Synod of Piacenza
The Synod of Piacenza was a synod from March 1st to 5th, 1095 in Piacenza .
The synod was convened by Pope Urban II at the end of a trip through Italy and France. The Pope wanted to underline his authority after the end of the investiture dispute with the large assembly in front of numerous ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries . This authority was already expressed by the number of participants: around 4,000 clergy, including 200 bishops, and 30,000 lay people are named. Most of the lay people, however, were probably onlookers from Piacenza and the surrounding area.
The display of papal dignity was primarily intended to end the division of the church. With Urban II. And Clemens III. two popes claimed rule. While Clemens supported Emperor Heinrich IV , Urban was in opposition to the Emperor. Also in numerous subordinate church offices there were multiple appointments by contending parties, under which the power of the church and the fulfillment of pastoral care tasks suffered. However, there was no decision between the two popes. Urban only published a bull against his competitor and his supporters.
A number of political issues were also dealt with: Adelheid of Kiev , wife of Emperor Henry IV , accused her husband of adultery and sexual debauchery. Shortly afterwards, the Pope divorced the imperial couple. Marital law issues were also discussed by envoy of Philip I of France. The king complained that he had been excommunicated after casting off his first wife Bertha von Holland and marrying the married Bertrada von Montfort . Urban gave the king time to justify himself and then confirmed the excommunication at the Synod of Clermont . In addition, several papal ordinances were issued in the course of the Synod, including against the heresy of Berengar of Tours , against monetary payments for the granting of sacraments , for celibacy and on transubstantiation .
In retrospect, the most significant event of the Synod of Piacenza was the appearance of an envoy from the Byzantine emperor Alexios I. After Alexios was banished under Gregory VII , Urban II overturned this judgment and thus initiated a rapprochement between the Catholic Church and Byzantium. In Piacenza, the Byzantines reported the threat to their empire from the Seljuks , recalled that Jerusalem was occupied by the Muslims , and asked for help from the Latin world. These reports seem to have made a lasting impression on Urban II. In the months that followed, he had it spread mainly in France and finally referred to it when he called for the First Crusade at the Synod of Clermont in November 1095.
literature
- History of Concilies - Adapted from the sources by Karl Joseph von Hefele, 1863
- Robert Sommerville - Council of Piacenza. Oxford 2011.
Individual evidence
- ^ History of Concilia - based on the sources, edited by Karl Joseph von Hefele , 1863, original from the University of Lausanne , digitized on March 4, 2008