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The Episcopal Election of 1430 in Trier and Nicholas of Cusa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Morimichi Watanabe
Morimichi Watanabe
Affiliation:
Mr. Watanabe is associate professor of history and political science in C. W. Post College, Long Island University, Brookville, New York. He wishes to thank the American Council of Learned Societies for a grant which enabled him to complete this research
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Extract

Gregor Heimburg, the bitter critic of the papacy and of Nicholas of Cusa, is said to have taunted Cusanus, saying that because Cusanus was defeated in a lawsuit in Mainz, he turned from the practice of law to theology.1 Heimburg, a utriusque iuris doctor who rendered his legal services to both secular and ecclesiastical princes, was certainly versed in the legal literature of his time. But, as we shall see below, history does not seem to bear out his insinuation that disappointment and failure in the field of law led Cusanus to take up theology as his career. It is probably of little importance to ask whether Cusanus would have continued to work as a lawyer had he won the case in Mainz. We must note, however, that Cusanus is so well known as a theologian, cardinal, philosopher, and even as a scientist that we are apt to forget his early career as a canon lawyer in the service of the archdiocese of Trier. It is only recently that due attention began to be paid to the legal activities of Cusanus.2 The purpose of this paper is to throw light not only on his education and activities as a canon lawyer, but also on the role which he played in the disputed episcopal election of 1430 in the archdiocese of Trier.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , September 1970 , pp. 299 - 316
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1970

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References

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15. Marx, , Verzeichnis, pp. 81–90Google Scholar, especially Cod. Cus. 83. According to Colomer, Cusanus had 39 works of Raymond Lull. This is the largest number of works by any author in whom Cusanus was interested. See Colomer, Eusebio, S.J., Nikolaus von Kues und Raimund Llull (Berlin, 1961), p. 1CrossRefGoogle Scholar. On Heimericus de Campo, see Haubst, Rudolf, “Zum Fortleben Alberts des Grossen bei Heymerich von Kamp und Nikolaus von Kues,” in Ostlender, Heinrich (ed.), Studia Albertina (Münster, 1952), pp. 420–447.Google Scholar

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24. The document is MS. No. 12 of the Geheimes Hausarchiv in Munich. On Cusanus' role in the Baeharach case, see my article, “Nikolaus von Knes - Richard Fleming - Thomas Livingston,” MFCG, VI (Mainz, 1967), 167–177.Google Scholar

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60. Codex Ottob. lat. 2745, f. 218r: “numquam enim sedes apostolica a clero et popolo electum pro archiepiscopo praefate sedis repulit, sed semper prefecit et confirmavit equitate suadente.” The appeal is not entirely correct because the first papal provision took place in Trier with the elevation of Diether of Nassau (1300–1307) to the office of the archbishop. See Bastgen, Hubert, Die Geschichte des Trierer Domkapitels im Mittelalter (Paderborn, 1910), p. 275.Google Scholar

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62. Codex Ottob. lat. 2745, f. 218v: “ erui non poterant nisi per unum nobilem et inibi potentem, qul de illa dyocesi vel saltim de provincia Treverensi natalexn duxisset originem et.…”

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