URBAN VIII

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URBAN VIII . (Maffeo Barberini), pope from 1623 to 1644, was born in 1568, of a wealthy Florentine family. He early entered the prelacy, became prefect of Spoleto, twice nuncio to France, cardinal (16o6), and finally, on the 6th of August 1623, succeeded Gregory XV. as pope. Urban was vain, self-willed and extremely conscious of his position; he accepted the papacy chiefly as a temporal principality, and made it his first care to provide for its defence and to render it formidable. He built Castelfranco on the northern frontier; fortified the port of Civita Vecchia; and strengthened the Castel Sant' Angelo, equipping it with cannon made from the bronze of the Pantheon, an act of vandalism which the Romans punished by the epigram, " Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini." He also established an arsenal and a factory of arms. But all this provision was to no purpose. The only territory gained during Urban's pontificate, the duchy of Urbino, the last addition to the papal states, was acquired by reversion (1631); and in his one war, with the duke of Parma, for the

district

DISTRICT

of Castro, he met defeat and humiliation (1644). The Thirty Years' War Urban professed to regard as waged for political, not for religious, ends. He therefore took counsel merely with his

interest

INTEREST

as a temporal prince, threw in his lot with France, supported the duke of Nevers in the Mantuan Succession, and, under stress of fear of Habsburg supremacy, suffered himself to be

drawn

DRAWN

into closer relations with the Protestants than beseemed his office, and incurred the reproach of rejoicing in the victories of heretics. Later, in keeping with his position, he opposed all concessions to the Protestants; but still showed himself so vacillating that the papacy ceased to be regarded as a serious political factor, and was entirely ignored in the final

settlement

SETTLEMENT
SETTLEMENT, ACT OF

of Westphalia, 1648.
Urban was the last pope to practise nepotism on a grand scale. He failed to found a princely

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

; but he enriched his family to an extent that astonished even the Romans. Urban bore a hand in the condemnation of Galileo. He acknowledged the genius of the astronomer, and had not approved of the action of the Inquisition in 1616; but subsequently, believing himself to have been caricatured in the Dialogo, he. permitted the Inquisition to have its way and to compel an abjuration (1633). Urban also denounced the doctrines of

Jansen

JANSEN, CORNELIUS (1585-1638)

, 1644 (see

JANSENISM

JANSENISM

). He promulgated the famous

bull

In Coena Domini in its final form, 1627; published the latest revision of the Breviary, 1631; founded the College of the Propaganda for the education of missionaries, 1627; and accorded the title of " eminence " to the cardinals, 163o. Urban did much to embellish the city. Conspicuous among his works are the Barberini Palace, the College of the Propaganda, the Fountain of the Triton, and the baldachin of St Peter's. His hymns and poems, which have frequently been published, are evidence of his literary taste and ability. Urban died on the 29th of July 1644, and was succeeded by Innocent X.
the French cardinals in Italy, he at length announced his intention of returning to France, avowedly to settle trouble between France and England. He took ship at Cometo on the 5th of September 1370, and, arriving at Avignon on the 24th of the same month, died on the 19th of December. Urban was serious and humble, opposed to all nepotism, simony, and secular pomp. He was himself of blameless morality and reformed many abuses in the curia. He was honoured as a saint immediately after his death, and beatified by Pius IX. in 187o. Urban's successor was Gregory XI.
See H. J. Tomaseth, " Die Register u. Secretare Urbans V. u. Gregors XI." in Mitteilungen des Instituts fur osterreichische Geschichtsforschung (1898); Baluzius, Vitae Pap. Avenion., vol. 1 (Paris, 1693); L. Pastor, History of the Popes, vol. 1, trans. by F. I. Antrobus (London, 1899) ; F. Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, vol. 6, trans. by Mrs G. W. Hamilton (London, 19002) ; J. P.

Kirsch

KIRSCH (or KIRSCHENWASSER)

, Die Riickkehr der Papste Urban V. u. Gregor XI. von Avignon nach Rom (Paderborn, 1898) ; J. H. Albans, Actes anciens concernant le bienheureux Urbain V. (Paris, 1897) ; J. B. Magnan, Histoire d' Urbain V. (2nd ed., Paris, 1863) ; H. J. Wurm, Cardinal Albornoz (Paderborn, 1892); H. H. Milman, Latin Christianity, vol. 7 (London, 1896) ; J. B. Christophe, Histoire de la papaute pendant le XIVe'' siecle, vol. 2 (Paris, 1853).

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