Christ's Faithful People
Christ's Faithful People
1281 - 1285 AD
When word reached Rome that Pope Nicholas had died, the turbulent barons and people swarmed into the streets to attack the Orsini. The late Pope's lavish favors to his family had kindled hate in many a heart, and now that the strong hand of Nicholas was lifeless, that hate exploded into violence.
At Viterbo the cardinals, once more free of Gregory X's election regulations, took plenty of time in conclave. The Orsini faction, too weak to elect one of their own, were yet strong enough to block anyone else. After almost six months had brought no progress, the people of Viterbo stormed the episcopal palace, broke into the conclave and carried off the two leading Orsini cardinals. The deadlock thus rudely broken, the Cardinals elected Simon de Brion who took the name Martin IV. Although actually only the second Martin, Simon assumed the style of Martin IV because in the thirteenth century the two Popes Marinus were listed as Martin.
Simon de Brion was born in Northern France of noble ancestry. He became a priest and distinguished himself in the service of the Church. King St. Louis IX made him chancellor of France. Pope Urban IV created him cardinal and in 1264 sent him as legate to France to persuade Charles of Anjou to undertake the conquest of Sicily. Simon's outlook was strongly French. Unfortunately Pope Martin's did not become much wider.
Martin IV reversed his great predecessor's statesmanlike policy. He gave the go signal to Anjou's ambitions. He excommunicated the emperor Michael Paleologus and precipitated a renewal of the Eastern Schism. The great work of Gregory X and the Second Council of Lyons was undone.
His partiality for Anjou also involved Pope Martin in an affair which cost the papacy much in money and prestige. The French had become hated in Sicily. Anjou was a stern character, the French men-at-arms were arrogant. An incident touched off that explosion of hatred called the Sicilian Vespers when the gutters of Palermo ran with French blood. Soon the whole island had risen against Anjou. The rebels formed a republic, and far from repudiating the feudal overlordship of the Pope, they sent emissaries to acknowledge him as their suzerain. All they asked was that Anjou and his French should not return.
Pope Martin refused to deal with them, and only then did the Sicilians turn to Peter of Aragon, who had married Constance, daughter of Manfred. Peter accepted the throne. The Pope thundered anathema at Peter. He excommunicated the Sicilians. He ordered a crusade preached against Aragon Money sorely needed for the defense of the last Christian outpost in Palestine flowed into the war chest of Anjou. And all in vain. The Aragonese were in Sicily to stay.
The whole business was a sad one. It cheapened ecclesiastical penalties, irritated non-French Christians, and at a somber moment for the Holy Land did much to weaken the prospect of a general crusade.
Martin IV was carried off by a violent fever on March 28, 1285. His intentions were no doubt good, but his reign was unfortunate. To do him justice he had been most reluctant to become pope.
