Everything about Pope Urban V totally explained
Blessed Pope Urban V (
1310 –
December 19,
1370), born
Guillaume Grimoard, was
Pope from
1362 to
1370.
Biography
He was a
native of Grizac in
Languedoc (today part of the
commune of
Le Pont-de-Montvert,
département of
Lozère). He became a
Benedictine and a doctor in
Canon Law, teaching at
Montpellier and
Avignon. He held the office of abbot of
Saint-Victor in
Marseille; and at Avignon, on his way back from
Naples, whither he'd been sent as
papal legate, he was elected Pope Urban V (
September 28, 1362) in succession to
Pope Innocent VI (1352–62).
As Pope he was a severe disciplinarian, discountenanced the pomp and luxury of the cardinals, introduced considerable reforms in the administration of justice, and liberally patronised learning. He founded the University of Hungary. In
Toulouse, he saved the university of music. In
Montpellier, he restored the school of
medicine and founded the college of
Saint Benoit whose church became a cathedral decorated with numerous works of art. He founded a college in Quézac and Bédouès, and a church and library in Ispagnac.
He supported more than 1,000 students of all classes with food and lodging. Even during war they were nourished well. He provided them with books and the best professors.
His pontificate witnessed one of the last flickers of crusading zeal in the expedition of
Peter I of Cyprus, who took
Alexandria on (
October 11,
1365), but soon afterwards abandoned it. He enforced a crusade against the
Turks to take back
Alexandria. He also sent many missions to
Bosnia,
Lithuania,
Bulgaria and
China.
The great feature of Urban V's reign was the effort to restore the
Papacy to Italy, and to suppress its powerful rivals for the temporal sovereignty there. In
1363 he
excommunicated Bernabò Visconti, the last great figure of
Ghibellinism in northern Italy, which occupied the Papal city of
Bologna and valiantly resisted the troops of
Gil de Albornoz, the Papal vicar in Italy at the time. Urban ordered a crusade to be preached throughout
Italy against him and his kindred, accused to be robbers of the church's estate; but in the march of following year he found it necessary to purchase peace: through the mediation of Emperor
Charles IV, he removed his ban against Visconti, obtaining Bologna only after a grevious payment. Around Rome, he also planted vine-yards.
Continued troubles in
Italy, as well as pleas from figures such as
Petrarch and
St. Bridget of Sweden, caused Urban V to set out for
Rome, which he reached on
October 16,
1367. However, although greeted by the clergy and people with joy, and despite the satisfaction of being attended by the Emperor in
St. Peter's, and of placing the crown upon the head of the Empress, it soon became clear that by changing the seat of his government he hadn't increased its power. In Rome he was otherwise able to receive the homage of the king of Cyprus, Queen
Joan I of Naples and the Byzantine emperor
John V Palaeologus, and coronated Charles IV as Holy Roman Emperor.
Unable any longer to resist the urgency of the
French cardinals, and with numerous cities of the Papal States in revolt, he took ship again at
Corneto on
September 5,
1370, arriving at
Avignon on the 24th of the same month.A few days later he fell ill, and died on December 19. He was succeeded by
Pope Gregory XI (1370–78).
His canonization was demanded by
Valdemar IV of Denmark and promised by Pope Gregory XI as early as in
1375, but didn't take place owing to the disorders of the time. Urban V's cultus was approved by
Pope Pius IX (1846–78) in
1870.
Further Information
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