âThe Common Practices of an Imperfect Worldâ: The Apparent Paradox of Cardinal Francesco Piccolominiâs Thoughts and Deeds

Susan May

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Chapter 10 âThe Common Practices of an Imperfect Worldâ: The Apparent Paradox of Cardinal Francesco Piccolominiâs Thoughts and Deeds

In: Reading the Reformations

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Susan May

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 255â284

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004521247_012

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Abstract

Franz Wasner, writing in 1958, lamented the early demise of the obscure figure (to many) of Pope Pius III: âIt is indeed to be regretted that the Chair of Peter could not be occupied longer by this churchman who possessed such a grasp of history, political sagacity, sense of ecclesiastical dignity, and human understanding â¦. The Reformation in Germany might well have run a different course if Pius III had been guiding the Church in Leo Xâs place.â

Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (1439â1503), Cardinal of Siena, died, within ten days of his coronation as pontiff â one of the shortest pontificates in history. For this reason, perhaps, no full biography of the cardinal has been written, though one has been long called for. Nevertheless, as a member of the Sacred College for forty-three years, Francesco had held it in his power to wield considerable and protracted political influence. He has been a subject of four twentieth-century ecclesiastical historians, Joseph Schlecht (1914), Josef Wodka (1944), Alfred Strnad (1964â66) and William Wilkie (1966), all of whose work invites revisiting in the light of subsequent scholarship on commercial and diplomatic networks. More recently, aspects of Piccolominiâs patronage have been published by art historian Carol Richardson (1998, 2003, 2010). This work notwithstanding, scholars have still not responded sufficiently to the challenge posed by Schlecht over a century ago: that far too little is known about Pius IIIâs significance during his lifetime to the Germans, either those in Rome or beyond. This aspect of his life is germane, since prior to his election as pontiff, Francesco served as national cardinal protector of the German-speaking lands. Given âthe important task of linking micro-political interaction to macro-political outcomesâ (Paul D. McLean, 2007), a fresh scrutiny of the cardinalâs activities and their short- and long-term international consequences is valuable.

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Reading the Reformations

Theologies, Cultures and Beliefs in an Age of Change

Series:Â St Andrews Studies in Reformation History

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004521247

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 15 Feb 2023

Subjects
- History
  - Early Modern History
  - Church History

Front Matter

Part 1 Reading the Instructive

Part 2 Reading the Communal

Part 3 Reading the Material

Part 4 Reading the Long Reformation

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Chapter 10 âThe Common Practices of an Imperfect Worldâ: The Apparent Paradox of Cardinal Francesco Piccolominiâs Thoughts and Deeds

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Reading the Reformations

Theologies, Cultures and Beliefs in an Age of Change

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Chapter 10 âThe Common Practices of an Imperfect Worldâ: The Apparent Paradox of Cardinal Francesco Piccolominiâs Thoughts and Deeds