Oration “Fateor” of Enea Silvio Piccolomini (28 December 1450, Rome). Edited and translated by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg. 9th version. (Orations of Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius II; 15)

Published as part of project: Edition and translation of the Orations of Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius IIAt Christmas 1450, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, senior imperial diplomat and Bishop of Trieste, arrived in Rome on his way back from successful negotiations concerning the contract of marriage between Emperor Friedrich III and Princess Leonora of the House of Portugal. In Rome, his mission was to negotiate the imperial coronation that was to take place in 1452. Piccolomini was received by Pope Nicolaus during a papal consistory where he delivered the oration “Fateor”. The main subjects of the oration were the imperial coronation, the imperial marriage, and an ecumenical council. Concerning the coronation, Piccolomini answered three questions: why the emperor wanted to be crowned; why the matter had been delayed for 10 years; and what the emperor required of the pope. Concerning the marriage, Piccolomini simply quoted some high-sounding passages from his oration given at the conclusion of the marriage negotiations, the “Quamvis grandes materias” [14]. Concerning the ecumenical council, Piccolomini informed the pope that the emperor required such a council to be held in Germany and not to be summoned before the coronation had been held. These imperial requirements in reality put a stop to the plans for holding a new council, to the relief of the pope who was understandably averse to holding another council so soon after the council of Basel which had proven disastrous for the Papacy