MARTIN V

This article appears in Volume V17, Page 793 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: MAR-MEC

MARTIN V . (Otto Colonna) (14171431) was elected at Con-stance on St Martin's Day, in a

conclave

CONCLAVE (Lat. conclave, from cum, together, and clavis, a key)

composed of twenty-three cardinals and thirty delegates from the five different " nations " of the council. Son of Agapito Colonna, who had himself become a bishop and cardinal, the new

pope

belonged to one of the greatest Roman families; to Urban VI. had been due his entry, as ref erendarius, upon an ecclesiastical career. Having become a cardinal under Innocent VII., he had seceded from Gregory XII. in 1408, and together with the other cardinals at Pisa, had taken part in the election of Alexander V. and afterwards of John XXIII. At Constance, his role had been chiefly that of an arbiter; he was a good and gentle man, leading a simple life, free from intrigue. While refraining from making any pronouncement as to the validity of the decrees of the fourth and fifth sessions, which had seemed to proclaim the superiority of the council over the

pope

, Martin V. nevertheless soon revealed his personal feelings by having a constitution read in consistory which forbade any appeal from the judgment of the sovereign pontiff in matters of faith (May 1o, 1418). As to the reform, of which everybody felt the necessity, the fathers in council had not succeeded in arriving at any agreement.
Martin V. himself settled a

great

GREAT

number of points, and then passed a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

special

SPECIAL

concordats with Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England. Though this was not the thorough reform of which need was felt, the council itself gave the pope a satisfecit. When the council was dissolved Martin V. made it his task to regain Italy. After staying for long periods at Mantua and Florence, where the deposed pope, Baldassare Cossa (John XXIII.), came and made submission to him, Martin V. was enabled to enter Rome (Sept. 30, 1420) and measure the extent of the ruins left there by the

Great

GREAT

Schism of the West. He set to

work

WORK

to restore some of these ruins, to reconstitute and pacify the Papal State, to put an end to the Schism, which showed signs of continuing in Aragon and certain parts of southern France; to enter into negotiations, unfortunately unfruitful, with the Greek Church also with a view to a return to unity, to organize the struggle against heresy in Bohemia; to interpose his pacific mediation between France and England, as well as between the parties which were rending France; and, finally, to welcome and act as patron to saintly re-formers like Bernardino of Siena and Francesca Romana, foundress of the nursing sisterhood of the Oblate di Tor de' Specchi (1425).
In accordance with the decree Frequens, and the promises which he had made, Martin V., after an

interval

INTERVAL

of five years, summoned a new council, which was almost immediately transferred from Pavia to Siena, in consequence of an epidemic (1423). But the small number of fathers who attended at the latter town, and above all, the disquieting tendencies whicl began to make themselves felt there, induced the pope to force on a dissolution of the synod. Pending the reunion of the new council which had been summoned at Basel for the end of a period of seven years, Martin V. himself endeavoured to effect a reformation in certain points, but he was carried off by apoplexy (Feb. 20, 1431), just as he had designated the

young

YOUNG
YOUNG, A
YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
EDWARD
- EDWARD
_16831765_.html">YOUNG,
EDWARD
- EDWARD
(1683–1765)
YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
THOMAS
_1773_1829_.html">YOUNG,
THOMAS
(1773-1829)

and brilliant Cardinal Giuliano Cesarini to preside in his place over the council of Basel.
See L. Pastor, Geschichte der Papste (1901), i. 205-279; J. Guiraud, L'Etat pontifical acres le Grand Schisme (1896); Mintz, Les Arts a la tour des gapes pendant le xve et le xvie siecle (1878) ; N. Valois, La Crise religieuse du xve siecle; le pape et le concile (1909), vol. i. p. i.xxix., 1-93. (N. V.)

End of Article: MARTIN V

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/MAR_MEC/MARTIN_V.html">
MARTIN V
</a>

(Previous)
MARTIN OF TROPPAU, or MARTIN THE POLE (d. 1278)

(Next)
MARTIN, BON LOUIS HENRI (1810-1883)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email