Louis Gayet, Le grand schisme d'Occident Les Origines volume 1 (Paris-Florence-Berlin 1889), "Pièces justificatives", pp. 148-151:

Venerabili et discreto viro D. Petro Rubei precentori Ecclesie Elnensis, Avinione de curia.

Venerabilis Domine et amice carissime, debita salutatione premissa pridie vestre amicitie significavi, qualiter die XXVII martii papa fuerat viam universe carnis ingressus; demum DD. cardinales qui in hac Urbe erant numero XVI, die mercurii VII mensis Aprilis hora vesperorum, intrarunt conclave in palatio apostolico ordinatum pro electione romani pontificis celebranda, ubi ego ad serviendum domino meo intravi, et post unam horam postquam fuimus reclusi, insurexerunt clamores populi multitudine juxta conclave, clamor predictus invaluit in tantum, quod DD. cardinales qui convenerant in cappellam, que erat infra conclave, pro tractanda electione predicta, vix se poterant inter se audire. Tandem post aliquos inter se tractatus habitos, concordarunt et elegerunt archiepiscopum Barensem, in regno Neapolitano regentem cancellariam, virum utique providum et magne litterature, et in spiritualibus et in temporalibus circumspectum. Et antequam dicta electio publicaretur, ordinave[149]runt mittere pro eodem et quinque aliis prelatis romanis, qui propter multitudinem seditiosi populi predicti in palatio existentis non potuerunt palatio intrare.

Et tunc, dicti DD. cardinales habentes se ad cellas suas, et in eis prandio sumpto, iterato redierunt ad capellam predictam pro publicanda electione predicta statim, cum dictus electus, qui jam erat in palatio posset intrare ad eos. Demum, diabolo in predicto seditioso populo predominante, et voce predicta, videlicet: Romanum volumus, invalescente, fuit per eosdem romanos, qui manu armata erant juxta conclave, et ensibus evaginatis, per partes diversas dictis romanis intrantibus et ad dictam capellam ubi erant DD. cardinales venientibus cum clamore predicto, predicti DD. dubitantes et videntes mortem ante oculum, intronizaverunt D. cardinalem S. Petri, qui est romanus, et inceperunt aliqui cantare: Te Deum laudamus. Et nos alii, qui cum eis eramus, clamavimus cardinalem predictum fore electum, et eum invitum et renitentem et clamantem: se nolle consentire, et super altare indutum pluviali papali posuimus. Et sic demum, per populares predictos, fuit ibidem quasi per duas horas detentus, donec cardinales aliqui, qui dictam cappellam exiverant fugientes, et locum salvationis non invenientes, ad cappellam predictam coacti sunt redire, et post quorum reversionem, una hora transacta, in qua populus predicto D. cardinali tanquam pape reverentiam impendebant, fuit ductus ad cameram pape, et tunc cardinales recedentes, aliqui posuerunt se in castro S. Angeli, alii extra Urbem se habitu dissimulato recesserunt, alii scilicet, ytalici ad domos proprias redierunt, inter quos D. meus qui fuit ultimus in exeundo capellam predictam, in qua semper stetit in turbatione predicta, publice increpando et refrenando furorem seditiosi populi, quantum poterat, rediit ad domum suam multis romanis sociatus. Et credentes nos a periculo prefato liberatos, intravimus aliud, quia dum ipse et ego solum equitantes circumdati [150] multis romanis, qui eum pedes associabant, applicaremus pontem S. Angeli, ultramontani qui erant in castro videntes quod D. meus duceretur per dictos romanos captus, cum non viderent ni me solum de suis, cum fuimus inter duas portas, ante castrum predictum, clamaverunt fortiter: Cala portas; et exibant ad introducendum nos ad castrum, et invadendum predictos romanos D. meum associantes et cum deponeretur porta caladiza exivimus cum magno periculo pontem transivimus; sed ex quo Urbem intravimus, cum magna reverentia populi, D. meus, gratias Deo, hospitium sum [suum?] intravit, et ibidem quiete permansit. Sequenti vero die de mane, certi officiales de majoribus civitatis ex parte populi venerunt ad D. meum, dicendo [dicentes?]: populum se cognoscere graviter errasse, et scire qualiter dictus D. Barensis erat in papam electus, et non D. cardinalis S. Petri, et propter hoc ipse D. cardinalis S. Petri clamabat et affirmabat. Unde cum D. verus electus esset in palatio apostolico, cum cardinali redicto, rogaverunt D. meum, ut vellet illuc ire, et DD. alios cardinales qui erant in castro, et alibi absconsi inducere, ut quod fecerant de predicto D. Barense duceretur ad effectum.Quod et factum est; quia eadem die videlicet die veneris in vesperis, convenientibus in dicto palatio apostolico omnibus cardinalibus, exceptis IIII qui fugerant extra Urbem, inter quos fuit D. Jacobus Ursinis licet romanus, intronizaverunt solemniter electum predictum, et cum, cum multitudine maxima non potuissent eum ad ecclesiam S. Petri tunc ducere, die sabbati statim sequenti, fuit ductus, et ibidem missam publice sine cantu tum celebravit, et vocatur Urbanus VI, et eadem die predicti IIII cardinales venerunt, et sibi tanquam pape reverentiam impenderunt, et coronabitur die Pasce, vel die lune sequenti:

Et quia creditur quod in diversis mundi partibus predicta diversimode narrabuntur, et forte per aliquos in deteriorem partem interpretabuntur, volui ea sic per ordinem vestre amicitie inti[151]mare, tanquam illequi in predictis pro majori parte presens fui. Valetis feliciter et longeve.

Scriptum Rome XI mensis Aprilis Anno Mo CCCLXXVIII.

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The author of this letter alleges:

• that he himself entered the conclave ad serviendum domino meo ('to serve his lord"); he later remarks that in going home after the Conclave, he and his cardinal were the only two who were riding horses, indicating that he was a Conclavist, not a servant [Cardinal de Luna's conclavist was probably the Dean of Tarazona, Fernandus Petri].
• that the clamor from the Roman mob "iuxta conclave" began one hour after the Conclave had been enclosed, at the hour of Vespers, on April 7
• that the uproar grew so loud that the cardinals who had assembled in the chapel to carry out the election were scarcely able to hear each other. [He is telescoping events: the Cardinals did not meet to begin the electoral process until the next morning]
• that the "election" of Bartolomeo, Archbishop of Bari in the Kingdom of Naples, was a matter of agreement: concordarunt
• that, before the election was made public, the Cardinals sent for Bartolomeo and five other Roman prelates, who had difficulty getting to the Vatican Palace because of the "multitudinem seditiosi populi".
• that the Cardinals in the meantime went to their cells and had lunch.
• that they then returned to the Chapel, since the Elect was now in the palace, and prepared to make the election public (i.e. inform the Elect and seek his consent, "Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam?")
• that, at that moment the armed Roman mob burst into the Chapel itself. The Cardinals seeing death before their eyes, enthroned Cardinal Francesco Tebaldeschi, the Cardinal of St. Peter's, and began the chanting of the Te Deum. The author and those about him kept claiming that the Cardinal was elected, and the Cardinal kept shouting that he was unwilling. They put the Cardinal on the top of the altar steps and vested him with the Papal Mantle. This occupied the mob for two hours while the other Cardinals attempted (unsuccessfully) to make their escape from the Chapel and the Conclave.
• that, unable to escape, the Cardinals returned to the Chapel and after an hour of obeisances to the "pope", escorted Cardinal Tebaldeschi to the papal apartments, after which the Cardinals were able to escape.
• that the Cardinals fled in disguises, some to the Castel S. Angelo, others from the City entirely, the Roman Cardinals (Orsini and Tebaldeschi) to their homes. The author accompanied his Cardinal on horseback to his residence.[This indicates, in fact, that his Cardinal was Pedro de Luna].
• that, as they passed the Castel S. Angelo, some Frenchmen who were in the Castel, believing that the Cardinal was a prisoner, attempted to rescue him while he was between the two gates of the Castel and thus inside the fortifications. After it was explained by the author and by the other cardinals who were in the Castel S. Angelo, that the Archbishop of Bari was elected pope, they were released.
• that, on the same day, Friday, around Vespers, all of the Cardinals returned to the Apostolic Palace, except for four who had fled the City of Rome (among whom was Cardinal Jacobus de Ursinis), and enthroned the Archbishop of Bari, but he was not taken immediately to St. Peter's.
• that, on the next day, Saturday, the Archbishop of Bari was escorted to St. Peter's where a Low Mass was celebrated and he was proclaimed as Urban VI.
• that, on that same day, the four cardinals who had fled the city came, and they performed their obesiance to the Pope
• that he was to be crowned on Easter or on the Monday immediately succeeding (He was in fact crowned on Easter).

 

November 11, 2013 8:53 PM

John Paul Adams, CSUN
john.p.adams@csun.edu