Michael von Cotta-Schönberg - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg

Volume 11 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations discovered after the ... more Volume 11 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations discovered after the completion of the main body of the edition, one the closing oration at the Diet in Regensburg, 1454, the "Verba tua", and two orations from August-September 1459, at the Congress of Mantua, the "Grave illis" and the previously unknown "Miraberis fortassis". The volume also contains a list of manuscripts, orthographical profiles of the main manuscripts collated for the present edition, and the indices (persons, places, subjects, sources).

As a secretary and later councillor and top diplomat of Emperor Friedrich III, Enea Silvio Piccol... more As a secretary and later councillor and top diplomat of Emperor Friedrich III, Enea Silvio Piccolomini (later Pope Pius II) undertook many diplomatic missions. His reports on five of the most important ones have survived. The first mission was to Pope Eugenius IV in Rome in 1447, where he negotiated and presented the Holy Roman Empire's obedience to the Roman papacy and witnessed the pope's death and the election of his successor. The second, later in 1447, was to the city of Milan to make that city accept imperial rule after the death of the last Visconti duke. The third was to Bohemia in 1451, where he was to persuade the Bohemian estates to accept that the boy-king, Ladislaus the Posthumous, would remain under the emperor's guardianship until he came of age. Piccolomini also used the voyage to visit the Hussites in Tabor and have discussions with them, aiming at ending the Hussite schism. The fourth was to the imperial diet of Regensburg in 1454, summoned by the emperor to discuss a joint European military response to the Turkish conquest of Constantinople and the threat of a Turkish invasion of Europe. This report is also known as the History of the Diet of Regensburg. The fifth was to Pope Calixtus III in Rome 1455, where he presented the emperor's declaration of obedience and also prepared the way for his own appointment as cardinal, the last career step before he was elected pope in 1456. Piccolomini's five reports witness important political and religious processes in Europe at the middle of the fifteenth century and provide precious insight into the history of Renaissance diplomacy and the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy.

Two texts of Eneas Silvius Piccolomini on Denmark are presented. One is the chapter on the Danish... more Two texts of Eneas Silvius Piccolomini on Denmark are presented. One is the chapter on the Danish king, Eric VII of Pomerania, from De Viris Illustribus, and the other is the chapter on Denmark and the other Scandinavian realms from De Europa. The two texts form the basis of a picture of Denmark as held by an international European personality towards the middle of the 15 th century.

Renæssancen i svøb : dansk renæssance i europæisk belysning 1450-1550, 2008

A number of texts on Denmark written by Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini/Pius II (1405-1464) are presen... more A number of texts on Denmark written by Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini/Pius II (1405-1464) are presented. An account is given of what Piccolomini will have known about Denmark and of his perception of Denmark as a peripheral state in the north of Europe and as a player in the European power game, as well as the relationship between Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire, and between Denmark and the Holy See. In particular, the position of King Christian I vis-à-vis the Crusade plans of the renaissance Popes -1464 is discussed.

Fund og Forskning i Det Kongelige Biblioteks Samlinger, 2012

This article deals with the development of Cardinal Protectors of Nations in the 15th century. It... more This article deals with the development of Cardinal Protectors of Nations in the 15th century. It is based partly on texts examined by Josef Wodka (1938), partly on the correspondence of Cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini published in the Opera Omnia edition of 1571 and the correpondence of King Christian 1. with the Papal Court.
The author’s interpretation of the development differs somewhat from Josef Wodka’s in that it recognizes the decisive role of the Council of Basle in creating a legal base for cardinals representing royal interests at the Apostolic See. The Council agreed with the stance of Pope Martin V that cardinals should act as impartial and independent advisors of popes, but - reaching back to Avignonese precedents - it accepted a form of representation termed ”promotorship” rather than ”protectorship” of royal affairs. It did not indicate any difference of content between the two concepts, but only addressed the modalities of partiality and payment.
This interpretation is based on the Conciliar Decree itself and on the Cardinal’s correspondence which documents the practice at the Papal Court in the 1450’s, including a formal arrangement of promotorship between the Cardinal and the Emperor, and negotiations concerning such a promotorship between the Cardinal and the King of Denmark.

Umisteligt – Festskrift til Erland Kolding Nielsen. Edited by John T. Lauridsen and Olaf Olsen, 2007

Roma nel Rinascimento, 2016

The only surviving oration of pope Nicholas V , delivered on 24 March 1447 in response to the dec... more The only surviving oration of pope Nicholas V , delivered on 24 March 1447 in response to the declaration of obedience of ambassadors sent by the king of Naples Alfonso V of Aragon, is published and commented in this essay. The reports of Giannozzo Manetti, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Vespasiano da Bisticci, and Paris de Grassis describe Parentucelli’s oratorical skill.

Books by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg

During his career as an official at the Council of Basel, as secretary and later top diplomat at ... more During his career as an official at the Council of Basel, as secretary and later top diplomat at the Imperial Court, as papal envoy, as cardinal, and as pope, Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius II gave a large number of orations, as well as responses to ambassadors, which taken together document his literary and oratorical gifts and throw valuable light on the political and ecclesiastical processes of the second third of the 15th century. Today, 80 of his orations and diplomatic responses are known to be extant, in a considerable number of manuscripts kept in European libraries. Of these, 50 were published collectively by G.D. Mansi in 1755-1759, the only previous comprehensive edition. In the present edition, nine of Pius’ orations are published for the first time.

Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) was one of the great letter writers of his century. In the... more Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) was one of the great letter writers of his century. In the course of his life, he wrote and received a great many personal letters. A large part of this correspondence is extant today, with 813 personal letters written by him and 102 letters written to him, altogether 915 letters, to which come the 151 official letters written for Emperor Friedrich III, Chancellor Kaspar, and Pope Callixtus III. They are a unique source of information not only on Piccolomini’s own, extraordinary, life but also on important political processes, ecclesiastical affairs, and social developments in the Renaissance. The two previous modern editions of Piccolomini’s letters are incomplete. Wolkan’s edition (1909-1918) covers only the years from 1432 to 1454, but it has ever since been an invaluable source for researchers on Piccolomini in particular and the Renaissance in general. Van Heck’s edition (2007) only covers the period until 1445. As for translations, only limited anthologies and some single letters in scholarly articles have been published so far. So, the present edition is the first complete edition and translation of the extant letters of Piccolomini before the pontificate

The present volume contains a) a list of the 134 letters published by Wolkan that Enea Silvio Pic... more The present volume contains a) a list of the 134 letters published by Wolkan that Enea Silvio Piccolomini wrote for Emperor Friedrich III, Duke Sigismund of Austria, and the imperial chancellor, Kaspar Schlick, from 1443 to 22 January 1454, b) the Latin text of 6 letters he wrote for the emperor from 1454 to 1455, and c) the Latin text of 11 letters he wrote, as a cardinal, for Pope Calixtus III in 1457. The volume also contains the indexes (persons, places, sources, subjects, incipits, correspondents) to the personal letters of Piccolomini (vols. 1-9).

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s personal letters from his period as a cardi... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s personal letters from his period as a cardinal, December 1456 - August 1458, altogether 225 letters. Of these letters, 162 have only been published in incunabula editions and later in the Opera Omnia edition from 1551. 12 letters have been only been published in late source collections , and another 9 in modern critical editions. The remaining 42 letters have never been published.

Volume 12 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains ambassadorial (and some other) orati... more Volume 12 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains ambassadorial (and some other) orations to Pope Pius II.

Volume 11 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations discovered after the... more Volume 11 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations discovered after the completion of the main body of the edition, one the closing oration at the Diet in Regensburg, 1454, the “Verba tua”, and two orations from August-September 1459, at the Congress of Mantua, the “Grave illis” and the previously unknown “Miraberis fortassis”. The volume also contains a list of manuscripts, orthographical profiles of the main manuscripts collated for the present edition, and the indices (persons, places, subjects, sources).

Volume 10 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains fourteen orations held by Pius II in... more Volume 10 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains fourteen orations held by Pius II in the last years of his pontificate, from 1462-1464. It comprises the three very important orations from March 1462, the “Existimatis fortasse” relaunching his crusade project, the “Per me reges regnant” on the abolition of Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, and the “Superioribus diebus” with a refusal to grant communion under both species to the Bohemians. It also contains the orations delivered at the reception of Saint Andrew’s Head in Rome, a major propaganda scoop for the papacy. And finally it contains the “Sextus agitur annus”, the prelude to his great crusade bull Ezechielis propheta, officially initiating his crusade.

Volume 7 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains fourteen orations held by Pius II in ... more Volume 7 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains fourteen orations held by Pius II in the first year after his election. Ten of them are responses to ambassadors presenting their prince's obedience to the new pope. One is an oration to the papal court and ambassadors in Rome on summoning a Congress in Manta to discuss a crusade against the Turks. Two orations were addressed to the government of the City of Siena, one on the occasion of the bestowal of the papal Golden Rose on Siena, and another in response to certain political concessions by the city government to the pope. And the final oration was a reply to a princess from Milan who had addressed a Latin oration to him.

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s 104 personal letters from the years 1455 an... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s 104 personal letters from the years 1455 and 1456, i.e., his last half year at the Imperial Court in Austria and the year and a half when he was back in Italy before he was appointed a cardinal. Of these letters, 45 have never been published in print; 11 have only been published in incunabula editions and later in the Opera Omnia edition from 1551; and 48 have been published in modern critical editions (in RTA).

Volume 6 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations from the period 1455-1... more Volume 6 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations from the period 1455-1457. Two of them were addressed to Pope Calixtus III by Piccolomini in his capacity as imperial ambassador, and one of them to King Alfonso V in his capacity as representative of the city of Siena. The first oration to Calixtus concerned the imperial declaration of obedience to the new pope, whereas the second was a memorandum on the Hussite question in the form of an oration, possibly never delivered as such. The oration to Alfonso concerned a peace with the condottiere Jacopo Piccino and city-state of Siena.

Volume 4 of the Orations of Pope Pius II contains seven orations from the three year period 1450-... more Volume 4 of the Orations of Pope Pius II contains seven orations from the three year period 1450-1452. Six are orations held in his capacity of imperial ambassador, one to King Alfonso V, three to Pope Nicolaus V, one to a Bohemian diet, and one to the ambassadors of Duke Philippe III of Burgundy. The seventh is a long defence of the pope’s monitorium against the Austrian rebels against the emperor, probably never held.

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini's personal letters from the year 1454, altoge... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini's personal letters from the year 1454, altogether 143 letters. These letters cover a period where two German diets were held, with war against the Turks as one of the main points on the agenda. Bishop Piccolomini was one of the imperial legates and presidents of both assemblies and played a major role in conducting them to a positive outcome.

Volume 8 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains nine of the orations held by Pius II ... more Volume 8 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains nine of the orations held by Pius II during the Congress in Mantua, summoned by the pope with the purpose of discussing a crusade against the Turks. Two of the orations are general addresses to the Congress (the two opening orations, the “Magna pars vestrum” and the remarkable “Cum bellum hodie), the others are responses to various ambassadors.

Renæssancen i svøb : dansk renæssance i europæisk belysning 1450-1550, 2008

Fund og Forskning i Det Kongelige Biblioteks Samlinger, 2012

Umisteligt – Festskrift til Erland Kolding Nielsen. Edited by John T. Lauridsen and Olaf Olsen, 2007

Roma nel Rinascimento, 2016

Volume 11 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations discovered after the... more Volume 11 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains three orations discovered after the completion of the main body of the edition, one the closing oration at the Diet in Regensburg, 1454, the “Verba tua”, and two orations from August-September 1459, at the Congress of Mantua, the “Grave illis” and the previously unknown “Miraberis fortassis”. The volume also contains a list of manuscripts, orthographical profiles of the main manuscripts collated for the present edition, and the indices (persons, places, subjects, sources).

Volume 3 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains eight orations from 1445 to 1449. One... more Volume 3 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains eight orations from 1445 to 1449. One is a sermon to his parishioners in Aspach (probably never held), two are academic lectures given at the University of Vienna in 1445, and five are ambassadorial orations on behalf of Emperor Friedrich III, of which four were addressed to Pope Eugenius IV and one to the people of Milan.

Volume 5 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains five orations from the three-year per... more Volume 5 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains five orations from the three-year period 1454-1455. They were delivered by Piccolomini in his capacity as imperial ambassador at three imperial diets held after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. They are generally considered to be some of the most outstanding and influential orations belonging to the genre of Renaissance (anti)Turkish orations, though in the end they proved to be unsuccessful.

Volume 2 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains four orations and one sermon held in the period from 1436 to 1443. The first three orations and the sermon are from his time at the Council of Basel, and the fourth oration is from his time at the Imperial Chancery of Emperor Friedrich I..., 2019

Volume 9 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains twelve orations held by Pius II in th... more Volume 9 of the Collected Orations of Pope Pius II contains twelve orations held by Pius II in the period from December 1459 to October 1461. They include the politically very important oration "Responsuri" to the French ambassadors on the pope's policies with regard to the Kingdom of Naples and his support of the Spanish House of Aragon as rulers of that kingdom. It also comprises his oration at the canonization of Catherine of Siena, considered as one of highpoints of his pontificate.

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini's personal letters from the years 1448-1452, ... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini's personal letters from the years 1448-1452, altogether 57 letters. These letters cover a period when he became Bishop of Trieste and was later transferred to the See of Siena. During this period, he acted as a senior imperial diplomat and councillor, being sent on important missions to the King Alfonso V in Naples, to the pope and to Bohemia.

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini's personal letters from the years 1444-1447, ... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini's personal letters from the years 1444-1447, altogether 45 letters. These letters cover a period when he became an imperial diplomat, being sent on important imperial missions to the pope and to Milan, was instrumental in the process leading Germany to recognise the Roman papacy, lost his sexual powers, entered clerical orders, and was appointed Bishop of Trieste.

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s personal letters from 1444, altogether 54 l... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s personal letters from 1444, altogether 54 letters. These letters cover a period of intense literary activity, his conversion from the conciliarist to the papal cause, and his first appointment to a lucrative benefice. They also give a continuous comment on affairs at the imperial court, including the conflict of succession to the Hungarian throne, the development of the Church schism and the succession to the See of Freising.

The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s personal letters from 1453, altogether 152 ... more The present volume contains Enea Silvio Piccolomini’s personal letters from 1453, altogether 152 letters. These letters cover a period of great events, as related to and by Piccolomini: It began with Porcari’s rebellion against the papal government of Rome, which, with some luck, might have succeeded. It continued with with negotiations to settle the Austrian rebellion against the emperor in 1452 that had led to the release of the boy-king Ladislaus the Posthumous’ accession to the thrones of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia. Then a series of problems in the three realms arose or manifested themselves, some of them unsurmountable. In June, Constantinople fell to the Turks, threatening to continue their invasion of Europe. In the autumn, the court trial to settle the Prussian rebellion against the Teutonic Order took place, which prevented Piccolomini from returning to Italy, where the powers finally managed to move towards a permanent peace. And the Count of Celje was deposed from the government of Austria and the king’s person.