Crises in the History of the Papacy: A study of twenty famous popes whose careers and whose influence were important in the development of the church and in the history of the worldMcCabe, Joseph
History
Crises in the History of the Papacy: A study of twenty famous popes whose careers and whose influence were important in the development of the church and in the history of the world
McCabe, Joseph
Catholic Church -- History; Papacy -- History
In the meantime, Paul had successfully maintained the political
neutrality which he had from the first contemplated. Francis and
Charles both sought alliance with him, and he tried instead to
reconcile them and avert war. It is to his credit that when Charles,
perceiving his weakness, offered, as the price of alliance, the
marquisate of Novara to Pier Luigi and a principality in Naples to
Pier's son Ottavio, Paul still refused. But the fact that in 1536 he
received Charles with great pomp at Rome irritated Francis, and war
broke out.[304] In view of the advances of the Turks, Paul went in
person to Nice, in the spring of 1538, and reconciled the two monarchs,
but his nepotism again mars the merit of this work. He arranged that
his grandson Ottavio, a boy of thirteen, should marry the Emperor's
natural daughter, Margaret of Austria, a girl-widow of sixteen, who
hated the boy; and their connubial arrangements added, for many years,
to the scandal or the gaiety of Rome. Paul was also severely blamed for
the unscrupulous way in which he wrested the duchy of Camerino from
the Varani and gave it to Ottavio. When Francis violently objected to
this virtual alliance, Paul married his granddaughter Vittoria to a
French prince. Nor were the Reformers pleased when they learned that,
in return for the Emperor's natural daughter, the Pope had granted
to Charles the right to publish indulgences in Spain, and had given
him other privileges which would yield him a million ducats a year of
Church money; and that neither Francis nor Charles would help Italy to
face the Turks.
The unchecked advance of the Turk had, indirectly, another grave
disadvantage for the Papacy. Charles needed the united forces of his
dominions to meet the Turks, and the Protestants profited by his need.
Whatever may be said about the amiable intentions of Paul III., at an
earlier date, he now plainly designed to crush the followers of the
Reformers in the field. He sent his grandson, Cardinal Alessandro
Farnese, to the courts of Francis and of Charles, and the instructions
which he gave him, as well as the letters of the Cardinal himself,
show that he sought, not only their support of his Italian council,
but the co-operation of the monarchs against the Turks and the
Protestants.[305] Both refused, and Charles, in spite of the Pope's
vehement objections, consented to the holding of another conference or
discussion with the representatives of the Protestants. The conference
took place at Hagenau on June 12th, and had, of course, no result, but
a fresh attempt was made at Worms in January 1541, and Paul sent Bishop
Campeggio and four theologians to meet the Protestant divines. It is
needless to discuss the Colloquy in detail, since such experiments
never had the least prospect of success, but the next conference is of
some interest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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