PIUS III: (1439-1503)

PIUS III: (1439-1503)

‘the care and diligence in averting and rejecting the plans of the malicious
should always be praised’

 

PIUS III: (1439-1503) Pope of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22^nd September to 18^th October 1503. At just twenty-six days, Pius III had one of the shortest pontificates in papal history. An exceptionally rare D.S., F[ranciscus]. C[ardinalis] de Piccolomineis, as Papal Legate to Rome and the Papal States, one page (vellum), slim oblong folio (32 x 12 cm), St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, 5^th June 1464, in Latin. The manuscript document, issued in the name of Pope Pius II, and penned in an elegant script, states that the recipient's letters 'in which you have indicated to us certain suspicions cast by you….and also an account of what has been reported of Jacopo Piccinino' have been read, commenting 'We, beloved child, think that suspicions of this kind are vain, but we praise you for being cautious' and further continuing 'the care and diligence in averting and rejecting the plans of the malicious should always be praised, and We who are the ones who protect and defend you as we desire….Therefore, concerning the Corsicans who are trying to enter into your state, we ordered the governor of our Patrimony to seize them and punish them according to their demerits'. The document also states, 'As regards Piccinino, although he has received the….stipend from the King [Ferdinand I of Naples] and his Serenity needs his services for the establishment of his kingdom and his state, and as we have been informed he does not wish to let him go, nevertheless we shall not fail to protect you where necessary…..Our beloved son Antonio [Piccolomini], Duke of Amalfi……will soon arrive, who will station a part of our army in the territory of your country….' Adding that the Duke has been commanded to defend and protect their land and subjects if necessary. Autographs of Pope Pius III, the nephew of Pius II, are of the utmost rarity and the present document is also of historical significance for its references to Jacopo Piccinino and Antonio Piccolomini. Some light overall damp staining and two very small holes to the body of the document, the text remaining clear and entirely legible. Some traces of former mounting to the verso and with the (slightly indistinct) circular red stamp of the College heraldique de France to the verso. About VG

The recipient of the present document is unclear, however one valid candidate would be Marino Marzano (1420-1494) Italian nobleman, Grand Admiral of the Kingdom of Naples, and an ally of Pope Pius II.

Pius II (1405-1464) Pope of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States 1458-64. A Renaissance humanist, and member of the House of Piccolomini, Pius II had achieved fame as an author in Latin before becoming Pope.

Jacopo Piccinino (1423-1465) Italian condottiero, nobleman and feudal lord. In 1450 Piccinino became a General in the Venetian Army and in 1463 participated in the dynastic wars which tore apart the Kingdom of Naples. In 1465 he was called to Naples to receive the position as viceroy of Abruzzi and serve as leader of King Ferdinand I of Naple's troops, however he was treacherously arrested on the King's orders and condemned to death.

Antonio Piccolomini (1435-1492) Duke of Amalfi. Italian soldier and politician. Brother of Francesco Piccolomini, the future Pope, and a nephew of Pius II from whom the Duke received numerous favours and investitures. Appointed Lieutenant General of Men-at-Arms of the Kingdom of Naples, at the time of the present document the Duke was engaged in eliminating the last resistances of Jacopo Piccinino and participated in various military campaigns involving the Kingdom of Naples.

Ferdinand I (1424-1494) King of Naples 1458-94, one of the most influential and feared monarchs in Europe at the time and an important figure in the Italian Renaissance.

Pius II had convened the Congress of Mantua in 1459 in order to plan a war against the Ottoman Turks, Christendom's common enemy, and in January 1460 the Pope proclaimed the official crusade. However, by November 1463, little progress had been made and the Pope, in an effort to organise the crusade himself, invited all of the Christian nobility to join. The Venetians immediately agreed, as did George Kastriot Skanderberg, leader of the Albanian resistance, who declared war on the Ottomans on 27^th November 1463. The Pope did not succeed in securing the support of estranged France; the Duke of Burgundy breaking his promises; Milan was engrossed in an attempt to seize Genoa; and Florence cynically advised the Pope to let the Turks and the Venetians to wear each other out. Pius II was aware that he was nearing his end, and his malady most likely prompted the feverish impatience with which on 18^th June 1464, less than two weeks after the present document was issued, he assumed the cross and departed for Ancona to conduct the crusade in person.

Provenance: Previously contained in the archives of the College heraldique de France, a leading organisation in the studies of noble genealogy that was created in 1841 by Claude Drigon, Marquis of Magny (1796-1879). Its large collections, estimated to be 350,000 documents (including 60,000 charters from the 11^th - 14^th centuries) were dispersed at auction at the Hotel Drouot in 1935-37.