Bálint Alsáni (french: Valentin d'Alsan; c. 1330 – 19 November 1408) was a Hungarian Cardinal, who served as the Bishop of Pécs in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

from 1374 to his death in 1408.

Life

He was a member of the kindred (''gens'') of Szente-Mágocs as the son of John Alsáni, who served as

Ban of Macsó Ban, or BAN, may refer to: Law * Ban (law), a decree that prohibits something, sometimes a form of censorship, being denied from entering or using the place/item ** Imperial ban (''Reichsacht''), a form of outlawry in the medieval Holy Roman ...

. He finished his studies at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

between 1348 and 1350, where he became a doctor of

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. he became lector at the

Diocese of Veszprém In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in 1352 and

Archdiocese of Esztergom In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in 1353. He served as Vice Chancellor between 6 May 1373 and 8 June 1376. As a bishop, he built a church in honor of Francis of Assisi in his birthplace, Alsán in 1376. Louis I of Hungary appointed on 12 November 1374 and

Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pop ...

confirmed ten days later him as Bishop of Pécs. He also served as envoy of Louis I: he moved Avignon in 1376 and participated in the peace negotiations between

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

and the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

. He had a role in the signing of the

Peace of Turin The Peace of Turin of 1381, ended the War of Chioggia (1376–81), in which Venice, allied with Cyprus and Milan, had narrowly escaped capture by the forces of Genoa, Hungary, Austria, Padua and the Patriarchate of Aquileia. Venice had overcome th ...

on 8 August 1381, which ended the Venetian-Genoese Wars. On his way home, He brought the relics of

Paul of Thebes Paul of Thebes (; , ''Paûlos ho Thēbaîos''; ; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit, who was claimed to have lived alone in the deser ...

to Hungary, along with Paul Horvat, the

Bishop of Zagreb The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb ( hr, Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, la, Archidioecesis Zagrebiensis) is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, a ...

. After the death of Louis I (1382), he became a supporter of Mary, Queen of Hungary and his mother

Elizabeth of Bosnia Elizabeth of Bosnia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Elizabeta Kotromanić, Елизабета Котроманић; hu, Kotromanics Erzsébet; pl, Elżbieta Bośniaczka; – January 1387) was queen consort of Hungary and Croatia, as well ...

whom he accompanied to Dalmatia to the safeguard of Paul Horvat and his brother

John Horvat John Horvat ( hr, Ivan Horvat; hu, Horváti János; died on 15 August 1394) was a Croato– Hungarian nobleman in the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia who served as Ban of Macsó from 1376 to 1381, and again between 1385 and 1386. Horvat was the b ...

, a former Ban of Macsó. However, Alsáni later joined the league of Sigismund of Luxembourg, as a result the Horvats raided Syrmia and burnt up

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

. During the

Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...

, he was a supporter of

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

who created him as Cardinal on 17 December 1384. His

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

was the Basilica of Santa Sabina in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

since 9 February 1385. He unsuccessfully tendered for the

Santi Quattro Coronati Santi Quattro Coronati is an ancient basilica in Rome, Italy. The church dates back to the fourth or fifth century, and is devoted to four anonymous saints and martyrs. The complex of the basilica with its two courtyards, the fortified Cardinal P ...

in 1386. As a Cardinal he did not participate in the

Conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

s during the period when he served as Cardinald until his death. He became a member of the Royal Council in 1400. He visited the newly elected

Pope Gregory XII Pope Gregory XII ( la, Gregorius XII; it, Gregorio XII; – 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario," or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was oppos ...

as envoy of Sigismund on 22 August 1407 in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

to express the support of his King and also ask for help against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He became ill during his journey in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

as a result he returned to home across

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. He died in November 1408. He was buried in Pécs, his tombstone remained. The position of Bishop of Pécs became ''sede vacante'' until 1410 when John Albeni was appointed to that office.

References

* Koszta, László (2009). ''Alsáni Bálint (1374–1408)''. In: ''A Pécsi Egyházmegye története I: A középkor évszázadai (1009–1543)'' (Szerkesztette: Fedeles Tamás, Sarbak Gábor, Sümegi József) ("A History of the Diocese of Pécs, Volume I: Medieval Centuries, 1009–1543; Edited by Tamás Fedeles, Gábor Sarbak and József Sümegi"); Fény Kft.; Pécs; . * ''ed''. Romváry, Ferenc (2010). ''Pécs Lexikon I. (A–M)''. Pécs Lexikon Kulturális Nonprofit Kft. 2010, Pécs. ''p. 35.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Alsani, Balint 1408 deaths 14th-century Hungarian cardinals 15th-century Hungarian cardinals 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Hungary 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Hungary Bishops of Pécs 14th-century births 14th-century Hungarian Roman Catholic priests 15th-century Hungarian Roman Catholic priests Szentemágócs (genus)