Poets, Saints, And Visionaries of the Great Schism, 1378-1417

255 Pages·2006·9.35 MB·English

by  Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski

renate blumenfeld-kosinskitells the story of the B for almost forty years, from 1378
continued from front flap l poets, saints, and visionaries
Great Schism not as a political or ecclesiastical event, u to 1417, the Western Church was divided
m
er crisis in order to define common but rather as a disturbing crisis profoundly felt by ordi- e of the great schism, into rival camps headed by two—and
n
threads of “mystical activism” as well as nary Christians at all levels of society. Her innovation fe eventually three—competing popes. The
the profound differences with the later is to focus on what she calls “the imaginaire,” emotion- ld 1378–1417 so-called Schism provoked a profound
-
al responses to the division of Christendom expressed K
Great Schism. o and long-lasting anxiety throughout
in visions, letters, poetry, prophecies, and artistic repre- s
i Europe—an anxiety that reverberated
n
Poets, Saints, and Visionaries of the Great sentations. Blumenfeld-Kosinski writes with a real sym- s
k throughout clerical circles and among the
Schismwill be of interest to students and pathy for her subjects, who emerge as flesh-and-blood i
ordinary faithful. In Poets, Saints, and
humans struggling to make sense of a profound crisis
scholars of medieval and early modern
Visionaries of the Great Schism, Renate
that threatens to undermine their faith in the clergy.
history, religious studies, and literature.
Blumenfeld-Kosinski looks beyond the
No book more vividly tells the story of the Great
renate blumenfeld-kosinski is Schism or brings together a more fascinating set of po political and ecclesiastical storm and
Professor of French at the University of characters and texts from the period. I can think of no e finds an outpouring of artistic, literary,
finer introduction to the workings of the minds of t and visionary responses to one of the
Pittsburgh. Her books include Not of s
medieval people than Poets, Saints, and Visionaries. , great calamities of the late Middle Ages.
Woman Born: Representations of s
g
—laura ackerman smoller, a
Caesarean Birth in Medieval and r
university of arkansas at little rock ein Modern historians have analyzed the
Renaissance Culture (1990) and Reading at Great Schism mostly from the perspective
Myth: Classical Mythology and Its ts
, of church politics. Blumenfeld-Kosinski
s
Interpretations in Medieval French many scholars haveclaimedthat the two princi- ca shifts our attention to several groups that
Literature(1997). pal kinds of medieval visions, the “experience-based” hn
d have not before been considered together:
i
religious and the “literary-poetic” ones have to be s
mv saintly men and women (such as
examined together, but up to this moment no such i
,s Catherine of Siena, Pedro of Aragon,
analysis has been done. With an impressive tour de force 1i
3o Vincent Ferrer, and Constance de
Jacket illustration: The “terrible beast” often and a smart, enjoyable narrative, Renate Blumenfeld- 7n
8 Rabastens), politically aware and com-
depicting Pope Urban VI. Plate xv from the Kosinski examines the common motifs and the peculiar –a
metaphors of saintly, prophetic, and poetic visionaries 1r mitted poets (such as Philippe de
Pope Prophecies, ed. Pasquilino. Venice, 1589 4i
during the period of the Great Schism. This specific 1e Mézières and Christine de Pizan), and
(author’s collection). 7s
context also allows her the exploration of the different o prophets (for example, the mysterious
lobbies and pressure groups promoting and using those f Telesphorus of Cosenza and the authors
visions. It also gives an opportunity for a witty, incisive t of the anonymous Prophecies of the Last
h
analysis, reaching back to the experiences of a previous Popes). Not surprisingly, these groups
e
schism in the twelfth century, with Hildegard of Bingen often saw the Schism as an apocalyptic
and Elisabeth Schönau taking stands on it, and then sign of the end times. Images abounded
the pennsylvania state going into details with Birgitta of Sweden, Catherine of
of the divided Church as a two-headed
university press Siena, Philippe de Mézières, Christine de Pizan, and
monster or suffering widow.
university park, several other fascinating prophets, visionaries, mystics,
pennsylvania and poets, exploring the limits of our imaginary. This A twelfth-century “prelude” looks at the
book is the first to analyze this ensemble together, and
www.psupress.org schism of 1159 and the role the famous
its perspicacious observations will be the starting point
visionaries Hildegard of Bingen and
of any future research on this subject.
Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski Elisabeth of Schönau played in this earli-
—gabor klaniczay,
PENN
central european university
STATE continued on back flap
PRESS
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page i
poets, saints, and visionaries
of the great schism,
1378–1417
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page ii
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page iii
poets, saints, and visionaries
of the great schism,
1378–1417
Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski
the pennsylvania state university press
university park, pennsylvania
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page iv
Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blumenfeld-Kosinski, Renate, 1952–
Poets, saints, and visionaries
of the Great Schism, 1378–1417 /
Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. )
and index.
isbn0-271-02749-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Schism, The Great Western, 1378–1417.
2. Church history—Middle Ages, 600–1500.
3. Catholic Church—History.
I. Title.
bx1301.b53 2006
282'.09'023—dc22
2005024077
Copyright ©2006
The Pennsylvania State University
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Published by
The Pennsylvania State University Press,
University Park, PA 16802-1003
The Pennsylvania State University Press
is a member of the
Association of American University Presses.
It is the policy of The Pennsylvania State
University Press to use acid-free paper.
This book is printed on Natures Natural,
containing 50% post-consumer waste, and
meets minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Material,
ansi z39.48–1992.
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page v
contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Popes During the Great Schism xi
Introduction 1
1
A Twelfth-Century Prelude: Hildegard of Bingen,
Elisabeth of Schönau, John of Salisbury,
and the Schism of 1159 19
2
Saints and VisionariesI: From the 1360s to the
Beginnings of the Schism 31
3
Saints and VisionariesII: The Later Schism Years 61
4
Poetic Visions of the Great SchismI: Philippe de
Mézières and Eustache Deschamps 97
5
Poetic Visions of the Great SchismII: Honoré Bovet
and Christine de Pizan 133
6
Prophets of the Great Schism 165
Conclusion 201
Bibliography 213
Index 233
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page vi
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page vii
illustrations
1. The pope leaves behind the Babylonian woman (the Roman church) and
departs for Avignon. Plate viii from the Pope Prophecies, ed. Pasquilino.
Venice: H.Porrus, 1589. (Author’s collection)
2. The two-headed monster from the Ascende calve. Vienna, Österreichische
Nationalbibliothek, MS 13648, folio 8v. (Courtesy Bildarchiv d. ÖNB, Wien)
3. Frontispiece of Bovet’s Arbre des bataillesshowing popes ClementVII
(left) and UrbanVI (right) and their armies on the upper level. Two fig-
ures are debating to the left of the bottom of the tree. Paris, Bibliothèque
nationale de France, fr.1266, folio 5r. (Courtesy Bibliothèque nationale
de France)
4. Frontispiece of Bovet’s Arbre des bataillesshowing Popes BenedictXIII
(left) and BonifaceIX? (right; with Pope UrbanVI’s arms) and their
armies on the upper level. A group of clerics is debating to the left of the
bottom of the tree. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, ms M.907,
folio 2v. (Courtesy The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)
5. Two popes on one throne in Christine de Pizan’s Livre de la mutacion de
Fortune.Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fr.603, folio 109r.
(Courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France)
6. The “terrible beast” often depicting Pope UrbanVI.Plate xv from the
Pope Prophecies, ed. Pasquilino. Venice: H.Porrus, 1589. (Author’s
collection)
7. Pope and crowned beast. Plate xxxfrom the Pope Prophecies, ed.
Pasquilino. Venice: H.Porrus, 1589. (Author’s collection)
8. Pope UrbanVI identified as a beaver. Plate xv (details) from the Pope
Prophecies. Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library, ms 404,
folio 95r. (Copyright Master and Fellows of Corpus Christi College
Cambridge)
9. The “terrible beast” with the empty tunic. Plate xv from the Pope
Prophecies. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, ms M.402, folio 8v.
(Courtesy The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page viii
viii (cid:1) illustrations
10. Winged demons “seduce” prelates and rulers to the Schism. The Libellus
of Telesphorus of Cosenza. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
lat.11415, folio 131v. (Courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France)
11. Toads emerge from the mouth of the false prophet. From a French trans-
lation of the Libellus of Telesphorus of Cosenza. Paris, Bibliothèque
nationale de France, fr.9783, folio 9r. (Courtesy Bibliothèque nationale
de France)
12. The Avignon cardinals pull away the Church’s veil and capture Pope
UrbanVI’s papal keys with a lasso. The manuscript caption reads Primus
actus schismatis (the first act of the Schism). From Antonio Baldana. De
magno schismate (1419). Parma, Biblioteca Palatina, ms 1194, folio 2r.
(Courtesy Biblioteca Palatina, Parma, su concessione del Ministero per i
Beni e le Attività Culturali)
13. Pope MartinV weds the reunited church at the Council of Constance.
The emperor Sigismund officiates. From Antonio Baldana, De magno
schismate (1419). Parma, Biblioteca Palatina, ms 1194, folio 13v. (Courtesy
Biblioteca Palatina, Parma, su concessione del Ministero per i Beni e le
Attività Culturali)
14. Four popes of the Schism years peacefully united in one frame. Clock-
wise: UrbanVI, ClementVII, BenedictXIII, and BonifaceIX.From
Hartmann Schedel, The Nuremberg Chronicle. Nuremberg, 1493, folio
232v. (Author’s collection)
Maps
Map 1The rival obediences, 1378–1409. From R. N. Swanson, Universities,
Academics, and the Great Schism. Reprinted with permission of Cambridge
University Press.
Map 2The rival obediences, 1409–18. From Swanson, Universities. Reprinted
with permission of Cambridge University Press.
00i-xiv.Blumenfeld.FM 1/20/06 7:05 AM Page ix
acknowledgments
One of the pleasures of scholarship is sharing one’s ideas with others. This
book profited from many such moments of sharing and intellectual stimula-
tion. Barbara Newman was the first to help me see the possibilities of a wider
study of the imaginaire of the Great Schism and has been a patient and inspir-
ing conversation partner along the way. She also answered many queries, as
did Robert Lerner, Hélène Millet, David Nirenberg, Joelle Rollo-Koster, Laura
Smoller, and André Vauchez. I am very grateful to all of them. For help in
obtaining articles from far-flung journals, my thanks go to Danielle Bohler and
Bernard McGinn. I enjoyed the many conversations about this project with
Kevin Brownlee, Dyan Elliott, Brian McGuire, Nancy Regalado, Bruce
Venarde, and Lori Walters. My dear friend and intellectual sparring partner,
the late Rona Goffen, played a big part in the conceptualization of this book
and in the pleasure of writing it. Gábor Klaniczay read several chapters of this
manuscript, and I profited from his incisive and helpful comments and sugges-
tions. Claire Sahlin and Michael Hanly generously sent me the manuscripts of
their books before publication.
I would also like to thank the institutions that gave me the opportunity to
present parts of this book to challenging and knowledgeable audiences: Cam-
bridge University, Indiana University, the Institute for Advanced Study, the
University of Lausanne, the University of London, New York University, the
University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Rutgers University.
For generous financial support, my thanks go to the University of Pitts-
burgh and to the National Endowment for the Humanities, whose research
grant for 2003–4 enabled me to finish this book. Most of this book was written
while I was a visiting fellow in the Department of French and Italian at Prince-
ton University in 2000–2001 and 2003–4. My thanks go to Marie-Hélène Huet
and François Rigolot for their hospitality and helpfulness. The RichardD.and
Mary Jane Edwards Endowed Publication Fund of the University of Pittsburgh
generously paid for the photos and permissions.