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A Renaissance Fragment in Iceland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Tryggvi J. Oleson*
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba
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Extract

In 1413 King Ladislaus of Naples captured Rome, forcing Antipope John xxiii (1410-15) to flee to Florence. Gregorovius describes the sack of the Eternal City on this occasion as follows:

Ladislaus meanwhile treated Rome with the arrogance of the conqueror. His troops sacked and set fire to houses; archives were destroyed; churches pillaged; sanctuaries insolently desecrated; drunken soldiers and their courtesans drank out of consecrated golden chalices; the Cardinal of Bari was dragged to prison; the sacristy of S. Peter's was emptied of its contents; horses were stabled in the sacred basilica.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Renaissance Society of America 1956

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References

1 Gregorovius, F., History of the City of Rome (London, 1906), vi, 628629.Google Scholar

2 Creighton, M., A History of the Papacy (London, 1907), 1, 284285.Google Scholar

3 Words of John xxiii in a letter of July 24, 1413. Diplomatarium Islandicum (Reykjavík, 1906-13), viii, 23.

4 Printed in Islenzkir annálar 1400-1800 (Reykjavík, 1922-27), 1,8-27.

5 Ibid., p. 4.

6 Ibid, p. 19: Thetta ár for bródir Ami Olafsson ad curiam og farm páfann í miklu Flórenz, thví hann var útdrifinn af Róm af konunginum af Neapoli, og hertekinn mörg hundrud af Rómverjum; og thad var til marks um thennan mikla hernad, ad kongsins hoffólk tóku sjálfar klaustrafrúrnar og allra handa kvinnur og meyjar, og lögdust med theim inn í sjálfri Peturskirkju og stölludu thar hesta sína; hér med drukku their af kaleikum í ölbúdum. Var thá svo mikill sólarhíti, er páfinn var út rymdur, ad margt fólk deydi af thorsta í flóttanum, ádur their komu til Florenz. Thar í stadnum vard biskup einn galinn af víni, svo xij menn gátu varla bundid. Var Ami bródir thar í stadnum frá Pérursmessu til Mariumessu fyrri.’

7 Dipl. Isl., viii, 22-24. He is called in this letter ‘canonicus regularis bead Augustini’.

8 Ibid., iii, 751.

9 Isl. annálar, 1, 20.

10 Ibid., p. 22; Dipl. Isl., viii, 26.

11 Olafur Larusson, ‘Arni biskup Olafsson’, Skímir, cxxii (1948), 67-99.

12 Isl. annálar, 1, 21; Skímir, cxxii, 67, 93.

13 Words of Pope Martin v (1417-31) in a letter March 6, 1426, appointing Jón Gerreksson to ‘ecclesie Schallocensi uacanti per obitum Arnerij vltimi episcopi’ (Dipl. Isl., viii, 26).