URBAN. 



cate of eleven years and above four months, at Rome, in 

 July of this year. Over his tomb in the Vatican was 

 placed this infcription : " Urbanus II. Auftor Expeditionis 

 in Iiifidi'les." Miracles have been afcribed to Urban by 

 the mo:ikifh orders ; but they have not been fanftioned by 

 the Roman church. Several of his letters, and of the decrees 

 of councils convened by him, are extant. Bower. Moflicim. 



Urban III., Pope, was elefted to the pontificate on the 

 deceafe of Lucius III., in December 1184. Several dif- 

 putes were excited between him and the emperor Frederic 

 BarbarotTa, which occafioned his menace to excommunicate 

 the emperor ; but Barbaroffa appealed to an aflembly of 

 prelates and princes in Germany in vindication of his rights, 

 and they wrote a letter to the pope on the fubjeft of com- 

 plaint. Such was his indignation, that he threatened to 

 fulT.inate his fcntence at Verona, but the inhabitants of that 

 citv would not permit it. Soon after he is faid to have died 

 of grief, upon hearing of the capture of Jerufalem by Sala- 

 din, in 1 187. Bower. 



Urban IV., Pope, named Pantalion, was born of mean 

 parentage at Troyes, in Champagne, ftudied at Paris, and 

 rofe through feveral gradations of preferment to the papal 

 chair, on the death of Alexander IV., in 1261. At two 

 promotions of cardinals, he is faid to have created fourteen, 

 I'ho did honour to his choice. Manfred, who ufurped the 

 crown of Sic.ily, was excommunicated for refufing to obey 

 his fnmmons to Rome, and a crufade was alfo preached 

 againft him. Afterwards dlfturbances occurred in the city, 

 which caufed the pope to retire to Orvieto, where he rellded 

 with his cardinals during the greateil part of his pontificate. 

 He made an unfuccefsful attempt, by the mterference of his 

 authoritative counfel, to terminate the war which raged in 

 Germany on account of a competition for the empire : and 

 having failed in his negotiation with Manfred, he offered the 

 kingdom to Charles of Anjou, brother of king Louis IX., 

 by whom it was accepted ; but before he was informed of 

 the refuk, he ditd at Perugia, in Oftober 1264. This pope 

 inilituted the feftival of " Corpus Chrifti," in honour of the 

 holy facrament, by a bull dated in 1264. The fanftity of 

 his manners, and his liberality to the poor, have been re- 

 corded to his honour ; and Tirabofchi produces evidence of 

 his having been an encourager of philofophical ftudies ; and 

 the mathematician Campano compliments him with being the 

 patron and anbciate of men of learning. He is faid to have 

 laid his injundlions on the famous Thomas Aquinas, to write 

 commentaries on Aiiftotle. His own epiftles that are ex- 

 tant are of little or no importance. Dupin. Bower. 



Urban V., Pope, was at an early age a TBenediftine, and 

 ftudied civil and canon law at Moutpellier, of which 

 he became a profeflor in that univerfity, and at Avignon, 

 Touloufe, and Paris. After fome fubordinate promotions, 

 he fucceeded Innocent VI. in the papal chair, A.D. 1362. 

 At the commencement of his pontificate hewasvifitedbythree 

 fovereigns ; one of whom, r;z. Lufignan, king of Cyprus, 

 folicited his afllftance againft the Turks, who threatened to 

 invade his dominions. In compliance with this requeft, the 

 pope engaged the other two kings, i>/z. John of France, 

 and Waldemar of Denmark, to engage in a crufade for that 

 purpofe ; but the defign was rendered abortive by the death 

 of the French king. In 1365, the emperor Charles IV. 

 vifited the pope at Avignon, which was then the feat of the 

 papal fee ; but foon afterwards the pontiff was invited to 

 Rome, and to make that city, which was his proper capi- 

 tal, the place of his abode. Accordingly, on the laft day of 

 April, 1367, he fet out on his journey, and in Oftober 

 made his folemn entry into Rome. In the following year he 

 ;A'as viftted by Charles, who accompanied him from Vherbo, 



9 



on his fecond entrance into Rome, walking by his frde, and 

 holding his flirrup from the Colline gate to St. Peter's. 

 He was alfo honoured by the vifit of another emperor, 

 John Palgeologus, of Conflantinople, who profeffed every 

 article of faith lield by the Roman church, acknowledg- 

 ing its primacy, and fwearing perpetual obedience. This 

 victory over the Greek church was highly gratifying to the 

 pope. At this time Urban announced, to the furprize and 

 difappointment of the Itahans, his intention of returning to 

 Avignon. Various attempts were made to diffuade nim 

 fr.Dm accomplifhing his purpofe ; and St. Bridget, then fa- 

 smous for her revelations, predifted that if ho undertook fuch 

 a journey he would not be able to compleat it. Notwith- 

 ftanding every kind of oppofition, he retained his purpofe, 

 and arrived at Avignon in September, 1370. But the ter- 

 mination of his life was approaching, and having made that 

 kind of preparation for it which his religion enjoined, he re- 

 figned himfelf with compofure and acquiefcence, expiring 

 December 19, 1370. This pope has been highly commend- 

 ed tor his public and private virtues. He extirpated abufes, 

 checked the ambition and reftrained the avarice of af- 

 piring ecclefiaftics, and deviated from the example of other 

 pontiffs, by raifing only one relation, vi%. his own brother, 

 to the purple, and not permitting even his father, who lived 

 to 100 years, to accept a penfion from France. To the 

 poor he was liberal, and in erefting public works munifi- 

 cent. He encouraged learning by founding univerfities, and 

 he is faid to have maintained icoo iludents at his own charge. 

 He reitored to its ancient fplendour the univerfity of Bo- 

 logna, which fervice was highly extolled by Petrarch. Se- 

 veral of his letters have been publilhed, and a volume of them 

 exifts in the Vatican library. Dupin. Moreri. Gen. 

 Biog. 



Urban VI., Pope, was elefted, if the expreffion may be 

 ufed, by a conclave of cardinals, compelled by the populace 

 of Rome to name and enthrone Bartolomeo Prignani, arch- 

 bifhop of Bari, who affumed the name of Urban VI., and 

 who was then 60 years of age. He was born at Naples, and 

 deemed to be an excellent civihan and canonift, and a perfon 

 of great probity. He was exemplary in his attention to the 

 forms of devotion, and fingularly humble and modeil in his 

 demeanour. The cardinals apprehended that he would re- 

 nounce an election that had been the refult of force ; but 

 this was far from being his intention. He began with re- 

 proving the cardinals for their culpable qualities, and witli 

 urging them to reform their conduct ; and at the fame time 

 he ingratiated himfelf with the Roman people. The cardi- 

 nals were incenfed by the haughty fpint which he manifefted, 

 and determined upon making void his election. For this 

 purpofe they withdrew to Anagni, and from thence fent aiv 

 admonition to Urban to refign a dignity to which he muft be 

 confcious he had no title. When they found that their ad- 

 monition was unavailing, they proceeded to a new eleftion, 

 under the proteftion of a guard from Viterbo. At length, 

 the ultramontane cardinals, being fixteen, whiHl the Italian 

 were no more than four, pronounced, in Augull 1378, a 

 fentence of nullity againft; the election of Urban, and of 

 excommunication againft his perfon. The Italian cardinals 

 afterwards joined them ; and they concurred in chufing 

 for a new pope cardinal Robert, brother of the count of 

 Geneva, and allied to moft of the royal houfes of Europe. 

 He affumed the name of Clement Vll. 



The countries of Europe were drvided between thefe two 

 popes : Urban being acknowledged in Italy and the greateft 

 part of Germany, England, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, 

 Denmark, Sweden, Pruffia, and Norway ; and Clement 

 polTeffing France, Spain, Scotland, Sicily, Rhodes, aud 



Cyprus, 



