Martinus V 1417-1431
Oddone Colonna was elected unaimously Bishop of Rome after a conclave of three days on November 11, 1417 by the representitives of the five nations(France, Spain, England, Germany, and Italy), he took the name Martinus in honor of the saint of Tours whose feast day fell on the election day. Being then only sub deacon, he was ordained deacon on 12th, and priest on 13th, and was consecrated bishop on 14th. On November 21, 1417 he was crowned pope in the great court of the episcopal palace of Constance.
The church had just passed thru its most challenging event, the Western Schism, and Martinus was invited by King Sigismund of Germany who used every effort to induce Martin V to reside in a German city while France begged him to come to Avignon, but, rejecting all offers he set out for Rome. He gained teh support of Queen Joanna of Naples, who was in possesion of Rome, by consenting to recognize her as Queen of Naples, and to permit her coronation by Cardinal Legate Morosini. After Rome had risen from its delapidated state thru famine, plague, and schism, with the help of Florence Martinus regained the rest of the Papal States, who during the schism had become an incoherent mass of independent cities and provinces, or were under the control of the famous condottiere Bracco di Montone, who had gained mastery over half of central Italy. And upon his death the lands Martinus had reserved for him joined the Papacy.
Martinus set about further strenghting the Papal States position in Italy, with the help of his kin the Colonna family arranged an alliace with Genoa and Milan(who would later be vassels). Martinus showed great forsight in this endevor for the Turks had expanded at the expense of the Duchy of Athens, who called on its allies Modena and Tuscany. The former of which was invaded, besiged, and formally annexd by the Turks. Having a moslim power so close was unacceptable to Martinus, and the day after Modenas annexation war was declared.
Tuscany soon joined the Papal League in their war with the Turkish alliance. The Turkish army in Modena was set upon by the Army of the Holy Cross on April 29, 1422. The battle raged for near 20 days, and was almost lost, but reinforcements from Milan turn the tide and the Turks, to the last man, were captured or killed. Modena was put under seige, but the majority of the papal army was recalled to Rome, for on May 11, Siena, a stronghold of support for the emperor, declared war. Matrinus declined support from the Papal League, asking them to focus on defending Italy from further turkish incursions. Siena besiged Rome with an army of twenty-five thousand men, mostly infantry, so when the Army of the Holy Cross arrived in January with its strong cavalry contingent it drove the Sienese from the walls of Rome after a 7 month seige. Emilia fell to the forces of Milan soon after.
The wars with Siena and the Ottoman Turks continued to rage and the Papal Fleet was sent to the Ligurian Sea to aid the Genoans who were fighting the Turks there. After several naval excursions the Turks were driven from the Emilia coast on Febuary 5, 1428. Rome was again put under seige in October of 1427 by Seina, the seige wasnt lifted until August 12 of the next year, and in November Siena itself was besieged. Before it was put under siege Siena managed to curry favor in Mantua and Naples, and both declared war in support of the Sienese. Though Siena fell a year after the start of the Siege, it was made a client state of the Papacy. Martinus delgated these wars to his allies, Genoa was asked to aid in the defeat of the fleets of Naples and Aragon, who had honoured its comitments with Naples. While Tuscany was given the task of humbling both Mantua and Naples on the land. The former of which was allowed to be annexed by Martinus by Tuscany. The later was driven from Naples and capitulated to the Papal League after the fall of Naples, paying 250 ducats, which was divided between its members, on August 8, 1429.
The Turks arrived in the Ligurian Sea, besieging Corsica, while the Papal and Genoan fleets were battling the Aragon fleet. A force was dispatched to Corsica to releave the island in October of 1430. The force was thrown from the Island by the Turkish cavalry and returned to Emilia for reinfocements. Again on Febuary of 1431 a Papal force arrived on the shores of Corsica, this time defeating the Turks, the surviors were massicared by the Papal forces, in retribution for their brothers in arms killed during the first attack. He died 3 days after the battle of Corsica, on Febuary 20, 1431.
During his reign he also endeavored in peace. He had a hand in Zigmunts accention to the throne of Bohemia. He also opposed the secular encroachments upon the rights of the Church in France by issuing a Constitution, which greatly limited the Gallican liberties in that part of France which was subject to King Henry VI of England, and by entering a new concordat with King Charles VII of France in August, 1426. He also negotiated with Constantinople in behalf of a reunion of the Greek with the Latin Church. Though in vain as that city was soon captured by the Turks.
Eugene IV was elected by the conclave, assembled at Rome in the church of the Minerva after the death of Martin V, they elected him to the papacy on the first scrutiny. He assumed the name of Eugene IV, possibly anticipating a stormy pontificate similar to that of Eugene III. Stormy, in fact, his reign was destined to be.
ossible own every Italian Province. Convert some/many/most Protestant countrys back to Catholic.
