Pope from March 3, 1431 - February 23, 1447
Lived: 1383 - February 23, 1447
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Gabriele Condulmer was born in 1383 to a wealthy Venetian family, and was a nephew of Pope Gregory XII on his mother’s side. Despite rugged good looks, a commanding presence, and a hefty inheritance as a young man, Gabriele opted for poverty and the life of a monk, giving away his possessions and entering Venice’s Augustinian monastery of St. George. Uncle Greg made Gabriele a cardinal in 1408, assigning him the titular church of St. Clement in Rome, and he served well as papal legate for Pope Martin V soon thereafter.
Give me the scoop on Eugene IV.
Pope Eugene IV was quickly elected following the death of Martin V, but that would be the only thing to come easily during his papacy. In fact, it’s thought that Eugene anticipated a rough time in office and thus took his name to shout-out Pope Eugene III, a pontiff who also presided over stormy times. As pope, Eugene IV would fight constantly to affirm the pope’s right over the whole Church, since it was still in vogue to think that a General Council held more sway.
The pope was nearly killed at one point, having been forced to flee Rome in disguise in 1434, and lived in exile in Florence for nearly a decade. Eugene at least made the most of being a temporary Florentine by continuing the work of Martin V, thereby encouraging the burgeoning Renaissance wherever possible. Though a new antipope, Felix V, had burst on the scene in the meantime, all of Christendom was united under the true pope by the time of Eugene’s death. He died February 23, 1447 and was buried in St. Peter’s. His remains were later moved to San Salvatore in Lauro, a small church across the Tiber River.
What was he known for?
Casting aside the troubles he had with administration, Eugene IV ought to be best remembered for his personal piety and remarkable heart of service. Continuing the simple life of a monk even while he was pope, Eugene had no preference for wine, but instead opted for water with a hint of sugar and cinnamon. Once business was over, he would openly welcome visitors to his residence, and often had no money to his name because of his great generosity.
So austere was his presence, one writer who lived at the same time as Eugene went so far as to say that people often wept openly in his presence. The writer, Vespasiano, recounts a time when the pope began a public prayer and, “Nothing was heard but loud sobbing, so overwhelming was the impression made by the majesty and the piety of the Vicar of Christ, who, in truth, seemed to be He whom he represented.”
Fun Fact: One of Eugene’s more famous writings is a papal bull opposing slavery (Sicut Dudum; January 13, 1435). A bishop in the Canary Islands had passed along the news that several groups had enslaved many of the natives by “taking advantage of their simplicity.” Eugene railed strongly against the practice. Noting the severity of such action, he commanded that all slaves be released within two weeks of the letter’s publishing, proclaiming that the captors’ very salvation hinged on it.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
In 1443, Vlad II Dracul began ruling the region of Wallachia in modern day Romania, the second time he had governed the region. Vlad II is particularly notable for being the father of Vlad the Impaler, perhaps better known as Dracula.
Coming tomorrow...Pope Nicholas V
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Lived: 1383 - February 23, 1447
Birth name: Gabriele Condulmer
Gabriele Condulmer was born in 1383 to a wealthy Venetian family, and was a nephew of Pope Gregory XII on his mother’s side. Despite rugged good looks, a commanding presence, and a hefty inheritance as a young man, Gabriele opted for poverty and the life of a monk, giving away his possessions and entering Venice’s Augustinian monastery of St. George. Uncle Greg made Gabriele a cardinal in 1408, assigning him the titular church of St. Clement in Rome, and he served well as papal legate for Pope Martin V soon thereafter.
Give me the scoop on Eugene IV.
Pope Eugene IV was quickly elected following the death of Martin V, but that would be the only thing to come easily during his papacy. In fact, it’s thought that Eugene anticipated a rough time in office and thus took his name to shout-out Pope Eugene III, a pontiff who also presided over stormy times. As pope, Eugene IV would fight constantly to affirm the pope’s right over the whole Church, since it was still in vogue to think that a General Council held more sway.
The pope was nearly killed at one point, having been forced to flee Rome in disguise in 1434, and lived in exile in Florence for nearly a decade. Eugene at least made the most of being a temporary Florentine by continuing the work of Martin V, thereby encouraging the burgeoning Renaissance wherever possible. Though a new antipope, Felix V, had burst on the scene in the meantime, all of Christendom was united under the true pope by the time of Eugene’s death. He died February 23, 1447 and was buried in St. Peter’s. His remains were later moved to San Salvatore in Lauro, a small church across the Tiber River.
What was he known for?
Casting aside the troubles he had with administration, Eugene IV ought to be best remembered for his personal piety and remarkable heart of service. Continuing the simple life of a monk even while he was pope, Eugene had no preference for wine, but instead opted for water with a hint of sugar and cinnamon. Once business was over, he would openly welcome visitors to his residence, and often had no money to his name because of his great generosity.
So austere was his presence, one writer who lived at the same time as Eugene went so far as to say that people often wept openly in his presence. The writer, Vespasiano, recounts a time when the pope began a public prayer and, “Nothing was heard but loud sobbing, so overwhelming was the impression made by the majesty and the piety of the Vicar of Christ, who, in truth, seemed to be He whom he represented.”
Fun Fact: One of Eugene’s more famous writings is a papal bull opposing slavery (Sicut Dudum; January 13, 1435). A bishop in the Canary Islands had passed along the news that several groups had enslaved many of the natives by “taking advantage of their simplicity.” Eugene railed strongly against the practice. Noting the severity of such action, he commanded that all slaves be released within two weeks of the letter’s publishing, proclaiming that the captors’ very salvation hinged on it.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
In 1443, Vlad II Dracul began ruling the region of Wallachia in modern day Romania, the second time he had governed the region. Vlad II is particularly notable for being the father of Vlad the Impaler, perhaps better known as Dracula.
Coming tomorrow...Pope Nicholas V
SOURCES (and further reading)
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Pastor, L. (1899). The History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages. (https://archive.org/details/historyofthepope01pastuoft)
Pope Eugene IV - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05601a.htm
Pope Eugene IV - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Eugene_IV
Sicut Dudum - http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Eugene04/eugene04sicut.htm
1440s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1440s
