Oration "Tua verba" of Enea Silvio Piccolomini (21 May 1454, Regensburg). 3rd version. (Orations of Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius II; 78)

Published as part of project Edition and Translation of the Orations of Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius IIThe fall of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, to the Ottoman Turks in May 1453 created widespread and justified fear in Europe. It might reasonably be assumed that the young Turkish sultan, Mehmed II, would pursue his war of expansion and move further into European territories. The two international institutions of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy, were compelled to react, although both incumbents, Emperor Friedrich III and Pope Nicolaus V, were peaceful men, averse to risk taking. After some procrastination, the emperor convened a conference of the European rulers and German princes in the city of Regensburg in May 1454. The driving force at this meeting was his counsellor and senior diplomat, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Bishop of Siena. Piccolomini gave both the opening speech, the “Quamvis omnibus” and the closing speech, the “Tua verba” at the diet. In the last one, he especially and profusely thanked the major princes present or represented at the diet, Margrave Albrecht Achilles of Brandenburg, the Duke of Burgundy, the King of Poland, the papal legate, and the Duke of Savoy