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The Imprisonment of Nikola Modruški (Nicolaus Modrusiensis) by the Counts of Krbava in 1462
Mislav Elvis Lukšić
Sažetak
The author describes the kidnapping, imprisonment and blackmailing of the Modruš bishop Nikola Kotoranin (Nicolaus Machinensis de Catharo, 1461-1480) - better known as Nikola Modruški (Nicolaus Modrusiensis) - the actions which were undertaken in 1462 by the count of Krbava Karlo Kurjaković (the younger) with the assent of his cousin german the count Ivan Kurjaković and with the help of some of his confidants. With the exception of casual notes, these events have not received proper attention in historical researches yet. The afflictions undergone by one of the most eminent and renowned Croatian humanistic intellectuals, writers, prelates and diplomats of his time can today be partially comprehended owing to the contents of two letters known in scholarly circles from the epistolary of the Zadar archbishop Maffeo Vallaresso (1450-1495) which is kept in Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana as a part of the Barberiniana library. These letters bear witness to his intercession in this unusual case concerning which we have additional knowledge owing to a report written at the Venetian Consilium Rogatorum and as well to a bull issued by the pope Pius II (1458- 1464) from Archivum Secretum Vaticanum directly connected with these events. As can be seen from the two Vallaresso's letters dated July 10th, 1462, discontent that two years previously the center of the Krbava diocese together with the title had been moved from Krbava to the town Modruš, which was at the time within the dominion of their opponents the Frankapan family, the counts had seized the opportunity to kidnap and then blackmail the imprisoned bishop of Modruš, a man in the confidence of the Frankapan family, and force him to make pope Pius II return the bishop's seat and title to Krbava or to establish the new diocese within their dominion in proportion to the profit from local estates. The kidnapping took place around the middle of May at the earliest or perhaps a bit later during May or June, since we know from one preserved bishop's document that he was still free on May 14th, 1462 within his seat in Modruš. In addition to the main demand mentioned above, the counts forced the bishop to take upon himself the whole blame for these events and to make pope Pius II give them absolution from the ecclesiastical punishments they had fallen into because of the great sin they had committed in imprisoning him. They also demanded that the Zadar archbishop Vallaresso personally guarantee that everything that the bishop under oath promises to be carried out before his liberation will be accomplished. The prisoner himself has reported all this in a letter to the Zadar archbishop. As can be seen from the letters to bishop Nikola Modruški and to count Ivan of Krbava, the archbishop refused to give his personal guarantee. However, urging the counts to immediately liberate the bishop and the bishop to comply for his safety with the demands, the archbishop promised to do everything within his powers to bring the case to a happy conclusion and to intercede with the Holy See, only if the counts show the good will and let the bishop free. The contents of these two letters published in Italy seventy five years ago supplement our knowledge concerning these unusual and dramatic events. Historical science had been acquainted with this case in the past century primarily because of the report of the Venetian Consilium Rogatorum from August 12th, 1462 which had been published both in Hungary and Croatia more than a hundred years ago and which describes the Venetian intercession in the case through their secretary Dominicus Stella after the written request of the pope Pius II. Through him the Kurjakovićs in July sought the Venetian assurance that the bishop, when freed, will not undertake anything against them regarding the Krbava diocese nor will he seek revenge because of his enforced imprisonment. In August the Venetians, with the written acceptance of the pope, consented to these terms and sent again the secretary Stella to them with the written guarantee. Since the Kurjakovićs had already in July expressed to the Venetian emissary their clear willingness to free Nikola Modruški without any unacceptable conditions - of which the Holy See was, except from Venice, afterwards factually informed through the supplication for absolution of the bishop's kidnappers from the ecclesiastical punishments, which had come in from the lately freed bishop himself - the pope Pius II had, because of the bishop's liberation, with the bull issued in Pienza on August 13th, 1462 (not published or scientifically analysed in Croatia yet), authorized Mathias de Baronellis - the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of St. George of Kopriva in Croatian town Obrovac on the river Zrmanja - to grant mercy of absolution from the excommunication and all other ecclesia-stical punishments, proclaimed and applied because of these events against the count Karlo of Krbava and all other individuals involved in violence over the church dignitary. All this leads to the conclusion that the counts for certain reasons had in a short time given up their earlier demands concerning the diocese seat mentioned in the Vallaresso's letters. Apparently, the bishop was set free - as early as late July or early August at the latest - without the counts of Krbava succeeding in their chief aim of returning the bishop's seat to the town Krbava. After the case had been happily conluded, at the end of 1462 the pope named Nikola Modruški as his emissary to the last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
12196
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.6.2000.
Posjeta: 3.613 *