cardinal Gui de Malesset, Bishop of Palestrina, the senior cardinal bishop in both Obediences. He had been named a cardinal by Pope Gregory XI on 20 December 1375, before the Schism had even begun. Among the clergy were the representatives of 100 absent bishops, 87 abbots with the proxies of those who could not come to Pisa, 41 priors and generals of religious orders, and 300 doctors of theology or canon law. The ambassadors of all the Christian kingdoms completed the assembly. The opening ceremonies followed the Mass of the Holy Spirit, which was sung by Cardinal Pierre de Thuryeo, Cardinal Priest of Santa Susanna, the senior Cardinal Priest. At the conclusion of a sermon, preached by a master of theology, it was announced that the first general session would take place the next day, 26 March.
At session II, on 26 March, the necessary legal procedure began. Two cardinal deacons, two bishops, and two notaries approached the church doors, opened them, and in a loud voice, in Latin, called upon the rival pontiffs to appear. No one replied. "Has anyone been appointed to represent them?" they added. Again there was silence. The delegates returned to their places and requested that Gregory and Benedict be declared guilty of contumacy. This ceremony was repeated on 27 March, 30 March, 15 April and 24 April. It was announced that on Monday 15 April, the day after Whitsunday, the Council would address the contumacy of Cardinal Antonio de Calvis (Gregorian Obedience), Cardinal Jean Flandrini, Cardinal Lucovico Fieschi, and Cardinal Antoine de Chalant (Benedictine Obedience).
German embassy
Session IV took place on Monday 15 April. Angelo Correr (Corrario) and Pedro de Luna (Benedict) were again summoned to appear in person or by proxy, as were the four absent cardinals. The ambassadors of Rupert, King of the Romans, were then given audience. The Bishop of Verden, Ulrich von Albeck, made a strong statement against the pretensions of the Council itself, listing twenty-four objections of various kinds that the Germans wished to propound; most involved minutiae of Canon Law. Finally, the German delegation proposed a meeting between the Pisans and Pope Gregory at a mutually agreeable place, a proposition which was old and which had already failed several times. The speech was not well-received, but a response was promised for the next general session, which was scheduled for 24 April. In the meantime, a Sunday sermon by the Dominican Bishop of Digne attacked nearly all the German criticisms, and, seeing nothing to be gained, the German embassy departed Pisa, appealing their grievances to a future council, to be called by Gregory XII. The Council, wishing to proceed through generosity rather than rigor, and since some personages were understood to be en route, announced a continuation of the cases. Throughout the month of May testimonies were heard against the claimants, but the formal declaration of contumacy did not take place until the fourteenth session.
At the fifth session on 24 April, a lengthy document, prepared by the Cardinals, was read out. It took more than three hours. It rehearsed all of the charges against the two popes from the point of view of the cardinals, of which there were thirty-eight, going lightly over their participation in the events; it demanded that the two should be judged to be heretics and should be deprived of their offices. The Council appointed commissioners to examine witnesses.
Carlo Malatesta, Prince of Rimini, adopted a different approach, defending Gregory's cause as a man of letters, an orator, a politician, and a knight, but was still unsuccessful. He returned to Rimini on 26 April, and made his report to Gregory XII and his cardinals. Gregory threatened to call his council at once, but was dissuaded by Malatesta.
Benedict refused to attend the council in person, but his delegates arrived very late (14 June), and their claims aroused the protests and laughter of the assembly. The people of Pisa threatened and insulted them. The Chancellor of Aragon was listened to with little favour, while the Archbishop of Tarragona made a rash declaration of war. Intimidated, the ambassadors, among them Boniface Ferrer, prior of the Grande Chartreuse, secretly left the city and returned to their master.
The sixth session took place on Tuesday, 30 April 1409. At the seventh session on 4 May, Piero d'Anchorano, a professor of law at Bologna, read a refutation of the case presented by the embassy of King Rupert.
One College of Cardinals
At the eighth session, which took place on Friday 10 May, a proposal was introduced to ratify the amalgamation of the two colleges of cardinals. This had been the intention of the cardinals who had met at Livorno in June 1408, and was expressed in their manifesto. The Bishop of Salisbury, Robert Hallam, made the fatuous objection that the cardinals of Gregory XII had formally withdrawn their obedience, whereas the cardinals of Benedict XIII had not done so, placing the two colleges on a different footing. Then it was proposed that a decree be issued that it was lawful, as well as the duty, for everyone to withdraw from both popes. Several cardinals objected to that proposal, but the Council voted in favor anyway. Then Simon de Cramaud, who was in the Chair, had the original proposal for the amalgamation of the two colleges read out. As demanded, it was confirmed.
The ninth session was held on Friday, 17 May, at which it was decreed that anyone could leave the Obedience of Gregory or the Obedience of Benedict without penalty, but that those who positively refused to leave would be permanently punished. The tenth session took place on Tuesday 22 May, at which a petition was presented to send an embassy to Genoa to engage in negotiations. The two contending parties, Benedict and Gregory, were summoned once again at the doors of the cathedral by two cardinals. A petition was presented to certify that the two cardinals had carried out the summons. A Notary began to read the articles which were being proffered against the two popes, first in general terms and then in detail, citing witnesses and documents. These were produced by the Bishop of Pisa, Alamanno Adimari. Twenty articles were read and accepted before the time for the day's sitting elapsed. The reading and the presentation of witnesses and proofs continued at the eleventh session on 23 May.
Deposition
On 26 April, the French embassy, led by Simon de Cramaud, who held the title of Patriarch of Alexandria, arrived in Pisa. Contrary to common belief, the French element did not prevail either in numbers or influence. There was a unanimity among the 500 members during the month of June, especially noticeable at the fifteenth general session.