Branda da Castiglione
Encyclopedia
Branda da Castiglione was an early Italian humanist
, a papal diplomat and a Roman Catholic cardinal, or pseudo-Cardinal, as he was raised to the cardinalate by John XXIII
, later declared an anti-pope.
. Branda was the eldest son of Maffiolo da Castiglione and his wife Lucrezia Porro, of the family of the counts of Polenta .
In 1374 he is documented as enrolled in the Collegio dei nobili Giureconsulti of Milan. He studied also at the recently-founded University of Pavia
, where he received a doctorate in civil and canon law in the academic year 1388/89 and then taught canon law
at the University, supported by Galeazzo Visconti
, Duke of Milan.
In 1389 Gian Galeazzo Visconti
sent him to Rome to the papal court of Boniface IX
, entrusted with obtaining papal privileges for the University of Pavia, of authorization to teach theology
and to enjoy the same conditions as the University of Bologna
and that of Paris
. Branda's abilities were quickly recognized in Rome. At the same time he was nominated to the position of auditore of the Collegio della Sacra Rota. He served as chaplain to Boniface IX
, who sent him as legate
to Germany. In 1393 he was made archpriest of San Martino di Legnano Veronese and a canon at the city of Tortona
; in 1398 he possessed six benefices in the archdiocese of Milan and others beyond it. In 1419 he was made abbot in commendam
of Tre Fontane Abbey
.
In 1401 Bonifacio charged him with a mission to Cologne and Flanders as apostolic nuncio and in 1403 sent him to Hungary
and Transylvania
. In this sojourn he made a fast friendship with Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Hungary, who was later Holy Roman Emperor
.
In August 1404 he was made bishop of Piacenza; under the unsettled conditions of the Western Schism
the see was not automatically secure: he was deposed and replaced by Pope Gregory XII
in 1409. In 1409 he attended the Council of Pisa
, intended to put an end to the schism that was dividing the Catholic Church. The Council elected Pietro Filargo, archbishop of Milan, who sat briefly as Pope Alexander V and reinstated Branda and maintained him in the see of Piacenza. Alexander's successor Baldassare Cossa, elected Pope John XXIII
, sent Branda as pontifical legate to Hungary.
, adding the cardinal's hat and tassels to his family arms. His position strengthened his relations with Sigismund, who made him Count of Veszprém
(Hungary) in 1411 and at Branda's urging raised all the male members of the Castiglioni to the rank of count palatine
in 1417, and with the new duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti
.
The deadlock of the schism forced the convocation of another council, at Constance
. Branda assisted at several sessions, working towards a compromise. On 11 November 1417 the conclave proclaimed Ottone Colonna, who assumed the papal name Martin V
, recognized by the entire Church. Branda da Castiglione and the other eleven cardinals accompanied Martin to Milan, where he consecrated the high altar of the Duomo. In Rome, Martin gave Branda the use of the Palazzo S. Apollinare in Piazza Navona
.
In 1421 Branda was at Castiglione Olona, where he announced his plans to rebuild the walled village of his birth. In March 1425 he consecrated the new collegial parish church at Castiglione Olona
. The project was described, using the vocabulary of Vitruvius
, by the humanist bishop of Pavia, Francesco Pizolpasso. In the same year he was sent as envoy to Bohemia
with the mission, of which he was the galvanizing force, of stamping out the heretical movement of the followers of Jan Hus
, in the name of Christian uniformity, employing Imperial forces headed by Filippo Scolari, called "Pippo Spano"
. He appointed Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl
the official preacher against the Hussites.
He moved on to Hungary once more, pursuing diplomatic objectives, and taking Masolino with him. His mission as papal legate took him to Bohemia and Moravia, Poland and Germany, often moving with the Imperial court.
He represented the Visconti in treaty negotiations at Florence, and participated in the conclave of 1431
that elected a successor to Martin V, Pope Eugenius IV. He participated in the Council of Florence
, sitting at Ferrara and Florence, 1438 to 1442. In Florence he came to know the work of Masolino, occupied with the Brancacci Chapel
; Branda convinced Masolino to accompany him to Hungary for three years (1425–28) and commissioned him to carry out frescoes for his Capella Castiglione in his titular church of San Clemente, Rome and decorative landscapes for Palazzo Branda in Castiglione Olona.
He returned to Castiglione Olona, where he became ill in December 1442 and died in early February 1443 in his Palazzo Branda, aged ninety-three. Leonardo Griffi composed the elogy at his funeral and Branda's secretary, Giovanni da Olmütz, deposited his vita
on parchment in the stone sarcophagus.
, Lorenzo di Pietro, "il Vecchietta"
and Paolo Schiavo, he rebuilt his family village of Castiglione Olona
in the mould of a Renaissance ideal city of humanist culture
, the first centre of Tuscan Renaissance culture in northern Lombardy
. In the little town he rebuilt the palazzo of his ancestors and added another for his familia
. He built the Chiesa del Santissimo Corpo di Cristo and founded a school for the boys of the region, the Scuola di Canto e Grammatica di Castiglione Olona and a nunnery for the feminine members of the Humiliati
and donated a library to the commune. In Pavia he founded a college in 1430 under the protection of Saint Augustine.
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
, a papal diplomat and a Roman Catholic cardinal, or pseudo-Cardinal, as he was raised to the cardinalate by John XXIII
Antipope John XXIII
Baldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
, later declared an anti-pope.
Early career
He was born to a Milanese noble family related to Goffredo Castiglioni, Pope Celestine IVPope Celestine IV
Pope Celestine IV , born Goffredo da Castiglione, was pope from October 25, 1241 to November 10, 1241.Born in Milan, Goffredo or Godfrey is often referred to as son of a sister of Pope Urban III , but this information is without foundation...
. Branda was the eldest son of Maffiolo da Castiglione and his wife Lucrezia Porro, of the family of the counts of Polenta .
In 1374 he is documented as enrolled in the Collegio dei nobili Giureconsulti of Milan. He studied also at the recently-founded University of Pavia
University of Pavia
The University of Pavia is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. It was founded in 1361 and is organized in 9 Faculties.-History:...
, where he received a doctorate in civil and canon law in the academic year 1388/89 and then taught canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
at the University, supported by Galeazzo Visconti
Galeazzo Visconti
Galeazzo Visconti may refer to a number of members of the Italian Visconti dynasty:* Galeazzo I Visconti , lord of Milan from 1322 to 1327* Galeazzo II Visconti , lord of Milan from 1349 to 1378...
, Duke of Milan.
In 1389 Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti , son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca of Savoy, was the first Duke of Milan and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance...
sent him to Rome to the papal court of Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX , born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November 2, 1389, until October 1, 1404...
, entrusted with obtaining papal privileges for the University of Pavia, of authorization to teach theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and to enjoy the same conditions as the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
and that of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. Branda's abilities were quickly recognized in Rome. At the same time he was nominated to the position of auditore of the Collegio della Sacra Rota. He served as chaplain to Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX , born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November 2, 1389, until October 1, 1404...
, who sent him as legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
to Germany. In 1393 he was made archpriest of San Martino di Legnano Veronese and a canon at the city of Tortona
Tortona
Tortona is a comune of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.-History:...
; in 1398 he possessed six benefices in the archdiocese of Milan and others beyond it. In 1419 he was made abbot in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...
of Tre Fontane Abbey
Tre Fontane Abbey
Tre Fontane Abbey , or the Abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasius, is a Roman Catholic abbey in Rome, currently held by the Trappist Fathers of the Cistercian Order. It is known for raising the lambs whose wool is used to weave the pallia of new metropolitan archbishops. The Pope blesses the lambs...
.
In 1401 Bonifacio charged him with a mission to Cologne and Flanders as apostolic nuncio and in 1403 sent him to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. In this sojourn he made a fast friendship with Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Hungary, who was later Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
.
In August 1404 he was made bishop of Piacenza; under the unsettled conditions of the Western Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
the see was not automatically secure: he was deposed and replaced by Pope Gregory XII
Pope Gregory XII
Pope Gregory XII , born Angelo Correr or Corraro, Pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Pope Innocent VII on 30 November 1406....
in 1409. In 1409 he attended the Council of Pisa
Council of Pisa
The Council of Pisa was an unrecognized ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1409 that attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing Benedict XIII and Gregory XII...
, intended to put an end to the schism that was dividing the Catholic Church. The Council elected Pietro Filargo, archbishop of Milan, who sat briefly as Pope Alexander V and reinstated Branda and maintained him in the see of Piacenza. Alexander's successor Baldassare Cossa, elected Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, sent Branda as pontifical legate to Hungary.
As Cardinal
On 6 June 1411 John XXIII named him a cardinal; he gave up his see of Piacenza and took for his titulus San ClementeBasilica di San Clemente
The Basilica of Saint Clement is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I located in Rome, Italy. Archaeologically speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of buildings: the present basilica built just before the year 1100 during the height of the Middle Ages; beneath...
, adding the cardinal's hat and tassels to his family arms. His position strengthened his relations with Sigismund, who made him Count of Veszprém
Veszprém
Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
(Hungary) in 1411 and at Branda's urging raised all the male members of the Castiglioni to the rank of count palatine
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
in 1417, and with the new duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447.-Biography:Filippo Maria Visconti, who had become nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan in 1412. They were the sons of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Gian Maria's predecessor, by...
.
The deadlock of the schism forced the convocation of another council, at Constance
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
. Branda assisted at several sessions, working towards a compromise. On 11 November 1417 the conclave proclaimed Ottone Colonna, who assumed the papal name Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
, recognized by the entire Church. Branda da Castiglione and the other eleven cardinals accompanied Martin to Milan, where he consecrated the high altar of the Duomo. In Rome, Martin gave Branda the use of the Palazzo S. Apollinare in Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans came there to watch the agones , and hence it was known as 'Circus Agonalis'...
.
In 1421 Branda was at Castiglione Olona, where he announced his plans to rebuild the walled village of his birth. In March 1425 he consecrated the new collegial parish church at Castiglione Olona
Castiglione Olona
Castiglione Olona is a town and comune in the province of Varese, in Lombardy....
. The project was described, using the vocabulary of Vitruvius
Vitruvius
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He is best known as the author of the multi-volume work De Architectura ....
, by the humanist bishop of Pavia, Francesco Pizolpasso. In the same year he was sent as envoy to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
with the mission, of which he was the galvanizing force, of stamping out the heretical movement of the followers of Jan Hus
Jan Hus
Jan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
, in the name of Christian uniformity, employing Imperial forces headed by Filippo Scolari, called "Pippo Spano"
Pipo of Ozora
Pipo of Ozora was an Italian condottiero, general, strategist...
. He appointed Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl
Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl
Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl was an Austrian Roman Catholic clergyman, pulpit orator and theologian.-Biography:He was born c. 1360, at Dinkelsbühl. He studied at the University of Vienna where he is mentioned as baccalaureus in the faculty of Arts in 1385. Magister in 1390, he lectured in philosophy,...
the official preacher against the Hussites.
He moved on to Hungary once more, pursuing diplomatic objectives, and taking Masolino with him. His mission as papal legate took him to Bohemia and Moravia, Poland and Germany, often moving with the Imperial court.
He represented the Visconti in treaty negotiations at Florence, and participated in the conclave of 1431
Papal conclave, 1431
Papal conclave 1431 convened after the death of Pope Martin V, elected as his successor cardinal Gabriele Condulmer, who took the name Eugene IV. It was the first papal conclave held after the end of the Great Western Schism.-List of participants:Pope Martin V died on February 20, 1431...
that elected a successor to Martin V, Pope Eugenius IV. He participated in the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
, sitting at Ferrara and Florence, 1438 to 1442. In Florence he came to know the work of Masolino, occupied with the Brancacci Chapel
Brancacci Chapel
The Brancacci Chapel is a chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, central Italy. It is sometimes called the "Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance" for its painting cycle, among the most famous and influential of the period. Construction of the chapel was commissioned by...
; Branda convinced Masolino to accompany him to Hungary for three years (1425–28) and commissioned him to carry out frescoes for his Capella Castiglione in his titular church of San Clemente, Rome and decorative landscapes for Palazzo Branda in Castiglione Olona.
He returned to Castiglione Olona, where he became ill in December 1442 and died in early February 1443 in his Palazzo Branda, aged ninety-three. Leonardo Griffi composed the elogy at his funeral and Branda's secretary, Giovanni da Olmütz, deposited his vita
Vita
Vita or VITA may refer to:Things:*Vita , a brief biography, often that of a saint * Vita , a character in the anime series, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's* A curriculum vitae...
on parchment in the stone sarcophagus.
As patron
Intimate with the powerful of his day, and renowned for the simplicity and modesty of his personal life, Branda was in touch with the literary and artistic movements that got under way in his lifetime, the early Renaissance. He commissioned work from Masolino da PanicaleMasolino da Panicale
Masolino da Panicale was an Italian painter. His best known works are probably his collaborations with Masaccio: Madonna with Child and St. Anne and the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel .-Biography:Masolino was born in Panicale...
, Lorenzo di Pietro, "il Vecchietta"
Vecchietta
Francesco di Giorgio e di Lorenzo , known as Vecchietta or Lorenzo di Pietro, was an Italian Sienese School painter, sculptor, goldsmith and architect of the Renaissance...
and Paolo Schiavo, he rebuilt his family village of Castiglione Olona
Castiglione Olona
Castiglione Olona is a town and comune in the province of Varese, in Lombardy....
in the mould of a Renaissance ideal city of humanist culture
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
, the first centre of Tuscan Renaissance culture in northern Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
. In the little town he rebuilt the palazzo of his ancestors and added another for his familia
Medieval household
The medieval household was, like modern households, the centre of family life for all classes of European society. Yet in contrast to the household of today, it consisted of many more individuals than the nuclear family...
. He built the Chiesa del Santissimo Corpo di Cristo and founded a school for the boys of the region, the Scuola di Canto e Grammatica di Castiglione Olona and a nunnery for the feminine members of the Humiliati
Humiliati
The Humiliati were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a Papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century.-Origin:Its origin is obscure...
and donated a library to the commune. In Pavia he founded a college in 1430 under the protection of Saint Augustine.