Sibylla of Anjou

When Fulk V of Anjou married his daughter Sibylla (c. 1112 – 1165) to William Clito, a grandson of William the Conqueror, it seemed like a match with much potential. Unfortunately, King Henry I of England, who had invaded Normandy and taken it from his brother Robert Curthose (William Clito's father), objected and convinced Pope Calixtus II to annul the marriage on the grounds of consanguinity.

William Clito's fate was covered here, but what happened to Sibylla? She was not even a teen when the marriage took place and still not a teen when it was annulled a year later. Her dowry was the County of Maine (which came to her through her mother), so she would have been not an inconsequential match for someone else. She did not re-marry until 1134 at the age of 22, when she was wedded to Thierry, Count of Flanders.

In a curious twist, had Sibylla remained married to William Clito, she would have become Countess of Flanders sooner: Louis VI of France helped William get the position (against objections from people like Thierry). In fact, it was opposition to William by Thierry's forces that led to William's wounding and death in 1128. Thierry succeeded him as count. (Thierry was already married at the time, but his wife, Margaret of Clermont, died in 1132.)

Thierry had one daughter by Margaret, but several children with Sibylla. When Thierry went on the Second Crusade, Sibylla was left as regent in Flanders. During this time, Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut thought it was a good time to attack Flanders, but Sibylla was ready for him. She plundered Hainaut in a counter-attack. In response, Baldwin attacked the territory of Artois. It took the Archbishop of Rheims to negotiate a truce. (Still, when Thierry returned from overseas in 1149, he took revenge on Baldwin.)

Their children were Philip I, who became Count of Flanders; Matthew of Alsace who became the Count of Boulogne; Margaret, who married Baldwin of Hainaut's son, Count Baldwin V of Hainaut; Gertrude of Flanders, who married Humbert III, Count of Savoy. There was also a daughter Matilda, who became abbess of Fontevrault, and a son Peter who was slated to become bishop of Cambrai but was never consecrated.

The illustration shows her with her husband on the facade of the Holy Blood Basilica in Brugge. She was not buried in Brugge, or even in Europe, however, but on the southeastern slop of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. How that came about, and how she abandoned her husband and children, is a story for tomorrow.

The Death of William Clito

So King Henry I of England managed to get the marriage of William Clito and Sibylla of Anjou annulled in 1124 through the help of Pope Calixtus II. Henry did not want Clito allied with the powerful Fulk of Anjou, and also wanted to spite William who was in a position to make a claim on Henry's kingdom as well as Normandy.

In England, Henry named a new heir and had his barons swear an oath of loyalty to her: his daughter the Empress Matilda (empress because she was married to Holy Roman Emperor Henry V).

In Normandy, a rebellion favoring William rose up. King Louis VI of France supported William, but Henry of England persuaded his son-in-law Henry V to cause trouble on France's eastern border, which divided French forces so they could not help William when England's forces defeated the rebellion at the Battle of Bourgthéroulde in March 1124.

Then Charles the Good, Count of Flanders, was killed in 1127, and Louis managed to get William Clito elected as the new count. Henry challenged this and ordered his vassal Stephen of Blois to attack Flanders, a move which was unsuccessful. Other claimants to William's title caused non-stop trouble, despite William having powerful allies.

One claimant was Thierry of Alsace, a cousin of Charles the Good (their mothers were both daughters of Robert I, Count of Flanders, mentioned here as Robert the Frisian). Thierry with an army of 300 mounted men-at-arms and 1,500 infantrymen besieged Axspoele, an estate held by an ally of William, on 19 June 1128. William brought 450 men-at-arms the next day, positioning two-thirds of his army on a hill where they could easily be seen. Thierry's cavalry decided to attack what looked like an equal number of opponents. After some serious fighting, William feigned a retreat and led the cavalry into an ambush where the rest of his men were waiting on the other side of the hill. Thierry's battle-weary men were now facing fresh fighters.

Thierry's cavalry was crushed, Thierry's infantry panicked and fled and were followed by William's men.

William then besieged Thierry at Oostkamp in West Flanders. Thierry retreated to the city of Aalst, where William also besieged him. William Clito sustained a wound from a Flemish foot soldier (see illustration). The wound turned gangrenous, and William Clito died on 28 July 1128. On his deathbed he wrote to Henry, requesting forgiveness for William's followers, which was granted.

Of course, when Henry died, Stephen of Blois seized the throne instead of staying true to his oath to Matilda and started a civil war called The Anarchy, but that's all been covered before.

In the middle of William's troubles, he remarried, this time in 1127 to Joanna (or Joan) of Montferrat, who died in 1128. What happened to Sibylla of Anjou, William's first wife? She remarried many years after the events related here, and lived until 1165. Let's follow her story tomorrow.

The Story of William Clito

When William the Conqueror died, he had already made his wishes clear about the division of his lands. His older son, Robert Curthose, became Duke of Normandy, a large and prosperous province on the continent. A younger son, William Rufus, became king of England. A third surviving son, Henry, was left with nothing, but when Rufus died suddenly Henry raced to take the kingdom, becoming Henry I.

So the older son got a duchy and the younger son a kingdom. In 1106, King Henry I conquered Normandy from Robert. Robert Curthose had a son, William Clito, who pressed a claim to Normandy after his father died, but Henry wanted to give Normandy to his own son, William Adelin.

King Louis VI of France and William Clito were opposed to Henry's assertion of authority over Normandy. Battles and alliances took place over a few years with Henry always coming out on top. William Clito spent some time flying "under the radar." Then something happened that gave him a chance to re-assert his claim.

William Adelin died in the White Ship tragedy.

Henry had no more male heirs. Worse, William Adelin was supposed to marry Matilda, the daughter of Fulk V of Anjou, and Fulk wanted the dowry back (several castles and towns between Normandy and Anjou). Henry wouldn't give up those places, and so Fulk married another daughter, Sibylla of Anjou, to a young man who was 18, popular, and had recent experience in military campaigns—none other than William Clito. The two were married in 1123.

Henry strongly objected to this, and wrote to Pope Calixtus II to complain that William and Sibylla were too closely related for the marriage to be appropriate, due to the laws of consanguinity. Calixtus annulled the marriage, an action which was objected to by the bride's father until Calixtus excommunicated him and placed Anjou under interdict.

This is the event that I mentioned in yesterday's post: that the papal legate was allowed into England by Henry later after eight legates were refused as a quid pro quo because the papacy had done Henry the favor of annulling the marriage.

The marriage was done, but Clito was not. Tomorrow I'll tell you what happened and about his death some years later. The illustration is his seal when Louis made him Count of Flanders.

Giovanni of Crema

When Pope Honorius II wanted to resolve a dispute in England between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, he sent Giovanni of Crema as his papal legate.

England had refused to allow papal legates on the island for a long time, preferring the relationship between the king and the Archbishop of Canterbury to manage religious decisions. During the reign of King Henry I (reigned 1100 - 1135) he refused eight papal legates prior to Giovanni.

Giovanni stopped at Rouen and sent a letter dated 1 June 1124 to Henry, asking permission to cross the English Channel. He did not receive the permission he sought until 1125. His first mission was to go to Scotland and hold a council to tell the Scottish bishops they were subject to the Archbishop of York. This mission was unsuccessful.

Giovanni held a council at Westminster Abbey (pictured above in its earlier days) on 9 September 1125. It was attended by Archbishop of Canterbury William of Corbeil, Archbishop of York Thurstan of Bayeaux, and about 20 bishops and 40 abbots. Many reforms were declared regarding simony and priestly celibacy, but the issue of primacy between the archbishops was avoided. Instead, Giovanni invited both William and Thurstan to return to Rome with him and meet with the pope.

The three traveled to Rome, but even then Honorius was wary about making a hard and fast decision about the two English offices. One decision Honorius made was that the Bishop of St. Andrews, which was the Roman Catholic diocese of Scotland, would be subject to the Archbishop of York.

Whether York or Canterbury could overrule the other as archbishop was avoided, but Honorius said York would be subject to Canterbury not because Canterbury was somehow more important thanYork but in Canterbury's role as papal legate to England and Scotland. On the other hand, Canterbury could not demand an oath of obedience from York.

Papal legates making demands did not sit well with England (possibly not with anyone), and a rumor spread about Giovanni. Roger of Hoveden's history includes a story from historian Henry of Huntingdon (c.1088 - c.1157) that Giovanni was caught in bed with a woman. Giovanni was suspended from his cardinal position but then restored by Honorius. The rumor of the woman in his bed might explain that.

Why was Giovanni allowed into England after so many papal legates had been refused? Maybe the king wanted the archbishop rivalry resolved and didn't want to anger anyone by doing it himself. Some think it was a quid pro quo situation because of an action taken by the previous pope, Calixtus II. Let's look at that situation tomorrow.

Honorius and Conflicts, Part 4

Bernard of Clairvaux was concerned (as just about everyone for several centuries) about the relationship between religious and secular authority and the supremacy of one over the other. Bernard's preaching and devotion inspired the Bishop of Paris, Stephen of Senlis, to try to eliminate the influence of the French kings in the appointment of clergy.

The French king at the time was Louis VI (reigned 1108 - 1137), called "Le Gros" because over time he gained so much weight he could no longer ride into battle (see illustration). Louis was not against religion—his chief advisor was Abbot Suger—but he maintained the tradition of having some say over his bishops. In response to Stephen opposing Louis' authority, Louis seized Stephen's wealth.

Stephen's goal of Church reform (making it independent of the king) also motivated the Archbishop of Sens, Henri Sanglier. Louis in retaliation charged Henri with simony (selling clergy positions for money) and tried to remove him from his position. Bernard's letter to Honorius requested that the pope intercede with Louis on behalf of Stephen of Senlis and Henri Sanglier. Louis was trying to fill bishop and priest positions in Tours as well, after Honorius had just appointed Hildebert of Lavardin to be Archbishop of Tours.

Honorius did not take as hard a line with a king as he had with abbots (see here and here). When the French bishops banded together to place the diocese of Paris under interdict (denying all residents of the diocese from receiving any of the sacraments of the Church), Louis protested to Honorius. Honorius lifted the interdict to save the residents of Paris from this punishment. This took pressure off of Louis to change his ways.

This "soft on crime" approach disgusted Bernard of Clairvaux, who expressed himself to Honorius. Honorius stuck to his guns, however, advising Stephen of Senlis to reconcile with Louis. Honorius must have had some words with Louis, because Louis stopped interfering with Archbishop Henri.

Honorius was also involved in English affairs, particularly in the debate over the Archbishoprics of Canterbury and York: did one have supremacy, or did they have equal authority? Thurstan of Bayeaux in York was pushing his claim, and Honorius wrote to him saying that the pope would settle the matter personally.

By "personally" he meant he would send a papal legate with the authority to act on the pope's behalf. Cardinal Giovanni of Crema went to England and convened a council at Westminster and...you know, this is going to get complicated, because England had been denying entrance to papal legates for years, so why did Giovanni of Crema get in? And what about Scotland? Did York have jurisdiction over Scotland? Let's save all that for tomorrow.

Honorius and Conflicts, Part 3

After making a deal with Roger II of Sicily, Pope Honorius II turned his attention back to focusing on monasteries he felt were too powerful and independent. The abbot of Monte Cassino had been dealt with, but there was another abbot who was acting up improperly, Pons of Melgueil.

Pons (c.1075 - 1126) was the seventh abbot of  Cluny, but had been ousted in 1122. Pons had been a mediator at the Concordat of Worms that resolved the Investiture Controversy. While abbot, he had continued the building of the great abbey church of Cluny. This became "Cluny III" (pictured) and was the largest Christian church for the next 200 years.

During the Investiture Controversy, when Holy Roman Emperor Henry V marched on Rome in 1118, Pope Gelasius II fled Rome and found safety at Cluny. While there, he (supposedly) declared that he should be succeeded as pope by either Archbishop Guy of Vienne or Pons. Guy of Vienne became Pope Calixtus II, and was followed by Honorius.

Pons may have been bothered by having papal ambitions that went nowhere. In 1122 his monks at Cluny charged him with extravagance. The Archbishop of Lyon and the Bishop of Mâcon had also complained about him spending money too lavishly. Calixtus summoned him to Rome, where he resigned as abbot and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 1123 he was back in Italy and started a small monastery of his own.

He then decided to reclaim his position as abbot of Cluny. He managed to gather some mercenaries and marched to Cluny in 1125 where he pushed out Abbot Hugh II of Cluny. He occupied the monastery and melted down some of the treasures there to pay his mercenaries, who remained in the area, harassing the monks and nearby villagers.

Honorius heard what was happening and sent a papal legate to excommunicate Pons and order him to Rome. Pons was deposed by Honorius in 1126 and put in prison where he died. At Cluny he was succeeded by Peter the Venerable.

Then Bernard of Clairvaux wrote to Honorius, asking him to get involved in a dispute between Louis VI of France and the French bishops. Honorius was all too glad to get involved, but that's a story for tomorrow.

Honorius and Conflicts, Part 2

On July 1127, William II, Duke of Apulia, died without an heir, and Roger II of Sicily (pictured) raced to the peninsula to take control of Apulia and Calabria.

Roger claimed that William had left him the lands in exchange for a favor Roger had done him. Pope Honorius II, however, claimed that William had deeded his territories to the papacy. Honorius did not want Roger getting a foothold in Italy, and rushed to prevent it.

Roger was already occupying Apulia, and sending gifts to Honorius, asking to be recognized as the rightful ruler of Apulia. Roger knew that the pope desired land as much as anyone, and offered to hand over a couple of locations, one in Campania and one in Apulia itself.

But Roger on the mainland would have created a unified Norman presence in southern Italy, and Honorius did not want any more northerners around. After all, the events that led to his election as pope involved a fight between Italians and northerners. Some of the smaller Norman rulers in southern Italy were also wary of Roger's power, and did not necessarily want him to become so powerful that he controlled them. They allied themselves with the pope.

Honorius threatened to excommunicate Roger, and then went through with it in November 1127. Roger returned to Sicily, but only to gather reinforcements. Honorius took the time to make an alliance with Robert II, the new prince of Capua, and preached a Crusade against Roger.

Roger returned in May 1128, harassing some papal strongholds but avoiding the papal forces directly until July. Even then, with the armies facing each other across a river, he did not engage, but waited to see if the alliances the pope had made would last through a long staring contest. Turns out some of the others blinked first, deciding to throw their lot in with Roger after all.

Honorius understood that he was losing strength, and sent two advisors to negotiate with Roger. The result was that Honorius would recognize Roger as Duke of Apulia, and Roger would take an oath of faith and homage to the pope. Honorius himself traveled to meet Roger on a bridge in Benevento, establishing peace between the Kingdom of Sicily and the Papal States.

Honorius now had time to turn to some of the other areas that he felt needed correction. He had only the previous year clashed with the abbot of Monte Cassino, one of the most famous Benedictine monasteries. He was about to cash with an abbey that also fell into the category of one of the most famous: Cluny. We'll look into that next time.

Honorius and Conflicts, Part 1

Pope Honorius II (pictured) was aggressive about doing what he felt was right for the Church, which sometimes meant taking to task religious figures and orders. He distrusted the long-standing (established in 529CE) and widespread Benedictines. Although he favored newer orders like the Augustinians and Cistercians, and he formally recognized the new Templars, he felt some Benedictines needed to be disciplined.

This may have stemmed from his dislike of a single man, the abbot of Monte Casino, Oderisio di Sangro. When Honorius was still Lamberto Scannabecchi, the cardinal-bishop of Ostia, he had asked Oderisio for permission for Lamberto's entourage to stay at the church of Santa Maria in Pallara (on the Palatine Hill in Rome; it has since been renamed to San Sebastiano al Palatino). Oderisio refused the request.

In 1125, after Lamberto became pope in a very unorthodox manner, Oderisio refused a request for financial support, and mocked Honorius' peasant origins. Honorius heard that Oderisio was enriching himself instead of improving Monte Cassino, publicly called him a thief and no monk, and summoned Oderisio to Rome. Oderisio refused to come to Rome. In total he refused three papal summons. Honorius deposed him as abbot in 1126.

Oderisio ignored the decision and continued acting as abbot, so Honorius excommunicated him. Oderisio ignored the excommunication, and fortified the monastery because he knew what was coming: papal soldiers. The townspeople of Cassino took matters into their own hands, choosing to side with their pope, and forced their way into the monastery and Oderisio out of office. The monks elected as abbot the dean of the monastery, Niccolo.

Honorius was not satisfied with this. He declared Niccolo's election improper (he was one to talk), and appointed another person to run Monte Cassino, which angered the monks. Supporters of Oderisio and Niccolo fought each other. Eventually Honorius managed to get Oderisio to step down. He excommunicated Niccolo to keep him out of the way. Honorius appointed the provost of a monastery at Capua, Seniorectus, to be abbot of Monte Cassino in September 1127. He also asked the monks to swear an oath of loyalty to the papacy, but that was a step too far for them.

With Monte Cassino settled down, Honorius had another conflict he just had to get himself involved in that cropped up a few months before the installation of Seniorectus. South of Monte Cassino, the Duke of Apulia died with no heir, and there was a scramble to occupy Apulia and Calabria. The man who tried to take over was about to run into papal problems. We'll see who won that conflict tomorrow.

Pope Honorius II

After his atypical election in December 1124, Pope Honorius II got to work clashing with Holy Roman Emperor Henry V over Henry's claim to territory in Italy. Henry said that Matilda of Tuscany had left her lands to him. Henry began appointing his own vicars throughout the area in opposition to what the papacy and the towns wanted, completely ignoring the terms of the Concordat of Worms that left investing clerics to the Church rather than secular authority.

Fortunately for the papacy, Henry V died on 23 May 1125, but a new conflict arose. Henry left no heir and nominated his nephew, Duke of Swabia Frederick Hohenstaufen as the next emperor. The papacy did not want an expansion of Hohenstaufen power, however.

The clerics chose another, Lothair of Supplinburg, Duke of Saxony, as the next Holy Roman Emperor. Lothair wrote to Honorius requesting the pope's confirmation, an act of obedience to papal authority that pleased Honorius. One of Lothair's advisors was Norbert of Xanten, founder of the Premonstratensian Order (also called Norbertines).

Honorius also had to deal with barons in southern Italy who were harassing farmers and travelers. The papal armies had to take over several towns to suppress and arrest barons, laying siege to their castles, etc. 

The illustration shows him formally accepting the new order called the Templars, in 1128. There were other religious groups and figures whom he felt needed correction, however, so he turned his attention from dealing with secular authorities to various religious figures and groups. I'll tell you about them tomorrow.

The Election of Pope Honorius II

Lamberto Scannabecchi was born on 9 February 1060 in a rural community. He entered the priesthood and became the archdeacon of Bologna. He gained the attention of Pope Urban II who named him a cardinal in 1099. Urban's successor, Pope Paschal II, made Lamberto cardinal bishop of Ostia in 1117. (Cardinal bishops are senior members of the Church who advise the pope.)

When Pope Gelasius II was driven from Rome in 1118 by Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, Lamberto accompanied him and was even with Gelasius at his deathbed. Lamberto was part of the group that elected Pope Calixtus II, becoming his close advisor.

Lamberto was sent to Henry V as papal legate to argue against the emperor's right to the Investiture of prelates. The Concordat of Worms (see illustration) in 1122—the agreement between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire that bishops and abbots would be appointed by the Church and not the secular authority—owes its result to the efforts of Cardinal Lamberto.

Urban and Paschal had expanded the number of Italian cardinals. Calixtus (originally Guy of Burgundy) had also named several cardinals, mostly French and Burgundian. The two groups did not trust each other. Each group turned to Roman noble families for support.

The Italian cardinals found it with the Pierleoni family who had gained a reputation as protectors of the popes. Urban II had died in a Pierleoni manor. The northern group found support from the Frangipani family. Upon Calixtus' death (13 December 1124), the two families agreed that an election should happen in three days, which was canon law. The Frangipani wanted Lamberto as their candidate, but the local people wanted Theobaldo Boccapecci, the Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Anastasia.

The election took place, and the majority vote went to Theobaldo. He chose the name Celestine II, but just as he was donning the papal red mantle and Te deum was being sung to start his investiture, Frangipani supporters burst into the chamber, attacked and wounded Theobaldo, and declared Lamberto as Pope Honorius II.

Theobaldo was willing to resign, but the Pierleoni clan would not accept Lamberto as pope. Days of debate, fighting, and attempts to bribe supporters followed. Eventually the supporters of Celestine accepted his willingness to resign, leaving Lamberto as the only claimant.

Honorius, in what may have been a planned bit of theater to smooth things over with the city, resigned the position because of the inappropriate manner in which he became pope. He was immediately elected unanimously by the assembled cardinals and invested on 21 December 1124.

What kind of pope was he? We'll find out tomorrow.

The Premonstratensians

Arguably one of the longest names for a Holy Order, the name comes from The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, called so because the Order was found in 1120 in Prémontré near Laon by Norbert of Xanten. They were also known as Norbertines and White Canons.

Norbert was a friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, who favored very strict rules for monasteries. In Prémontré Norbert established a monastery with 13 companions, essentially following the Rule of St. Augustine but adding new rules promoting even greater austerity.

The order was formally approved by Pope Honorius II and grew quickly: by 1126 there were nine houses. In 1143 the Order reached England, and were soon in Scotland where they had the support of the dynasty of Fergus of Galloway.

The first Premonstratensian saint was Evermode of Ratzeburg (died 1178), a companion of Norbert and the Bishop of Ratzeburg. His lifelong goal was the Christianization of the Wends, Slavs inhabiting what is now northeastern Germany. Another was Frederick of Hallum (died 1175), known for intense piety throughout his life and for miracles taking place at his tomb after his death. Ludolph of Ratzeburg (died 1250) disagreed with and was imprisoned and beaten by Duke Albert I of Saxony, dying because of his treatment. There is a legend that a soldier with an arrowhead embedded in his head was able to remove the arrow and survive only after praying to Ludolph.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII was the first big blow to the success of the Order, which had 35 houses in England at the time. The Reformation and the French Revolution were also difficult times for them. By the 19th century they were almost extinct as an Order, with a few houses existing in Germany. 

In 1893, some Norbertines from Germany came to the United States to minister to Belgian immigrants in Wisconsin, starting the first Premonstratensian abbey in the New World. By the start of the 20th century, however, there were 20 monasteries. Today there are almost 100 monasteries, including abbeys for women, around the world.

The Order was sanctioned by Pope Honorius II, whose name has been woven throughout this blog. Tomorrow I'll give him his own entry. See you then.

The Milevsko Nail

In the Czech Republic is the town of Milevsko, first mentioned in records in 1184, placed at the intersection of two important trade routes. In 1187 a Premonstratensian monastery was built there. The monastery was burned down in 1420 by Hussites, a Czech Christian movement influenced by John Wycliffe and reformer Jan Hus.

The monastery was rebuilt in 1581 as a manor house, but returned to the Premonstratensians as a monastery in 1622.

In the summer of 2020, beneath the monastery's St. Giles Church, a secret cavity was discovered. One theory is that the space was used to protect treasures from the impending attack by the Hussite soldiers. One researcher states that the Hussites destroyed church records, so knowledge of the secret cache was lost over time.

In the space was a wooden box decorated with a gold cross and the letters "IR" signifying "Iesus Rex," "Jesus King." Radiocarbon dating and an examination of the box reveals that it was made from larch wood grown in Israel between 1290 and 1394CE. The lid of the box as made of oak that was dated to between 260 and 416CE.

Inside the box was a six-centimeter iron nail. The assumption is that it was one of the Holy Nails used to crucify Jesus. There is a Celebration of the Holy Nail every 13 September where it can be seen in its new setting, the cross seen above in the illustration.

That ends for now our exploration of the Arma Christi and Holy Nails. Next we're going to find out what Premonstratensians are all about.

The Holy Nails

The Catholic Encyclopedia says "The question has long been debated whether Christ was crucified with three or with four nails." [link] Given how many can be found around the world, maybe it was more.

Depictions of the Crucifixion in the 13th century started routinely showing three nails (prior to that, and in the opinion of several Church Fathers, there was one in each foot): one through the overlapping feet and one each in the hand (biologically more appropriate would be in the wrist: the bones of the hand could not support the weight of a body). 

Shortly after converting to Christianity and becoming caesar and emperor, Constantine sent his mother, the Empress (later saint) Helena to find the Cross and the Nails used in the Crucifixion. According to the 5th-century author of an ecclesiastical history, Socrates of Constantinople, she was led to the site of what she was seeking by a Jew named Judas Cyriacus.

The nails went in different directions. Socrates said one was made into a bridle used by Constantine, and there are many other locations that claim to have nails. There is a bridle in the cathedral in Carpentras, in Provence that is said to have a nail in it. The Cathedral of Milan also has a bridle that is said to have a nail in it.

The Basilica of Santa Croce in Jerusalem, a church in Rome, has a spike that is supposed to be one.

One was pounded into a thin band and incorporated into the Iron Crown of Lombardy. As it turns out, the band that was supposed to be the nail is made of almost pure silver. Ironically, there is no iron in the "Iron Crown."

The treasury of Trier Cathedral was sent one (see illustration) from Helena, to (supposedly) commemorate her birthplace.

Bamberg Cathedral (Germany) claims to have part of one nail.

The monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania (Sicily) has the head of a nail.

The German imperial regalia in the Homburg Palace in Vienna has a nail incorporated into a Lance which is also the Spear of Longinus.

Then, in 2020, a piece of a Holy Nail was found in the Czech Republic. I'll tell you that story tomorrow.

Arma Christi

The "Arms of Christ" refers to the collection of items that are linked to Jesus, relics that exist all over the world and are preserved and venerated as links to him. The quest of St. Helena to find the True Cross was merely the beginning, as people realized the strong desire to see and touch and own items that once touched Jesus or were in his orbit, as it were.

Yesterday we talked about the Holy Sponge and Spear of Longinus. Previously we talked about the Holy Grail, the cup used in the Last Supper. Long ago I told you about Veronica's Veil and, more recently, the Shroud of Turin.

People wanted more, however, and enterprising folk of the past were ready to deliver. There is even a Middle English poem, "Arma Christi," that lists the items. Here are some:

The Crown of Thorns exists in Notre Dame de Paris; it was saved during the 2019 fire and restored to its place in December 2024. Separate thorns are found in other locations.

In Rome, in the Church of Santa Croce in Jerusalem, is the Titulus Crucis, the piece of wood nailed to the top of the Cross with the title Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum ("Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews"); the story is found in the Gospel of John. Radiocarbon dating gives a creation date between 980 and 1146CE.

The Holy Tunic, or Seamless robe of Jesus, is said in the Gospel of John to have been gambled on by the Roman soldiers; it was desirable because it was made from a single piece of cloth. Legend says it was found by Helena, who sent it to the city of Trier. Trier does display occasionally a robe whose provenance does not go back prior to the 12th century. It is impossible to carbon date because it was dipped in a rubber solution in the 19th century to preserve it.

The illustration above shows some of the instruments. Note the ladder used for the Descent from the Cross, when they lowered Jesus' body after his death. You may also note the ropes that were used to raise the Cross once Jesus had been put on it. Helena also found the nails used for the Crucifixion. You'll be surprised at how many nails there were once I tell you about where they all are. But that's tomorrow's post. See you then.

The Holy Sponge

In 600 CE, the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a 4th-century church in Jerusalem supposedly built on the site where Jesus was crucified. In an upper room Sophronius observed a few objects that inspired verses:

And let me go rejoicing
to the splendid sanctuary, the place
where the noble Empress Helena
found the divine Wood; 

and go up,
my heart overcome with awe,
and see the Upper Room,
the Reed, the Sponge, and the Lance.

The "divine Wood" found by the Empress Helena we know, because we've talked about the True Cross and Empress Helena's finding of it.

There were other relics there: "the Reed, the Sponge, and the Lance."

The Lance refers to the Spear of Longinus, the spear a Roman soldier jabbed into the side of the crucified Jesus mentioned only in the Gospel of John. There are, in fact, four known relics that claim to be the Spear/Lance of Longinus, in Rome, Vienna, Vagharshapat (in Armenia), and Antioch. Supposedly, one was even in the possession of the devout King Æthelstan of England.

The Reed was placed in the tortured Jesus' hands as a scepter, mocking him as King of the Jews.

The Holy Sponge and Holy Lance were brought by Nicetas, a cousin of Eastern Emperor Heraclius (610-641), to Constantinople from Palestine in 612. Latin Emperor Baldwin II sold the Sponge to King Louis IX of France. 

Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologos made a gift of a sponge to Pope Boniface IX, along with a piece of Jesus' tunic (not sure where he got that). The Basilica of Santa Croce in Jerusalem is a church in Rome, built to house relics of the Passion of Christ, such as the True Cross. In it you will find a brown sponge.

Pieces of sponge also reside at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, St. Mary in Campitelli in Rome, and the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome. The church of St. Jacques de Compiègne in France and in the cathedral in Aachen where a piece owned by Charlemagne is displayed.

The items mentioned here are part of the Arma Christi, the "Arms of Christ," the Instruments of the Passion of Christ. There are many more...many more. I'll let you know about some tomorrow.

Paleologos in Europe

Seeking aid against the fear of a complete Ottoman takeover of the Byzantine Empire (currently a vassal state under Turkish Emperor Bayezid I), Manuel II Paleologos went to Europe personally to meet with Western kings. He set sail on 10 December 1399, stopping in the Peloponnese to leave his wife and children in the care of his brother.

He was in Venice in April 1400, then overland to Milan where he met with Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti, son of the man whose daughter married Lionel of Antwerp (Chaucer was in the embassy that arranged it).

There was another man in Milan whom Manuel knew: his close friend and ambassador to Italy, Manuel Chrysolaros. Chrysolaros had been there for a few years and well-respected as a scholar and a source of knowledge about Greek culture.

Manuel II then went to Charenton in northern France where he met with King Charles VI on 3 June. Michel Pintoin (c.1350 - c.1421), the "Chronicler of St.-Denis," recorded their meeting:

Then, the king raised his hat, and the emperor raised his imperial cap – he had no hat – and both greeted one another in the most honourable way. When he had welcomed [the emperor], the king accompanied him into Paris, riding side by side. They were followed by the Princes of the Blood who, once the banquet in the royal palace finished, escorted [the emperor] to the lodgings which had been prepared for him in the Louvre castle.

Manuel spent summer and fall in France, leaving in December for England. His earlier entreaties for aid had been rebuffed by Richard II of England due to internal struggles, but those struggles ended when Henry IV became king. (The illustration shows the two meeting.) The meeting between Henry and Manuel—the first and only presence of a Byzantine Emperor in England—was recorded by contemporary writer Thomas Walsingham:

At the same time the Emperor of Constantinople visited England to ask for help against the Turks. The king with an imposing retinue, met him at Blackheath on the feast of St Thomas [21 December], gave so great a hero an appropriate welcome and escorted him to London. He entertained him there royally for many days, paying the expenses of the emperor's stay, and by grand presents showing respect for a person of such eminence.

Manuel received £2000 (the receipt exists) from Henry. A joust was held in his honor in February 1401. The emperor wrote to his friend in Milan, Manuel Chrysolaros, about Henry's hospitality:

A large number of letters have come to us from all over bearing excellent and wonderful promises, but most important is the ruler with whom we are now staying, the king of Britain the Great, of a second civilized world, you might say, who abounds in so many good qualities and is adorned with all sorts of virtues.

...

And now, in accord with his nature, he has made himself a virtual haven for us in the midst of a twofold tempest, that of the season and that of fortune, and we have found refuge in the man himself and his character.

Manuel II also gifted Western Europe with treasures from Constantinople. A piece of the tunic of Christ was sent to Pope Boniface IX, along with the Holy Sponge.

Ultimately, Manuel's efforts did not bear fruit. Bayezid was defeated by Tamerlane, the Turco-Mongol warrior who was expanding his own base. Constantinople would eventually fall to the Turks in 1453, a couple decades after Manuel's death.

But let's talk about that Holy Sponge, and maybe some of the other relics of Christ's life that were important objects throughout the Middle Ages.

Manuel II Paleologos

Manuel II Paleologos was the son of the beleaguered John V Paleologos. At that point in time, the Byzantine Empire was a vassal state of the Ottomans, and John and his successor, Manuel, sought aid from the West against a feared complete takeover by the Turks.

When John died in 1391, Manuel had in fact been at the Ottoman court. News of the death prompted him to rush to Constantinople to secure the succession, fearing Manuel's nephew, John VII. John had rebelled earlier and taken Constantinople from John V. Although later defeated with the help of the Ottomans and the Knights Hospitaller, he never gave up his claim.

Manuel was crowned in 1392 as well as married to Helena Dragaš, the daughter of another Ottoman vassal, the Serbian Konstantin Dejanović. Manuel was left to manage the Byzantine Empire as he saw fit, but a rebellion in Bulgaria (also under Ottoman control) made the Ottoman Emperor Bayezid I paranoid about his territories and determined to "lock them down" to prevent unrest.

Bayezid invited all his Christian vassals, like Manuel and Konstantin, to Serres in Macedonia in order to execute them and strike fear into their successors. He changed his mind, but the vassals became aware of his intention. Manuel looked for Western aid for protection, and sent 10 ships to aid in a Crusade by Sigismund of Luxemburg against the Ottomans. Sigismund was defeated at the Battle of Nicopolis.

Manuel sent his uncle, Theodore Kantakouzenos, to Charles VI of France to request military aid, then to Richard II of England. Richard had internal troubles, but Charles sent the Marshal of France and six ships with 1200 men to guard Constantinople. The Marshal, Jean II Le Maingre, advised Manuel to go himself to meet with the heads of Western Europe.

Manuel sailed to the Peloponnese, where he left his wife and children in the care of his brother Theodore I Paleologos, then sailed to Europe where he was greeted and hosted by several kings. Those historic events were recorded, and we'll talk about his itinerary tomorrow.

The Holy Monastery

One of the oldest monasteries in the Peloponnese, the Agia Lavra (Greek: literally "Holy Monastery") was built in 961. It is on Chelmos (also Helmos) Mountain, 961 meters above sea level. Chelmos is also home to the mountain village of Kalavryta.

Kalavryta was the seat of the Barony of Kalavryta in the later Middle Ages (established c.1209), of which very little is known except through some Venetian records and the 14th century Chronicle of Morea, a Greek poem of 9000 lines that narrates the Western European conquest of Morea (the Peloponnese) after of the shameful actions of the Fourth Crusade.

The monastery was destroyed more than once in the post-Medieval period, by Turks in 1585, by the Egyptian army of Ibrahim Pasha in 1826, and in 1943 by German troops. It survives, however, and has a museum as well as an opportunity for monastic living. The monastery celebrates the Dormition of Mary on 15 August.

The museum has many items, including an 11th-century Gospel, gold-embroidered vestments from the 1500s, patriarchal seals, and saints' relics, including part of the skull of St. Alexius. You can read about St. Alexius here and here. He was a wealthy Roman citizen in the 4th century who gave up everything to live as a hermit, presumably in Greece, before returning to Rome to live unrecognized in his family's home. Alexius is considered the patron saint of the town of Kalavryta.

The part of Alexius' skull at the monastery was given to them in 1398 by Manuel II Paleologos, Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425. Where he got it, since Alexius returned to Rome and died there many years later, no one can tell. Manuel offered many relics to different groups during his long reign. I think we should look into some goings on in Constantinople next.

St. Alexius in Rome

Alexius was a 4th-century son of a wealthy family who married well and had riches, but right after his wedding decided he wanted to give away all his wealth and live in poverty and complete obscurity. His plan didn't turn out exactly as he wished. I gave more details in this post.

The story of Alexius was not well known in the West—it was around more in the East although he was called a native of Rome—but there is a place in Rome now that remembers him. Physically changed by his years of poverty, he lived under the stairs of his parents' home for many years until his death. Legend tells us this was on the Aventine Hill in Rome.

The church of Saint Boniface has been on the Aventine Hill since the 8th century. Pope Benedict VII in 972 gave it over to Sergius of Damascus, a Greek metropolitan who had been living in Rome since being exiled. Next to the church, Sergius built a monastery for Greek and Roman monks who wished to live in strict poverty. It was Sergius who brought the story of Alexius to Rome. Sergius changed the name of the Church to include Alexius, and he created the legend that the holy man's family home was on this site.

Today, if you enter the Basilica of Saint Boniface and Alexius, on the left side there is a house, the "house of Alexius' family." In it you will see stairs called the Holy Steps, below which there is an altar. The altar is where Alexius lived for 17 years. If you look at the illustration, you can assume the area is a little more elaborate than it would have been in the 4th or 10th centuries.

He is the patron saint of beggars, nurses, pilgrims, travelers, and the town of Kalavryta in Greece, where there is a monastery called Agia Lavra ("Holy Monastery") that is his major shrine. Why Kalavryta? I'm trying to work that out. Once I've done some research, I'll get back to you.

See you tomorrow.

The Crescentii

Yesterday I talked about the end of Crescentius II at the hands of Otto III, because he caused too much trouble in Rome even after having been pardoned for earlier offenses. His family had been a force in Rome for awhile. He was often called "the Younger" and his father called "Crescentius the Elder." The family was the same that started with Theophylact I.

The Elder Crescentius saw an opportunity to become more prominent in Rome after the Carolingian dynasty lost power through their own fraternal wars between Charlemagne's grandsons. Crescentius was around during the time of Otto I when a synod removed Pope John XII. Pope John XIII was Crescentius' brother, which helped support the Elder's grasp on Roman politics.

But when John XIII died and Otto I designated a successor (Benedict VI), Romans resented the outside interference from the emperor. When Otto II became emperor and was involved in foreign wars, the Romans under Crescentius took over, imprisoning Benedict VI into the Castel Sant'Angelo, where he was killed in 974.

The Romans then chose Boniface VII, against the advice of the emperor's envoy. When members of the imperial faction reasserted their authority, Boniface fled Rome, going to Constantinople and being replaced by Benedict VII, who was then succeeded by John XIV.

When Otto II died, Boniface returned from Constantinople in 984, supported by Crescentii the Younger. Pope John XIV was imprisoned in the Castel Sant'Angelo and died four months later. Otto III eventually (and brutally) dealt with the matter of who controlled Rome and the papacy.

By this time, however, Crescentius the Elder had changed his lifestyle. He chose to join the monastery of St. Alexius on the Aventine Hill in Rome, taking up monastic habit and dropping out of public life.

Now, Alexius was a 4th-century saint who has been mentioned before, but the monastery was only a few years old. I'll tell you a little more tomorrow.

Crescentius the Younger

After Otto III's coronation, he and Pope Gregory V (his cousin Bruno) summoned all the Roman nobility who had created such difficulties for the previous pope, John XV. While Otto declared exile for them, Pope Gregory requested mercy. The leader of these Romans, who had styled himself Patrician, was Crescentius II. Instead of banishment, Crescentius was allowed to remain in Rome.

Crescentius was not chastened. A few months after Otto had returned to Germany, Crescentius started trouble. Romans did not like their new German pope, or the foreigners that had been placed in administrative positions in Rome by the emperor. The resulting rebellion caused Gregory to flee to Pavia.

In Pavia, Gregory called a synod and declared Crescentius an excommunicate. Crescentius did not care. He chose the Bishop of Piacenza, Johannes Philagathos, who had recently returned from Constantinople, to be pope. Johannes became the antipope John XVI.

Otto marched back to Rome in February 998 with Gregory. The antipope fled, but was soon caught. He was sent to the monastery of Fulda in Germany, but only after his nose and ears were cut off and his eyes and tongue ripped out. He died in 1001.

Crescentius barricaded himself in the Castel Sant'Angelo (pictured above) where he was safe until the castle was taken in April. After execution, his corpse was hanged on one of the hills northwest of Rome, the Monte Mario.

Yesterday's post shared a theory that Otto's death was caused by Crescentius' widow, Stephania. A 1906 historical work has this passage:

Stephania, his widow, concealing her affliction and her resentment for the insults to which she had been exposed, secretly resolved to revenge her husband and herself. On the return of Otho from a pilgrimage to Mount Gargano, which, perhaps, a feeling of remorse had induced him to undertake, she found means to be introduced to him, and to gain his confidence; and a poison administered by her was soon afterwards the cause of his painful death. [Sismondi, History of the Italian Republics, vol. i]

Why was Crescentius so determined to ignore the will of the emperor and try to rule Rome? Turns out it was a family trait. I'll explain next time.