Gregory Of Heimburg
Gregory of Heimburg
Humanist and Statesman, b. at Würzburg in the beginning of the fifteenth century; d. at Tharandt near Dresden, August, 1472. About 1430 he received the degree of Doctor of Both Laws at the University of Padua. Filled with the prevalent ideas of reform, this ardent and eloquent jurist was naturally attracted to the Council of Basle, convened, according to the assembled prelates, for “the extirpation of heresy, and of the Greek schism. . . .and for the reformation of the Church in her Head and members”. While at the council he became the secretary of Æneas Sylvius. He left Basle in 1433, when he was elected syndic of Nuremburg, in which capacity he served until 1461. After the election of Albert II of Austria, he was sent, with John of Lysura to the Council of Basle to demand that the proceedings against the pope be suspended, and then to Eugene IV at Ferrara to propose that the negotiations with the Greeks be carried on in a German city. In 1446 he was again placed at the head of an embassy to Eugene IV. The pope had deposed the Archbishops of Cologne and Trier, both electoral princes, who favoured the antipope Felix V. The other electors now demanded of Eugene (1) his approval of certain decrees of Basle; (2) the convocation of a general council in a German city within three months; (3) the acceptance of the article on the superiority of the council over the pope; and (4) the reinstating of the two deposed archbishops. But Gregory’s mission was unsuccessful. On the advice of Frederick III the pope sent Cardinals Tommaso de Sarzana and Carvajal, with Nicholas of Cusa, as legates to the Diet of Frankfort, 14 Sept., 1446. With them was Æneas Sylvius, now the private secretary of Frederick III. Some of the electors were won over to the cause of the pope; a new embassy was organized; and in February, 1447, shortly before the death of Eugene, the four Bulls constituting the Concordat of the Princes was promulgated. In February, 1448, a complete agreement was reached in the Concordat of Vienna, concluded between Frederick III and Nicholas V. Gregory, who had considered even the declaration of neutrality and ignoble concession, was disappointed at this turn of events and decided to abandon ecclesiastical politics. During the negotiations between the pope and the electors there appeared the anonymous “Admonitio de injustis usurpationibus paparum” or, as Flacius entitles it, “Confutatio primatus papæ”, which is generally ascribed to Gregory.
In 1458 Gregory entered the service of Albert of Austria and his opposition to papal authority was again aroused. Æneas Sylvius had ascended the papal throne as Pius II the same year, and soon afterwards (1459) summoned the princes of Christendom to Mantua to plan a crusade against the Turks. Gregory was present as the representative of Bavaria-Landshut, Kurmainz , and the Archduke Albert of Austria. The failure of the project was partly due to his influence. Sigismund of Austria, on his return from the Congress of Mantua, imprisoned Nicholas of Cusa, Bishop of Brixen, with whom he was quarrelling over certain fiefs. He was excommunicated 1 June, 1460, and through Gregory of Heimburg appealed to a general council. Gregory went to Rome, but to no avail, and on his return journey posted the duke’s appeal on the doors of the cathedral of Florence. The pope then excommunicated him and ordered the Council of Nuremberg to confiscate his property (18 October, 1460). Gregory answered in January, 1461, with an appeal to a general council. Pius II renewed the excommunication and commissioned Bishop Lelio of Feltre to reply to Gregory’s appeal. The “Replica Theodori Lælii episcopi Feltrensis pro Pio Papa II et sede Romanâ” brought forth from Gregory his “Apologia contra detractationes et blasphemias Theodori Lælii” together with his “Depotestate ecclesiæ Romanæ”, in which he defended the theories of Basle. His next important writing, “Invectiva in Nicolaum de Cusa”, appeared in 1461. Shortly before the death of Pius II in 1464, Sigismund made his peace with the Church, but Gregory was not absolved. In 1466 he was taken into the service of George Podiebrad, King of Bohemia, and exercised a great influence on the Bohemian king’s anti-Roman policy. In two apologies for Podiebrad Gregory violently attacked Pope Paul II, whom he charged with immorality. He was again excommunicated and his property at Dettlebach confiscated. After the death of Podiebrad (22 March, 1471) Gregory took refuge in Saxony. Writing to the Council of Würzburg as early as 22 January, 1471, he said he was never accused of having erred in one article of Christian faith. He applied by letter to Sixtus IV, who gave the Bishop of Meissen full power to absolve him. He was buried in the Kreuzkirche at Dresden. His writings were published at Frankfort in 1608 under the title “Scripta nervosa justiaque plena ex manuscriptis nunc primum eruta”. They may be found in Goldast, “Monarchia”, in Freher, “Scriptores rerum Germanicarum”, and in Joachimsohn (see below).
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Brockhaus, Gregor von Heimburg (Leipzig, 1861); Joachimsohn, Gregor Heimburg (Bamberg, 1891); Pastor, The History of the Popes, tr. Antrobus (2nd ed., St. Louis, 1902), IV; Staminger in Kirchenlex., s.v. Heimburg; Tschackert in Realencyck. für. Prot. Theol., s. v. Gregor von Heimburg; Knöpfler in Kirchliches Handlex., s. v. Heimburg.
LEO A. KELLY
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIICopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Gregory Of Heimburg
one of the boldest opponents of papal encroachments in his time, was born at Wrzburg in the early part of the 15th century. He studied in the University of Wrzburg, and took the degree of LL LD. about 1430. We next find him at the Council of Basle in company with Aeneas Sylvius (afterwards pope Pius II), who, an appears from his letter to Heimeburg in Goldast’s Monarchia S. Rom. Imperii (volume 2, page 1632 sq.), fully appreciated the character and talents of his colleague. AEneas took Gregory as his secretary, and the two opposed, very successfully the papal encroachments on the domain of the temporal power. Heimburg, however, soon retired to Nuemberg, where he was elected syndic, and acquired such reputation that all important questions in civil or ecclesiastical law were referred to his arbitration. His relations with Amneas Sylvius changed in proportion as the latter rose in the Church, and when he was finally raised to the see “of Rome, the friends found themselves in complete opposition to each other. When pope Eugene IV deposed Theodoric, archbishop of Cologne, and Jacob, archbishop of Treves, on account of the firmness with which they carried out the principles of the Council of Basie, the German electors sent Heimburg at the head of a deputation to the pope. He spoke courageously against the usurpations of the Roman see. Eugene answered that he would send an answer “worthy of himself.”
This, answer did not satisfy the deputation, and, on thereturn to Frankfort, they gave an unfavorable account of their mission, while Gregory, about the same time, wrote his most remarkable works against the papacy, entitled Admonitio de injustis usurpationibus Paparum Rom. ad Imperatores, reges et principes Christianos, sive Confutiatio Primatus Papae (in Godast, Monarchia S. Rom. Imperii. 1:557). In this work he censures the usurpations of the papacy in the strongest terms, substantiating his reproofs by Scripture and iistory. Gregory then entered the service of the grand duke Sigismund of Austria, and in this position continued to urge war against the papacy, soon after represented by Pius II. The latter, when ascending the papal chair, had formed the plan of engaging Germany. in a crusade, and in this view convoked a meeting of the German princes at Mantua. Heimburg appeared at it as representative of Sigismund, and successfully opposed the project of Pius, who never forgave him for it. He soon found an opportunity for revenge. Cardinal Nicholas, of Cusa, also a former friend of Heimburg, was appointed bishop of Brixen, against the wishes of Sigismund. Difficulties arose between them, and Sigismund took the bishop prisoner. Pius II immediately (June 1, 1460) excommunicated the grand duke, who appealed to a general council by the intermediation of Gregory, August 13, 460 (see Goldast,as above, 2:1576), and caused the appeal to be posted on the door of a number of churches throughout Italy. Gregory of Heimburg posted it himself on the doors of the church in Fiorence, and was immediately excommunicated also. Pius II even sent a brief to the magistrates of Nuremberg, October 18, 1460, demanding that Gregory should be secured at any cost. The latter appealed to a future council (see Goldast, as above, page 1592), showing how the pope abused his power, and strongly defending the proposition that a council is superior to the pope, and that therefore an appeal to a general council is legal.
The apostolic refereidarry, Theodorus Llius, bishop of Feltri, wrote a refutation of Gregory’s appeal (Goldast, page 1595), but the latter answered him triumphantly in his Apologia contra detractationes et blasphemies Theod. Laelii (Goldast, page 1461). Against Nicholas of Cusa, whom he accused of having deserted his former principles, he wrote a vigorous attack in his Invective in. Rever. Patrem, Dom. Nicolaum de Cusa (Goldast, page 1626). In the meantime, Diether, archbishop of Mentz, had also been arbitrarily deposed by Pius II in 1461,when hardly installed in office; Gregory of Heimburg immediately took up his defense, but he soon found himself entirely unsupported. Sigismund made his peace With Pius by the mediation of the emperor Frederick, and obtained absolution in 1464; Diether submitted to the pope, and renounced his archbishopric. Gregory then retired to Bohemia, where he continued to make war against the pope under the protection of George Podiebrad, for whom he wrote several controversial essays (in Erschenlor, Gesch. von Breslau. pub. by Khunisch, Breslau, 1827). After the death of his protector he fixed his residence at Dresden, and, by the mediation of duke Albert, obtained absolution from pope Sixtus IV in 1472.. He soon afterwards died (Aug. 1472), and. was buried in the Church of Sophia, in Dresden. His collected works were published under the title Scripta nervosa justitieque plena, ex manuscriptis nunc primum eruta (Freft. 1608). See Hagen, in the Zeitschsrift Braga (Heidelberg, 1839, 2:414 sq.); Ullmann, Reformatoren vor d. Refirmation (Hamburg, 1841, 1:212 sq.). Herzog, Real- Encyklospdie, 7:347; Brockhaus, Gregor vons Heimburg (Leipz. 1861).