Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	emperor_n	king_n	2,890	5	4.1642	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34943	The history of the house of Esté, from the time of Forrestus until the death of Alphonsus the last Duke of Ferrara with an account of the pretended devolution of that dutchy unjustly usurped by Clement VIII : wherein likewise the most considerable revolutions of Italy from the year 452 to the year 1598 are briefly touched.	Craufurd, James, 17th cent.; Craufurd, David, 1665-1726.	1681 (1681)	Wing C6853; ESTC R5167	108,756	324

Italy called a Councel at Rome where Benedict the ninth Sylvester the third and Gregory the sixth being convicted of several Crimes were all laid aside and Clement the second chosen Pope and for preventing such abuses it was Decreed That none should be admitted for the future except such as the Emperour approved of all that were present at the Council confirmed it by Oath and during the rest of the Reign of Henry the third this method of Election was observed But Henry the fourth being left young under the Government of his Mother the Romans when there was nothing to apprehend forgot their Oath and made choice of Stephen the ninth without consulting the Emperour Soon after they openly declared he was not to meddle either in the nomination or approbation of Popes and this Doctrine never openly taught before in a short time by the Empresses connivence and the countenance it had from Matildis and her Mother was so universally received that Henry when he came of age found his challenging it as a right the source of all his calamities Matildis gave early proof of her blind attachment to the Pope which her Husband either to secure a party upon occasion against the Emperour or to comply with Matildis's inclinations did much encourage at first and grew sensible of his folly in it too late when he saw her forget not only her duty to her Soveraign the Emperour but likewise to himself who was her husband The person that bewitched Matildis was Hildibrand afterwards Gregory the seventh to whose Councils she gave her self up so entirely that her Forces her Money and her Interests were all at his disposal Hildibrand was of mean extraction the Son as Cranzius an accurate writer sayes of a Smith and designed for a Monk but being more enclined to business than devotion or a retired life he abandon'd the Cloister and went to Rome where his natural subtilty and ambition masked with an appearance of virtue and a publick spirit raised him in a few years to such a pitch that whatsoever Pope they chose without his consent was soon dispatch'd and even those whom he advanced if they prov'd not for his purpose had no better luck as Benno and other of their Writers inform us By the means of one Brazutus his old acquaintance in the Magick School no less than six Popes were poison'd in thirteen years Every one could easily discern how well Matildis was like to thrive in such hands The Pope that immediately preceded Hildibrand was Alexander the second formerly Bishop of Luca whom he had set up in opposition to the Emperour but eas'd him of the trouble of governing the Bishops therefore of Lombardy not longer able to see Henries Authority thus contemned the decree of their Council slighted and their oath broken perswaded the Emperour to call a Council at Basil where Alexander was declared an Usurper and Cadolus Bishop of Parma chosen Pope by the name of Honorius the second most of the Prelates and Nobility of Lombardy accompanied Honorius in his journey to Rome but Matildis at the head of an Army opposed him and the Emperour in behalf of Alexander and Hildibrand After many contests both parties agreeing to hold a Anno Christi 1063 Council at Mantoua the Emperour though there present was betrayed for Matildis by Hildibrands direction corrupting one part of the Council and over-awing another in her own City had Honorius cast and Alexander confirmed And Hildibrand not satisfied with the Popes Authority and his Revenue procured a dose to be given Alexander to make way for himself From one raised by such steps they could not but expect extraordinary things at first he seemed to apprehend the Emperours resentment of his illegal election but Matildis offering to sacrifice Life and Fortune in his Cause quickly removed his fears and Anno Christi 1073 encouraged him to write to the Emperour in a style not used by his predecessors nor was this all he summoned him by his New Authority to appear personally at Rome there to answer in a Synod to such Articles as were brought against him threatning that if he refused to come he would pass to the sentence of Excommunication The divisions of Germany made the Emperour unwilling to come to a breach with the Pope who he knew had made sure of Matildis yet no reasonable condescension being able to satisfie Gregory they advised the Emperour to take the start of him and to assemble a Council at Wormes to look first into Gregories actions At the opening of this Assembly strange were the accusations brought in against Gregory and none plainer than those of Hugo one of his Cardinals who presented Letters from Rome signed by many persons of unsuspected integrity shewing at large his Crimes both before and after his coming to the Papacy and how the Election was carried for him by Matildis and her Guards whose acclamations served him to better purpose than the Votes of those who were to chuse All which being impartially examined and considered Gregory as the Abbot of Vrspergh relates was declared an Usurper an introducer of dangerous Novelties and a person of a scandalous life that had no right to his dignity and was no longer to be obeyed The news being brought into Italy several of the Lombard Bishops at Pavia confirmed what had past at Wormes Matildis and Gregory all this while were very hard at work she in raising Forces to defend the Pope if any should attempt to dispossess him and he in laying out her treasure among the Bishops that things might pass against Henry according to their minds in the Synod appointed at Rome Little did they think that any durst have proclaimed the Decree of Wormes in an Assembly composed of Gregories own Creatures and where he in person did preside guarded by Matildis's troops but one Roland a Priest of Parma coming boldly up without paying him any respect required him in the name of the most Religious Emperour and of the most Reverend Bishops of Italy France and Germany to resign the Sacred Charge into which by craft simony and other evil arts he had thrust himself declaring that he was no true Shepherd Father nor Pope but a Thief a Wolf and a Tyrant and while all were in a consternation to hear such words Roland happily made his escape Matildis was now become a widow by the death of the Duke of Lorain and had indeed liv'd as such for several years past her jealousie of the Dukes being no friend to Gregory made her afraid to be advised by him or to allow him leave to meddle in her affairs and her Husband upon the other hand seeing himself neglected and no gainer at all by his great Match retired into his own Countrey full of trouble and survived his Father but a few years Gregory judging it against his interest to have Matildis married to any foreign Prince in whom he could have no confidence proposed to her Azo Marquess of Esté who was the only person

the Troops dispatched thither by Borsius soon recovered them and he was going in person to besiege Luca when the Florentins at the request of that City made up the business giving full reparation to the Marquess for all the damages received This success discouraged others from giving Borsius any further trouble and he seeing the occasion his Brother had of getting more by the Duke of Milans death now lost resolved to enjoy what he possest and in his way of living to tread his Fathers foot-steps Frederick the third in his passage to Rome was invited by Borsius to Ferrara and treated there for a week most magnificently with all his Train consisting of above two thousand persons he presented the Emperour at his departure with forty of the finest Horses of Italy besides other rarities the German Princes also and Nobility every one according to his Quality carried away some token of the Marquesses generosity Anno Christi 1452 The Emperour wonderfully taken with the Noble Nature of Borsius resolved to advance him to the Dignity of a Duke which was done at his return in this manner a large Theatre being erected in the middle of the Piaza before the Palace and upon it a Throne of Cloth of Gold the Emperour in his Imperial Robes with the Crown which the Pope had set upon his head some days before came thither and being placed in his Throne the King of Hungary sitting upon his right hand and the Count of Tirol his Cousin or as some Writers say the Duke of Austria upon his left besides many Italian and German Princes placed according to their Quality Borsius being richly apparell'd and attended by four hundred Gentlemen dressed all in the same manner began his Cavalcade at the old Castle and rid from thence towards the Piaza three of the Chief Officers of his Court carrying large Banners before him the first of which had the Imperial Eagle with the Arms of the House of Esté in a field verd and immediately after them a Gentleman with a naked Sword when they came near the Theatre and saw the Throne all lighted and Borsius advancing towards the Throne kneeled before it and had his Ducal Robes put on by the Emperour who delivered him the first Banner for the Earldom of Rovigo the second for the Dutchy of Modena and Regio the third with the naked Sword as a Badge of his Absolute Authority and then declared him Duke of Modena and Regio and Earl of Rovigo making him take his place by the King of Hungary whereupon all the Princes and Ambassadors came to the Duke to Complement him The Emperour in his Patent expresly mentions his doing now the same Honour to the House of Esté which Frederick the second had done about two hundred years before to that branch of it that setled in Germany meaning the Dukes of Lunenburgh and Brunswick he gave the Family a new Coat of Arms and leave to seal with white wax a punctilio much observed among the Princes of Italy The Ceremony being over they returned to the Palace where the Emperour was treated according to the Solemnity of the occasion and having stay'd some dayes longer went for Germany Frederick and all his Court being fully satisfied that this great honour was well placed upon Borsius Forza was now more considerable than ever the late Duke of Milan had been for though he had not enlarged his Dominions yet being the greatest Captain of his age and one who had raised himself to this heighth meerly by his virtue he made all Italy sensible of the Power of Milan under such a Duke Some as the Florentins were glad at any rate to buy his friendship others who could not be threatned as the King of Naples and the Venetians entered into a Confederacy against him and the lesser Powers according to their inclinations sided with either and so divided Italy only Borsius having no prospect of advantage by declaring resolved to continue in peace well armed and to give or refuse passage to their Troops as he should judge most convenient It is plain Forza and the Venetians fought for no less prize than the Soveraignty of Lombardy the ruine of either party as the case then stood making it sure for the other And it was remarked to the great scandal of Christianity how that very day in which Mahomet seized upon the Imperial City of Constantinople their armies were hotly engaged being both of one Religion and of one Nation If instead of sheathing their Swords in one anothers sides the common interest of Christendome had happily united them under such a General as Forza they might have saved that City and Greece from bondage and so far at least have checked the insolence of this young Tyrant that he durst never have landed Forces in Italy to take Otranto as afterwards he did Upon the news of the loss of Constantinople the Pope dispatched Legates to Naples Venice and Milan conjuring those Princes to take pity on the dangerous state of Italy that so composing all differences they might make Head against the Common Enemy and joyn with Scanderbeg the King of Epirus whom all allowed to be the best General against the Turks that any age had produced Borsius was thought the most proper person to promote so good a work and to him the King of Naples immediately sent the terms he was willing to treat on the Venetians likewise being apprehensive of the Turks above all others gave him encouragement to go on in it Borsius's Interest in the Duke of Milan made him not fear any stop there and so warmly did he follow the business that the peace was soon concluded all expected in the next place a Confederacy against the Turk which the death of Nicolaus the fifth retarded His successor Callistus indeed appeared very earnest in it at first but having got into his hands what money he could the design was let fall Pius the second formerly Aeneas Silvius set the same design again a Anno Christi 1459 foot but could bring it to nothing till the heat of the War of Naples invaded by the French was a little over and then going towards Mantoua where he had called a Council he visited Borsius and stayed with him twelve dayes consulting about so great an undertaking for the Pope knew his Prudence and Interest could much advance it and so well was he satisfied in discoursing the matter with Borsius that he declared he would Create him Duke of Ferrara as the Emperour had done of Modena some years before At Mantoua mighty projects were laid and afterwards some Forces raised but all vanished with the Popes death and the Dukes additional Title was reserved for Paul the second to bestow The Dukes Brothers whom Leonel had sent to Naples were grown weary of that Court Ferdinand by joyning a Spaniard in Commission with Hercules in the Government of Apulia and by not treating him upon other occasions suitably to his birth and merits