July 1, 2025 • 25 mins
Continuing the theme of exploring Papal history, we discuss Gerbert of Aurillac, AKA Pope Sylvester II, who's scientific and mathmatical mind lead him to the highest seat of Catholic power. But after his death, detractors and enemies would spin his story into one of dark arts and deals with the devil.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm
and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. In the
early evening on May eighth, twenty twenty five, white smoke
billowed from the Sistine Chapel in Rome. A new pope
had been elected. Onlookers in the Vatican City and across
(00:24):
the world waited with bated breath for over an hour,
their eyes trained on the central logia of Saint Peter's Basilica,
where the new Pontiff's identity and regnal name would be announced.
After fewer than two days of voting. Before too long,
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti emerged to share with the world that
(00:46):
the new head of the Catholic Church would be the
former Cardinal Robert Privost, now Leo the fourteenth. As Momberti
put it in the traditional Latin, we have a new pope.
This papal conclave, which turned out to be among the
shortest in history, although not the shortest and not too
(01:07):
much shorter than the previous two papal elections, inspired a
great deal of public interest. Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, was
a widely beloved figure, and many people in the Catholic
world and beyond were deeply invested in whether and how
the new pontiff would carry on his legacy. Perhaps spurred
(01:31):
on by the success of the twenty twenty four film Conclave,
many people were also intrigued by the rituals and secrecy
defining the election process to select a new pope. In fact,
many of the rules governing this two day conclave and
every conclave for hundreds of years, stem from the events
(01:55):
of a single papal election in the past, the long
conclave in history, and in many ways, the first conclave
in history started in twelve sixty eight and took nearly
three years, changing the way hopes are chosen forever. I'm
(02:17):
Danish Schwartz and this is noble blood. Clement the Fourth
was on his deathbed. It was twelve sixty eight and
he had sat on the throne of Saint Peter for
just under four years. He had lived a full life.
(02:37):
He had fought in war, studied law, married and had
two daughters, all before becoming a widower and joining the church.
And he had made some important achievements during his reign,
having summoned the now Saint Thomas aquinas to serve as
papal theologian, and he made strides towards diplomatic relations with
(02:58):
the Mongols. Despite his achievements, however, much of Clement's pontificate
had been defined by the conflict between the papal loyalist
Guelphs and the anti papal Ghibelines. You might remember those
factions from our episode on the Cannibal Count of Pisa,
who by this time was already beginning to betray his
(03:22):
Gibeline sympathies. The election in which Clement had become Pope,
which began in twelve sixty four and lasted around four months,
had seen significant debate among the College of Cardinals about
how best to protect the papacy from Gibeline threats. Clement,
(03:42):
who was French in origin, in fact, had had to
travel to Italy in disguise upon his election to the
papacy in order to protect himself from Gibeline violence. Clement
had reigned throughout the entirety of his pontificate from Viterbo,
a city fifty miles northwest of Rome, which had been
(04:02):
the seat of the papacy since twelve fifty seven, when
Pope Alexander the fourth had moved the papal curia there
in the wake of excessive violence in Rome. That violence
in Rome had continued during the papacy of Clement's immediate predecessor,
Urban the Fourth, and into Clement's papacy. In fifteen sixty six,
(04:26):
Clement had overseen the completion of construction begun under Alexander
the Fourth and commissioned by the Viturban Captain of the people,
to convert the bishop's palace in Viturbo into a bonafide
papal residence, which became known as the Palazzo de Puppy
or the Palace of the Popes. Clement was devoted to
(04:49):
protecting the independence of the papacy. Most notably, he allied
with Charles the First of Anjou, the younger brother of
King Louis the ninth of France, in his controversial conquest
of Naples, offering him the throne in exchange for an
acknowledgment of the pope as the feudal lord. Fortified with
(05:12):
papal support and papal funding, Charles defeated the Holy Roman
Emperor's illegitimate son and heir, Manfred, King of Sicily, whose
Gibelin ties as a member of the powerful Hohenstauffen family
and refusal to acknowledge the Pope's feudal power had made
him an enemy of the Holy See. Manfred had usurped
(05:35):
power from his young nephew Conradin, the last legitimate heir
of the House of Hohenstauffen. Manfred was killed by Charles's
forces in the Battle of Benevento in twelve sixty six,
allowing Charles to take control of Naples. Conradin, who had
(05:55):
been a teenager at that time, attempted to reclaim Naples
and was captured some two years later in the Battle
of Tagliacozzo. He was imprisoned and eventually publicly beheaded on
Charles's orders on October twenty ninth, twelve sixty eight. Later,
detractors would spread the rumor that Clement the Pope had
(06:19):
supported Charles's ruthless tactics, decrying his complicity in the death
of the young king, but in fact, Clement had actually
pleaded for Charles to have mercy on the boy. Nevertheless,
by allowing Charles to take control of Naples, Clement cemented
French power in Italy, which many cardinals saw as a
(06:42):
threat to the independence of the papacy and that of
the Italian city states they hailed from in and of itself.
Exactly one month after conrad In's beheading, on November twenty ninth,
twelve sixty eight, Clement died following what was report cowardly
a brief illness. Despite the achievements of his pontificate, he
(07:05):
left behind not only the vacant throne of Saint Peter,
but also a cardinalate divided on how best to fill it.
In twelve sixty eight, the Sacred College boasted twenty cardinals,
nineteen of whom participated in the papal election. The twentieth
was busy accompanying Louis the ninth of France on his
(07:27):
crusade in Tunisia. In keeping with the tradition of holding
the papal election in the city where the previous pope
had died, the nineteen cardinals made their way to Viterbo
in late November, once word had reached them of the
death of Clement the Fourth. The cardinals oversaw his burial
in the Dominican convent of Santa Maria in Grotti, which
(07:51):
stood just outside of the city. Before beginning the election
proceedings just two days after his death on December one,
twelve six eight. Immediately it became clear that this conclave
would not be straightforward. Along with the cardinal's arrival at
Come that of Charles of Anjou, the newly crowned and
(08:13):
bloodthirsty King of Naples. Clement had underestimated Charles's ambitions for
an Italian empire, and with the Pope's death, Charles had
seen an opportunity to continue to consolidate power. He came
to the Terbo with the intention of influencing the papal election.
(08:34):
The issue of Charles's presence and his clear intentions for
the election and thereafter quickly became the central issue dividing
the cardinals. It's impossible to note the numbers with any accuracy,
but it seems that there was an even enough split
between those who wanted to continue the pro French tradition
(08:56):
of the previous two popes and those who wanted to
divorce the papacy from Charles's influence, not to mention those
who were out to elevate their own allies, countrymen, and
family members. The election was essentially deadlocked from the start.
At first, the cardinals passed freely between the cathedral and
(09:19):
their lodgings. They held only one vote each day, which
day after day resulted in nothing but further tensions and
no clear front runner for pope. Although we know very
little about the actual deliberations or candidates considered for the papacy,
it's likely that at least a few of the cardinals
(09:40):
present were considered a pobbulate or potential candidates for pope.
Although it was not necessary to be a cardinal to
be elected pope technically it still isn't, and other important
figures in the church hierarchy were considered. Given the fact
that the cardinals were free to move about as they pleased,
(10:02):
it's also likely that they were subject to outside pressure
and influence, perhaps most notably from Charles, who would remain
in Viturbo throughout the election proceedings. Later sources would have
it that two months in the cardinals nearly agreed on
electing Philippo Benitzi, the general of the Servite Order. It's
(10:26):
likely that this story isn't true and was rather a
fabrication meant to support Benitzi's later canonization, but he supposedly
came to Viturbo in early twelve sixty nine to scold
the cardinals for dragging their feet in the electoral process.
They were apparently so impressed with Benizzi that they chose
(10:47):
him to fill the empty papal throne, but he fled
the city to prevent his election, forcing the cardinals back
to square one. A similar, also likely untrue story of
near election would also crop up long after the fact,
concerning Saint Bonaventure, then known as Giovanni di Fidanza. In
(11:11):
any case, no pope was indeed elected in those first
few months, and the voting continued apace. Just under a
year after the election had begun. A new wrench was
thrown into the proceedings when one of the electors died.
Cardinal Giordano Pironti died of unknown causes on October one,
(11:34):
twelve sixty nine, at about fifty nine years old. He
had updated his will a few weeks prior, so he
may have been ill, and with his death only eighteen
electors remained, an even number that did not bode well
for breaking any future ties. It seems Cardinal Perunti's death
(11:55):
was something of a turning point for the secular authorities
in Viturbo, though it would take them several more months
to take action. Around June twelve seventy, after the anniversary
of the last pope's death came and went, and the
erstwhile cardinals entered their twentieth month of unsuccessful voting. Raniero Gatti,
(12:18):
the prefect of Atterbo, and Albertus de Montebono, the Podesta
ordered that the remaining electors be sequestered in the Polazza
de Pappi until they could choose the Pope's successor once
and for all. These were drastic times, and the time
at a long passed for drastic measures, and before long
(12:41):
it would seem that even more drastic measures would be
needed to get these cardinals to finally make their choice.
In the late summer of twelve seventy one, a teenage
Marco Polo was just beginning the journey that would cement
him as one of history's most famous travelers. He had
(13:03):
set off from Venice with his father Nicolo and his
uncle Mafeo, and after a short eastward journey across the Mediterranean,
they had arrived in the fortified city of Accer, a
Crusader stronghold on the Levantine coastline. It was there that
they met Archdeacon Toobaldo Visconti of Piacenza, who had followed Edward,
(13:28):
the First of England to Occer in the Ninth Crusade
earlier that year. During their visit, the Polos lamented to
the archdeacon that the papal throne was still vacant after
over two years of fruitless voting. Marco's father and uncle
had previously traveled to China, where the Emperor Kubla Khan
(13:51):
had given them a letter for the pope. They had
been disappointed to return in twelve sixty nine to find
that they still had no one to give it to.
That was almost two years ago. Now Here, The brothers
were making their way eastward again, now with Marco and
still no news from Viterbo. They had been shocked when
(14:14):
an elector died in twelve sixty nine, and even more
so some six months later, when the viturban authorities ordered
that the remaining cardinals be locked away in the Palazza
de Poppy to complete their election. Around the same time,
it was suggested, supposedly by the English cardinal John of Toledo,
(14:35):
that the roof of the voting chamber in the palazzo
should be removed, saying, let us uncover the room, else
the holy ghost will never get at us. For you
papal election fans following along at home. This was the
first recorded reference to the now essential idea that the
Holy Spirit guides the election of popes. It was also
(14:59):
suggested that the elector's rations be reduced to just bread
and water for the remainder of the election. The magistrates
of the Turbo agreed, likely hoping that some scorching sun,
torrential rain, and stupefying hunger would guide the electors in
addition to the Holy Spirit. Of course, the cardinals petitioned
(15:22):
the magistrates that Cardinal Henry of Segusio be excused from
the remainder of the election due to health concerns, which
would have been exacerbated by having to spend every day
hungry and exposed to the elements. He had renounced his
right to vote, and his request was granted. The remaining
(15:43):
seventeen cardinals were locked into the palace, the doors and
windows barred, and the roof of the voting chamber was removed.
Some sources say that a makeshift roof was later added
back onto the election chamber after the cardinal threatened to
excommunicate the entire city, but it seems that they actually
(16:05):
at least took their new diet in stride. By the
time Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle met with
the Archdeacon in Ocher in twelve seventy one, it had
been almost a year since the cardinal electors had been
locked up. In that time, yet another cardinal elector had
(16:26):
died East van BankSA. The first cardinal to hail from Hungary,
Cardinal Henry of Segusio, had enough time to fully recuperate
and return to Viturbo to resume voting. King Louis the
ninth of France died and was succeeded by his son Philip,
who became Philip the Third. In his as yet unanswered
(16:48):
letter to the as yet unanswered Pope, Kublai Khan had
requested the dispatch of a hundred missionaries and some oil
from the lamp of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to
his court in where is now known as Beijing. The
polos told Archdeacon Visconti of those requests and of their
(17:10):
predicament in having to wait so long to make good
on them, because there wasn't a pope to ask. The
Archdeacon told the Polo family to bide their time by
traveling to Jerusalem to fetch the oil first, and hopefully
by the time they finished and returned there would be
a new pope. They did that and returned to Aker
(17:32):
to find that a pope still had not been chosen.
Unable to justify keeping the Polos from their journey indefinitely,
the scanti sent them on their way. The Polos did
not make it far, however, before receiving an urgent message
to return to Occer. In August twelve seventy one, under
(17:54):
pressure from the new King, Philip the Third and Charles
of Anjou, the authorities in Viturbo, and just about everyone else,
the Cardinal electors had decided to choose the pope by committee,
selecting six among their numbers and agreeing to abide by
whatever decision they came to through this method. On September one,
(18:18):
twelve seventy one, after one thousand and six days of voting,
they finally came to a decision from the roofless Palace
in Viterbo. The message of the cardinal's choice, traveled across
the Mediterranean to Accer with the archdeacon, who was not
a cardinal or even a priest, was notified that he
(18:41):
had been chosen to fill the papal throne that had
been empty for nearly three years. As someone with some
ties to France, but not so many that he would
be a puppet of the French crown or of Charles
of Anjou, he was an unexpected candidate that apparently was
satisfying enough for all parties. It is unknown how long
(19:05):
his name had been in contention, but the struggle of
the sixth Cardinal Committee to select a pope from among
the cardinal electors at first suggests he may have been
a last minute consideration. The Polos made it back to
Ocher not long after, and were received warmly by their friend,
who had suddenly become the head of the church and
(19:27):
the prince of the papal states. He formally designated them
envoys of the Church to Kubla Khan and sent them
on their journey with two friars and a collection of
gifts meant to demonstrate his hopes for friendly relations with
the emperor. He offered a special blessing to Marco, by
which the young traveler was reportedly greatly pleased. Tebaldo Visconti
(19:54):
left to Ocer on November ninth, twelve seventy one, and
reached Viturbo some months later on February twelfth, twelve seventy two,
where he took the regnal name Gregory the Tenth, breaking
the years long absence of the popes from Rome. He
entered the city a month later in March, and was
(20:14):
ordained a priest six days later. Finally, on March twenty seventh,
twelve seventy two, over three years after the death of
the previous pope, he was consecrated a bishop and crowned
in Saint Peter's Basilica. Gregory's papacy lasted for only a
little over four years. His reign was consequential. On July seventh,
(20:38):
twelve seventy four, his papal bull Ubi Periculum, named for
its opening line Ubi perikulum maius in ten detour, meaning
where great danger lies, codified many of the practices desperately
undertaken to speed along his election as standard practice for
(21:01):
the election of future popes. In addition to already established
practices like the rule requiring a two thirds majority for
a ballot to pass. Gregory ordained that the cardinal electors
should be sequestered for the duration of the election, specified
the provision of increasingly spare rations the longer the proceedings endured,
(21:24):
and placed various restrictions meant to both speed proceedings and
prevent political intrigue, bribery, and deal making, among other new rules.
Although some later popes would lift these restrictions, Gregory's bull
would go on to be codified into canon law in
twelve ninety eight, and though conclave practices have seen many
(21:49):
changes and updates since, it remains a foundational part of
the way modern papal elections are conducted. Gregory the Tenth
died in the Tuscan city of Atritzo on January tenth,
twelve seventy six, in accordance with his bull, which specified
that the election should begin ten days later if all
(22:11):
electors had arrived at his place of death by then.
The conclave convened right on schedule on January twentieth. It
concluded with the election of Pope Innocent the Fifth just
one day later. That's the story of the longest ever
papal election. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break
(22:32):
to hear about another fascinating aspect of the legacy of
Gregory the tenth. Among the many questions that arose in
the weeks leading up to leo The fourteenth election, what
the new Pope's stance would be on social and doctrinal issues,
(22:54):
where he would hail from, et cetera, was the question
what would he wear. A pope's first public appearance has
always been his first statement to the world, a declaration
of what kind of pope he would be, even before
he opened his mouth. When Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, was
elected in twenty thirteen, he famously bucked tradition by foregoing
(23:19):
the red muzeta and ornate stole typically worn by newly
elected popes and appearing in a simple white cossack, a
move that endeared him to many who believed the papacy
too removed from the lives and experiences of the common people.
While Leo's Ubi et orbi address, which means to the
(23:41):
city and the world, the first address made by newly
elected popes, reflected a clear desire to continue France's legacy,
he chose to wear the mozetta and the stole, perhaps
symbolizing that he also intended to put his own stamp
on the papacy. But since then he's mostly been seen
(24:02):
wearing just the white cossack, as is standard for most
everyday papal duties like meeting with foreign dignitaries, greeting worshippers,
or riding in the popemobile. And in fact we have
our old friend Gregory the Tenth to thank for that
important part of papal sartorial history. While garments like the
(24:24):
mozetta or the mitra the big hat that the pope
and bishops wear during certain liturgical celebrations have been worn
by popes since at least the eleventh century, if not before,
it was Gregory who is first documented wearing the white
cassock during his reign. Over seven hundred years later, it
(24:46):
remained an iconic symbol of the papacy. Talk about a trendsetter.
Noble Blood is a production of Eyehe Heart, Radio and
Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted
by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by
(25:09):
Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy hit and Julia Melaney.
The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with
supervising producer rima Il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke,
Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
(25:33):
to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm
and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. In the
early evening on May eighth, twenty twenty five, white smoke
billowed from the Sistine Chapel in Rome. A new pope
had been elected. Onlookers in the Vatican City and across
(00:24):
the world waited with bated breath for over an hour,
their eyes trained on the central logia of Saint Peter's Basilica,
where the new Pontiff's identity and regnal name would be announced.
After fewer than two days of voting. Before too long,
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti emerged to share with the world that
(00:46):
the new head of the Catholic Church would be the
former Cardinal Robert Privost, now Leo the fourteenth. As Momberti
put it in the traditional Latin, we have a new pope.
This papal conclave, which turned out to be among the
shortest in history, although not the shortest and not too
(01:07):
much shorter than the previous two papal elections, inspired a
great deal of public interest. Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, was
a widely beloved figure, and many people in the Catholic
world and beyond were deeply invested in whether and how
the new pontiff would carry on his legacy. Perhaps spurred
(01:31):
on by the success of the twenty twenty four film Conclave,
many people were also intrigued by the rituals and secrecy
defining the election process to select a new pope. In fact,
many of the rules governing this two day conclave and
every conclave for hundreds of years, stem from the events
(01:55):
of a single papal election in the past, the long
conclave in history, and in many ways, the first conclave
in history started in twelve sixty eight and took nearly
three years, changing the way hopes are chosen forever. I'm
(02:17):
Danish Schwartz and this is noble blood. Clement the Fourth
was on his deathbed. It was twelve sixty eight and
he had sat on the throne of Saint Peter for
just under four years. He had lived a full life.
(02:37):
He had fought in war, studied law, married and had
two daughters, all before becoming a widower and joining the church.
And he had made some important achievements during his reign,
having summoned the now Saint Thomas aquinas to serve as
papal theologian, and he made strides towards diplomatic relations with
(02:58):
the Mongols. Despite his achievements, however, much of Clement's pontificate
had been defined by the conflict between the papal loyalist
Guelphs and the anti papal Ghibelines. You might remember those
factions from our episode on the Cannibal Count of Pisa,
who by this time was already beginning to betray his
(03:22):
Gibeline sympathies. The election in which Clement had become Pope,
which began in twelve sixty four and lasted around four months,
had seen significant debate among the College of Cardinals about
how best to protect the papacy from Gibeline threats. Clement,
(03:42):
who was French in origin, in fact, had had to
travel to Italy in disguise upon his election to the
papacy in order to protect himself from Gibeline violence. Clement
had reigned throughout the entirety of his pontificate from Viterbo,
a city fifty miles northwest of Rome, which had been
(04:02):
the seat of the papacy since twelve fifty seven, when
Pope Alexander the fourth had moved the papal curia there
in the wake of excessive violence in Rome. That violence
in Rome had continued during the papacy of Clement's immediate predecessor,
Urban the Fourth, and into Clement's papacy. In fifteen sixty six,
(04:26):
Clement had overseen the completion of construction begun under Alexander
the Fourth and commissioned by the Viturban Captain of the people,
to convert the bishop's palace in Viturbo into a bonafide
papal residence, which became known as the Palazzo de Puppy
or the Palace of the Popes. Clement was devoted to
(04:49):
protecting the independence of the papacy. Most notably, he allied
with Charles the First of Anjou, the younger brother of
King Louis the ninth of France, in his controversial conquest
of Naples, offering him the throne in exchange for an
acknowledgment of the pope as the feudal lord. Fortified with
(05:12):
papal support and papal funding, Charles defeated the Holy Roman
Emperor's illegitimate son and heir, Manfred, King of Sicily, whose
Gibelin ties as a member of the powerful Hohenstauffen family
and refusal to acknowledge the Pope's feudal power had made
him an enemy of the Holy See. Manfred had usurped
(05:35):
power from his young nephew Conradin, the last legitimate heir
of the House of Hohenstauffen. Manfred was killed by Charles's
forces in the Battle of Benevento in twelve sixty six,
allowing Charles to take control of Naples. Conradin, who had
(05:55):
been a teenager at that time, attempted to reclaim Naples
and was captured some two years later in the Battle
of Tagliacozzo. He was imprisoned and eventually publicly beheaded on
Charles's orders on October twenty ninth, twelve sixty eight. Later,
detractors would spread the rumor that Clement the Pope had
(06:19):
supported Charles's ruthless tactics, decrying his complicity in the death
of the young king, but in fact, Clement had actually
pleaded for Charles to have mercy on the boy. Nevertheless,
by allowing Charles to take control of Naples, Clement cemented
French power in Italy, which many cardinals saw as a
(06:42):
threat to the independence of the papacy and that of
the Italian city states they hailed from in and of itself.
Exactly one month after conrad In's beheading, on November twenty ninth,
twelve sixty eight, Clement died following what was report cowardly
a brief illness. Despite the achievements of his pontificate, he
(07:05):
left behind not only the vacant throne of Saint Peter,
but also a cardinalate divided on how best to fill it.
In twelve sixty eight, the Sacred College boasted twenty cardinals,
nineteen of whom participated in the papal election. The twentieth
was busy accompanying Louis the ninth of France on his
(07:27):
crusade in Tunisia. In keeping with the tradition of holding
the papal election in the city where the previous pope
had died, the nineteen cardinals made their way to Viterbo
in late November, once word had reached them of the
death of Clement the Fourth. The cardinals oversaw his burial
in the Dominican convent of Santa Maria in Grotti, which
(07:51):
stood just outside of the city. Before beginning the election
proceedings just two days after his death on December one,
twelve six eight. Immediately it became clear that this conclave
would not be straightforward. Along with the cardinal's arrival at
Come that of Charles of Anjou, the newly crowned and
(08:13):
bloodthirsty King of Naples. Clement had underestimated Charles's ambitions for
an Italian empire, and with the Pope's death, Charles had
seen an opportunity to continue to consolidate power. He came
to the Terbo with the intention of influencing the papal election.
(08:34):
The issue of Charles's presence and his clear intentions for
the election and thereafter quickly became the central issue dividing
the cardinals. It's impossible to note the numbers with any accuracy,
but it seems that there was an even enough split
between those who wanted to continue the pro French tradition
(08:56):
of the previous two popes and those who wanted to
divorce the papacy from Charles's influence, not to mention those
who were out to elevate their own allies, countrymen, and
family members. The election was essentially deadlocked from the start.
At first, the cardinals passed freely between the cathedral and
(09:19):
their lodgings. They held only one vote each day, which
day after day resulted in nothing but further tensions and
no clear front runner for pope. Although we know very
little about the actual deliberations or candidates considered for the papacy,
it's likely that at least a few of the cardinals
(09:40):
present were considered a pobbulate or potential candidates for pope.
Although it was not necessary to be a cardinal to
be elected pope technically it still isn't, and other important
figures in the church hierarchy were considered. Given the fact
that the cardinals were free to move about as they pleased,
(10:02):
it's also likely that they were subject to outside pressure
and influence, perhaps most notably from Charles, who would remain
in Viturbo throughout the election proceedings. Later sources would have
it that two months in the cardinals nearly agreed on
electing Philippo Benitzi, the general of the Servite Order. It's
(10:26):
likely that this story isn't true and was rather a
fabrication meant to support Benitzi's later canonization, but he supposedly
came to Viturbo in early twelve sixty nine to scold
the cardinals for dragging their feet in the electoral process.
They were apparently so impressed with Benizzi that they chose
(10:47):
him to fill the empty papal throne, but he fled
the city to prevent his election, forcing the cardinals back
to square one. A similar, also likely untrue story of
near election would also crop up long after the fact,
concerning Saint Bonaventure, then known as Giovanni di Fidanza. In
(11:11):
any case, no pope was indeed elected in those first
few months, and the voting continued apace. Just under a
year after the election had begun. A new wrench was
thrown into the proceedings when one of the electors died.
Cardinal Giordano Pironti died of unknown causes on October one,
(11:34):
twelve sixty nine, at about fifty nine years old. He
had updated his will a few weeks prior, so he
may have been ill, and with his death only eighteen
electors remained, an even number that did not bode well
for breaking any future ties. It seems Cardinal Perunti's death
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was something of a turning point for the secular authorities
in Viturbo, though it would take them several more months
to take action. Around June twelve seventy, after the anniversary
of the last pope's death came and went, and the
erstwhile cardinals entered their twentieth month of unsuccessful voting. Raniero Gatti,
(12:18):
the prefect of Atterbo, and Albertus de Montebono, the Podesta
ordered that the remaining electors be sequestered in the Polazza
de Pappi until they could choose the Pope's successor once
and for all. These were drastic times, and the time
at a long passed for drastic measures, and before long
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it would seem that even more drastic measures would be
needed to get these cardinals to finally make their choice.
In the late summer of twelve seventy one, a teenage
Marco Polo was just beginning the journey that would cement
him as one of history's most famous travelers. He had
(13:03):
set off from Venice with his father Nicolo and his
uncle Mafeo, and after a short eastward journey across the Mediterranean,
they had arrived in the fortified city of Accer, a
Crusader stronghold on the Levantine coastline. It was there that
they met Archdeacon Toobaldo Visconti of Piacenza, who had followed Edward,
(13:28):
the First of England to Occer in the Ninth Crusade
earlier that year. During their visit, the Polos lamented to
the archdeacon that the papal throne was still vacant after
over two years of fruitless voting. Marco's father and uncle
had previously traveled to China, where the Emperor Kubla Khan
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had given them a letter for the pope. They had
been disappointed to return in twelve sixty nine to find
that they still had no one to give it to.
That was almost two years ago. Now Here, The brothers
were making their way eastward again, now with Marco and
still no news from Viterbo. They had been shocked when
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an elector died in twelve sixty nine, and even more
so some six months later, when the viturban authorities ordered
that the remaining cardinals be locked away in the Palazza
de Poppy to complete their election. Around the same time,
it was suggested, supposedly by the English cardinal John of Toledo,
(14:35):
that the roof of the voting chamber in the palazzo
should be removed, saying, let us uncover the room, else
the holy ghost will never get at us. For you
papal election fans following along at home. This was the
first recorded reference to the now essential idea that the
Holy Spirit guides the election of popes. It was also
(14:59):
suggested that the elector's rations be reduced to just bread
and water for the remainder of the election. The magistrates
of the Turbo agreed, likely hoping that some scorching sun,
torrential rain, and stupefying hunger would guide the electors in
addition to the Holy Spirit. Of course, the cardinals petitioned
(15:22):
the magistrates that Cardinal Henry of Segusio be excused from
the remainder of the election due to health concerns, which
would have been exacerbated by having to spend every day
hungry and exposed to the elements. He had renounced his
right to vote, and his request was granted. The remaining
(15:43):
seventeen cardinals were locked into the palace, the doors and
windows barred, and the roof of the voting chamber was removed.
Some sources say that a makeshift roof was later added
back onto the election chamber after the cardinal threatened to
excommunicate the entire city, but it seems that they actually
(16:05):
at least took their new diet in stride. By the
time Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle met with
the Archdeacon in Ocher in twelve seventy one, it had
been almost a year since the cardinal electors had been
locked up. In that time, yet another cardinal elector had
(16:26):
died East van BankSA. The first cardinal to hail from Hungary,
Cardinal Henry of Segusio, had enough time to fully recuperate
and return to Viturbo to resume voting. King Louis the
ninth of France died and was succeeded by his son Philip,
who became Philip the Third. In his as yet unanswered
(16:48):
letter to the as yet unanswered Pope, Kublai Khan had
requested the dispatch of a hundred missionaries and some oil
from the lamp of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to
his court in where is now known as Beijing. The
polos told Archdeacon Visconti of those requests and of their
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predicament in having to wait so long to make good
on them, because there wasn't a pope to ask. The
Archdeacon told the Polo family to bide their time by
traveling to Jerusalem to fetch the oil first, and hopefully
by the time they finished and returned there would be
a new pope. They did that and returned to Aker
(17:32):
to find that a pope still had not been chosen.
Unable to justify keeping the Polos from their journey indefinitely,
the scanti sent them on their way. The Polos did
not make it far, however, before receiving an urgent message
to return to Occer. In August twelve seventy one, under
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pressure from the new King, Philip the Third and Charles
of Anjou, the authorities in Viturbo, and just about everyone else,
the Cardinal electors had decided to choose the pope by committee,
selecting six among their numbers and agreeing to abide by
whatever decision they came to through this method. On September one,
(18:18):
twelve seventy one, after one thousand and six days of voting,
they finally came to a decision from the roofless Palace
in Viterbo. The message of the cardinal's choice, traveled across
the Mediterranean to Accer with the archdeacon, who was not
a cardinal or even a priest, was notified that he
(18:41):
had been chosen to fill the papal throne that had
been empty for nearly three years. As someone with some
ties to France, but not so many that he would
be a puppet of the French crown or of Charles
of Anjou, he was an unexpected candidate that apparently was
satisfying enough for all parties. It is unknown how long
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his name had been in contention, but the struggle of
the sixth Cardinal Committee to select a pope from among
the cardinal electors at first suggests he may have been
a last minute consideration. The Polos made it back to
Ocher not long after, and were received warmly by their friend,
who had suddenly become the head of the church and
(19:27):
the prince of the papal states. He formally designated them
envoys of the Church to Kubla Khan and sent them
on their journey with two friars and a collection of
gifts meant to demonstrate his hopes for friendly relations with
the emperor. He offered a special blessing to Marco, by
which the young traveler was reportedly greatly pleased. Tebaldo Visconti
(19:54):
left to Ocer on November ninth, twelve seventy one, and
reached Viturbo some months later on February twelfth, twelve seventy two,
where he took the regnal name Gregory the Tenth, breaking
the years long absence of the popes from Rome. He
entered the city a month later in March, and was
(20:14):
ordained a priest six days later. Finally, on March twenty seventh,
twelve seventy two, over three years after the death of
the previous pope, he was consecrated a bishop and crowned
in Saint Peter's Basilica. Gregory's papacy lasted for only a
little over four years. His reign was consequential. On July seventh,
(20:38):
twelve seventy four, his papal bull Ubi Periculum, named for
its opening line Ubi perikulum maius in ten detour, meaning
where great danger lies, codified many of the practices desperately
undertaken to speed along his election as standard practice for
(21:01):
the election of future popes. In addition to already established
practices like the rule requiring a two thirds majority for
a ballot to pass. Gregory ordained that the cardinal electors
should be sequestered for the duration of the election, specified
the provision of increasingly spare rations the longer the proceedings endured,
(21:24):
and placed various restrictions meant to both speed proceedings and
prevent political intrigue, bribery, and deal making, among other new rules.
Although some later popes would lift these restrictions, Gregory's bull
would go on to be codified into canon law in
twelve ninety eight, and though conclave practices have seen many
(21:49):
changes and updates since, it remains a foundational part of
the way modern papal elections are conducted. Gregory the Tenth
died in the Tuscan city of Atritzo on January tenth,
twelve seventy six, in accordance with his bull, which specified
that the election should begin ten days later if all
(22:11):
electors had arrived at his place of death by then.
The conclave convened right on schedule on January twentieth. It
concluded with the election of Pope Innocent the Fifth just
one day later. That's the story of the longest ever
papal election. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break
(22:32):
to hear about another fascinating aspect of the legacy of
Gregory the tenth. Among the many questions that arose in
the weeks leading up to leo The fourteenth election, what
the new Pope's stance would be on social and doctrinal issues,
(22:54):
where he would hail from, et cetera, was the question
what would he wear. A pope's first public appearance has
always been his first statement to the world, a declaration
of what kind of pope he would be, even before
he opened his mouth. When Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, was
elected in twenty thirteen, he famously bucked tradition by foregoing
(23:19):
the red muzeta and ornate stole typically worn by newly
elected popes and appearing in a simple white cossack, a
move that endeared him to many who believed the papacy
too removed from the lives and experiences of the common people.
While Leo's Ubi et orbi address, which means to the
(23:41):
city and the world, the first address made by newly
elected popes, reflected a clear desire to continue France's legacy,
he chose to wear the mozetta and the stole, perhaps
symbolizing that he also intended to put his own stamp
on the papacy. But since then he's mostly been seen
(24:02):
wearing just the white cossack, as is standard for most
everyday papal duties like meeting with foreign dignitaries, greeting worshippers,
or riding in the popemobile. And in fact we have
our old friend Gregory the Tenth to thank for that
important part of papal sartorial history. While garments like the
(24:24):
mozetta or the mitra the big hat that the pope
and bishops wear during certain liturgical celebrations have been worn
by popes since at least the eleventh century, if not before,
it was Gregory who is first documented wearing the white
cassock during his reign. Over seven hundred years later, it
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remained an iconic symbol of the papacy. Talk about a trendsetter.
Noble Blood is a production of Eyehe Heart, Radio and
Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted
by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by
(25:09):
Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy hit and Julia Melaney.
The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with
supervising producer rima Il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke,
Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
(25:33):
to your favorite shows.
Host
Dana Schwartz
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