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Pope Adrian VI

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Pope

Adrian VI
Bishop of Rome
Portrait afterJan van Scorel,c. 1625(Centraal Museum,Utrecht)
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began9 January 1522
Papacy ended14 September 1523
PredecessorLeo X
SuccessorClement VII
Orders
Ordination30 June 1490
ConsecrationAugust 1516
byDiego Ribera de Toledo
Created cardinal1 July 1517
by Leo X
Personal details
Born
Adriaan Floriszoon Boeyens

2 March 1459(1459-03-11)
Utrecht,Bishopric of Utrecht,Holy Roman Empire
Died14 September 1523(1523-09-25)(aged 64)
Rome,Papal States
BuriedSanta Maria dell'Anima,Rome
NationalityDutch
Previous post(s)
MottoPatere et sustine( "Respect and wait" )
Coat of armsAdrian VI's coat of arms
Other popes named Adrian
Papal styles of
Pope Adrian VI
Reference styleHis Holiness
Spoken styleYour Holiness
Religious styleHoly Father
Posthumous styleNone

Pope Adrian VI(Latin:Hadrianus VI;Italian:Adriano VI;German:Hadrian VI.;Dutch:Adrianus/Adriaan VI), bornAdriaan Florensz Boeyens[1](2 March 1459 – 14 September 1523), was head of theCatholic Churchand ruler of thePapal Statesfrom 9 January 1522 until his death on 14 September 1523. The onlyDutchmanto becomepope,he was the last non-Italian pope until the PolishJohn Paul II455 years later.

Born in theEpiscopal principality of Utrechtof theHoly Roman Empire of the German Nation,Adrian studied at theUniversity of Leuvenin theLow Countries,where he rose to the position of professor of theology, also serving as itsrector(the equivalent of president orvice-chancellor). In 1507, he became the tutor of the futureCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor,who later trusted him as both hisemissaryand hisregent.

In 1516, Charles, now King ofCastileandAragon,appointed Adrianbishop of Tortosa,Spain, and soon thereafterGrand Inquisitorof the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile.Pope Leo Xmade him a cardinal in 1517 and after Leo's death he was elected pope in 1522 as a compromise candidate.

Adrian came to the papacy in the midst of one of its greatest crises, threatened not only byLutheranismto the north but also by the advance of theOttoman Turksto the east. He refused to compromise with Lutheranism theologically, demandingLuther's condemnation as aheretic.However, he is noted for having attempted toreformthe Catholic Church administration in response to theProtestant Reformation.Adrian's admission that theRoman Curiaitself was at fault for the turmoil in the Church was read at the 1522–1523Diet of Nuremberg.

His efforts at reform, however, proved fruitless, as they were resisted by most of his contemporaries, and he did not live long enough to see his efforts through to their conclusion. He was succeeded by the secondMedicipope,Clement VII.

Adrian VI andMarcellus IIare the only popes of the modern era to retain theirbaptismal namesafter their election. Adrian VI is the last pope to date to take on the pontifical name "Adrian".

Early life

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Pope Adrian VI's birthplace inUtrecht

Adriaan Florensz was born on 2 March 1459 in the city ofUtrecht,which was then the capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht,[2]a part of theBurgundian Netherlandsin theHoly Roman Empire.He was born into modest circumstances as the son of Florens Boeyensz, also born in Utrecht, and his wife Geertruid. He had three older brothers, Jan, Cornelius, and Claes.[3]Adrian consistently signed withAdrianus FlorentiiorAdrianus de Traiecto( "Adrian of Utrecht" ) in later life, suggesting that his family did not yet have a surname but used patronymics only.[4]

Adrian was probably raised in a house on the corner of the Brandstraat and Oude Gracht that was owned by his grandfather Boudewijn (Boeyen, for short). His father, a carpenter and likelyshipwright,died when Adrian was 10 years or younger.[5]Adrian studied from a very young age under theBrethren of the Common Life,either atZwolleorDeventerand was also a student of theLatin school(nowGymnasium Celeanum) inZwolle.[6]

Leuven

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In June 1476, he started his studies at theUniversity of Leuven,[7]where he pursued philosophy,theologyandCanon Law,thanks to a scholarship granted byMargaret of York,Duchess of Burgundy. In 1478 he had the title ofPrimus Philosophiae,as well as that ofMagister Artium(that is, he took his undergraduate degree). In 1488 he was chosen by the Faculty of Arts to be their representative on the Council of the University.[8]

On 30 June 1490, Adrian was ordained a priest.[9]

After the regular 12 years of study, Adrian became aDoctorof Theology in 1491. He had been a teacher at the University since 1490, was chosenvice-chancellorof the university in 1493, andDeanofSt. Peter'sin 1498. In the latter function he was permanent vice-chancellor of the University and de facto in charge of hiring. His lectures were published, as recreated from his students' notes; among those who attended was the youngErasmus.Adrian offered him a professorate in 1502, but Erasmus refused.[4]

In November 1506Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy,becameGovernor of the Habsburg Netherlandsand chose Adrian as her advisor. The next yearEmperor Maximilian Iappointed him alsotutorto his seven-year-old grandson, and Margaret's nephew, who in 1519 becameEmperor Charles V.By 1512 Adrian was Charles's advisor, and his court obligations were so time-consuming that he quit his positions at the university.[4]

Spain

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In 1515, Charles sent Adrian to Spain to convince his maternal grandfather,Ferdinand II of Aragon,that the Spanish lands should come under his rule, and not Charles's Spanish-born younger brotherFerdinand,whom his grandfather had in mind. Adrian succeeded in that just before Ferdinand's death in January 1516.[4]Ferdinand of Aragon,[10]and subsequently Charles V, appointed AdrianBishop of Tortosa,which was approved by Pope Leo X on 18 August 1516.[11]He was consecrated by Bishop Diego Ribera de Toledo.

On 14 November 1516 the King commissioned himInquisitorGeneral of Aragon.

In his fifth Consistory for the creation of cardinals, on 1 July 1517,Pope Leo X(1513–21) named thirty-onecardinalsamong whom was Adrianus de Traiecto,[2]naming himCardinal-Priestof theBasilicaofSanti Giovanni e Paoloon theCaelian Hill.[12]

During the minority of Charles V, Adrian was named to serve with CardinalFrancisco Jimenez de Cisnerosasco-regent of Spain.After the death of Jimenez, Adrian was appointed (14 March 1518) General of the ReunitedInquisitionsofCastileandAragon,in which capacity he acted until his departure forRome.[13]When Charles V left Spain for the Netherlands in 1520, he appointed Cardinal AdrianRegent of Spain,during which time he had to deal with theRevolt of the Comuneros.

Pope Adrian VI, 1598 engraving byThéodore Galle

Papal election

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Main article:1521–22 Papal conclave

In the conclave after the death of the MediciPope Leo X,Leo's cousin, CardinalGiulio de' Medici,was the leading figure. With Spanish and French cardinals in a deadlock, the absent Adrian was proposed as a compromise and on 9 January 1522 he was elected by an almost unanimous vote. Charles V was delighted upon hearing that his tutor had been elected to the papacy but soon realised that Adrian VI was determined to reign impartially.Francis I of France,who feared that Adrian would become a tool of the Emperor, and had uttered threats of a schism, later relented and sent an embassy to present his homage.[14]

Fears of a SpanishAvignonbased on the strength of his relationship with the Emperor as his former tutor and regent proved baseless, and Adrian, having notified the College of Cardinals of his acceptance,[15]left for Italy after six months of preparations and trying to decide which route to take, making his solemn entry into Rome on 29 August. He had forbidden elaborate decorations, and many people stayed away for fear of the plague that was raging. Pope Adrian was crowned atSt. Peter's Basilicaon 31 August 1522, at the age of 63.[16]

Reformer

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He immediately entered upon the path of the reformer. The 1908 edition of theCatholic Encyclopediacharacterised the task that faced him:

"To extirpate inveterate abuses; to reform a court which thrived on corruption, and detested the very name of reform; to hold in leash young and warlike princes, ready to bound at each other's throats; to stem the rising torrent of revolt in Germany; to save Christendom from theTurks,who fromBelgradenow threatenedHungary,and ifRhodesfell would be masters of theMediterranean- these were herculean labours for one who was in his sixty-third year, had never seen Italy, and was sure to be despised by the Romans as a 'barbarian'.[2]

His plan was to attack notorious abuses one by one; however, in his attempt to improve the system ofindulgenceshe was hampered by his cardinals. He found reduction of the number ofmatrimonial dispensationsto be impossible, as the income had been farmed out for years in advance byPope Leo X.[13]

Papacy

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See also:Cardinals created by Adrian VI

Adrian VI was not successful as a peacemaker among Christianprinces,whom he hoped to unite in a war against the Turks. In August 1523 he was forced into an alliance with theEmpire,England,andVeniceagainstFrance;meanwhile, in 1522Suleiman the Magnificent(1520–66) had conquered Rhodes.[17]

Portrait of Pope Adrian VI (1568)

In his reaction to the early stages of theLutheranrevolt, Adrian VI did not completely understand the gravity of the situation. At theDiet of Nuremberg,which opened in December 1522, he was represented byFrancesco Chieregati,whose private instructions contain the frank admission that the disorder of the Church was perhaps the fault of theRoman Curiaitself, and that it should be reformed.[18][19]However, the former professor and Inquisitor General was strongly opposed to any change in doctrine and demanded thatMartin Lutherbe punished for teachingheresy.[13]

He made only one cardinal in the course of his pontificate,Willem van Enckevoirt,made acardinal-priestin aconsistoryheld on 10 September 1523.[20]

Adrian VI held no beatifications in his pontificate but canonized SaintsAntoninus of FlorenceandBenno of Meissenon 31 May 1523.[21][22]

Charles V's ambassador in Rome,Juan Manuel, lord of Belmonte,wrote that he was worried that Charles's influence over Adrian waned after Adrian's election, writing "The Pope is" deadly afraid "of the College of Cardinals. He does whatever two or three cardinals write to him in the name of the college."[23]

The funeral monument for Adrian VI inSanta Maria dell'AnimainRome

Death

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Adrian VI died inRomeon 14 September 1523, after one year, eight months and six days as pope.[2]Most of his official papers were lost after his death. He publishedQuaestiones in quartum sententiarum praesertim circa sacramenta(Paris, 1512, 1516, 1518, 1537; Rome, 1522), andQuaestiones quodlibeticae XII.(1st ed., Leuven, 1515).[13]He is buried in theSanta Maria dell'Animachurch in Rome.[2]

He bequeathed property in the Low Countries for the foundation of a college at the University of Leuven that became known asPope's College.[24]

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The birth house of Pope Adrian and accompanying poem. Detail of an engraving of 'Famous Dutch Men and Women'.

The first series of engravings used to educate Dutch school children at the turn of the 18th century includes Adrian VI in its woodcut on 'Famous Dutch Men and Women' with the followingpoem:

In Utrecht wijst men nog dit huis den vreemdeling aan,
En noemt het om zijn naam 't huis van Paus Adriaan,
Nog praalt 's mans borstbeeld in den gevel. Min verheven
Was 't het stamhuis van dien Paus, een schuitemakers zoon,
Zijn naam blijft nog vol lof op duizend tongen zweeven,
Kort droeg hij, maar met roem, de pauselijke kroon.'
In Utrecht they still point out this house to strangers,
And name it after him: the house of pope Adrian,
Still his bust stands in itsfaçade.Less elevated
Was the ancestry of this pope, the son of aboat builder,
His name is still proudly spoken by thousands of tongues,
Only briefly, but with honor, he wore the papal crown.

Pope Adrian VI appears as a character inChristopher Marlowe's stage dramaThe Tragical History of Doctor Faustus(1604).[25]

Notes

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  1. ^Dedel, according toCollier's Encyclopedia.
  2. ^abcdeHerbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."Pope Adrian VI".Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  3. ^Rodocanachi, p. 301.
  4. ^abcdJos Martens,Bio and review of Verweij bookat Histoforum Magazine.
  5. ^Gerard WeelLife and times of Adrian of UtrechtArchived25 October 2014 at theWayback Machine(in Dutch)
  6. ^Coster. "De Latijnse School te Zwolle".Metamorfoses.pp. 17, 19.Rodocanachi, p. 301-302.
  7. ^The date was 1 June 1476 according to theMatriculation Register:Rodocanachi, p. 302 and n. 1.
  8. ^Rodocanachi, p. 302.
  9. ^David Cheney,Catholic-Hierarchy:Adrian Florenszoom Dedel.Retrieved: 14 May 2016.
  10. ^Paolo Giovio,Vita Hadriani VI,p. 119.
  11. ^Gulik and Eubel, p. 186.
  12. ^Gulik and Eubel, pp. 16 and 63.
  13. ^abcdOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Adrian".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 216.
  14. ^Baumgartner, p. 95
  15. ^Adrian VI (1522).Copia Brevis S. D. N. Adriani VI. in summum Pontificem electi, ad sacrosanctum Cardinalium Collegium(in Latin). Caesaraugusta (Saragossa).
  16. ^Baumgartner, pp. 97–98
  17. ^"Pope Adrian VI".New Catholic DictionaryCatholicSaints.Info. 18 October 2018
  18. ^Pigafetta, Antonio and Theodore J. Cachey,The first voyage around the world, 1519–1522,(University of Toronto Press, 2007), 128.
  19. ^Hans Joachim Hillerbrand,The division of Christendom: Christianity in the sixteenth century,(Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), 141.
  20. ^P.J. BlockandP.C. Molhuysen(1912),Nieuw Nederlandsch biographisch woordenboek(NNBW), deel 2,part 2, p. 437.Free digitalised version(in Dutch)
  21. ^McMahon, Arthur Lawrence (1907). "St. Antoninus".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  22. ^Heuser, Herman Joseph (1948).The American Ecclesiastical Review.Catholic University of America Press. p. 265.
  23. ^British History Online. (15 April 1522 entry)
  24. ^Gordon, Bruce; McLean, Matthew (22 June 2012).Shaping the Bible in the Reformation: Books, Scholars and Their Readers in the Sixteenth Century.BRILL. pp. 247 (footnote 32).ISBN978-90-04-22950-1.
  25. ^Marlowe, Christopher (1604)."Dramatis Personae".The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus– via Project Gutenberg.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toHadrianus VI.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Grand Inquisitorof Spain
1516–1522 		Succeeded by
Bishop of Tortosa
1516–1522 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cardinal-Priest ofSs. Giovanni e Paolo
1517–1522
Preceded by Pope
1522–1523 		Succeeded by
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