Francesco Coppini or dei Coppini (born before 1415 in

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

, died as Ignatius on 29 September 1464 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 ...

) was an Italian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

whom

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...

sent to England in 1459 to arrange a reconciliation between the houses of Lancaster and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

Early life

He was a born Pratesi and is first mentioned as a

jurist doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

and chamberlain in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

in 1433. In 1437, he practised justice in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

and entered church services, then went to Florence again where he eventually became a

canonicus Canonicus (c. 1565 – June 4, 1647) was a chief of the Narragansett Indigenous Peoples. He was wary of the colonial settlers, but he ultimately befriended Roger Williams and other settlers. Biography Canonicus was born around 1565,Benjami ...

. He served as apostolic treasurer in Bologna from 1450 to 1452 as well as in other functions and made several important friends in the clergy.

Pope Callistus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

appointed him

bishop of Terni The Diocese of Terni-Narni-Amelia ( la, Dioecesis Interamnensis-Narniensis-Amerina) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Umbria, central Italy. It was created in 1983, when the Diocese of Amelia was un ...

in 1458.

Coppini Mission

On 7 January 1459 he was appointed as

nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international or ...

with support from

Francesco I Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L' ...

Duke of Milan The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. Before elevation to duchy Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that elect ...

. Departing some weeks later, he gave the name to the ''Coppini Mission'' to England with the double purpose of bringing about an end to the

, and persuading King

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English thron ...

to join the crusade against the Turks. He was also given instructions to carry out in

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He arrived in Dover on 4 June 1459, then travelled to London, where he initially opened negotiations with Henry VI and delivered his invitation to the

Council of Mantua The Council of Mantua of 1459, or Congress of Mantua, was a religious meeting convoked by Pope Pius II, who had been elected to the Papacy in the previous year and was engaged in planning war against the Ottoman Turks, who had taken Constantinople ...

to where Henry had already sent a small and ineffectual delegation on 16 May. The council fell short of achieving the goals of Pius II, among other reasons due to the instable balance between England and France at that time that the English crown needed to maintain. Regarding the second part of his mission to mediate between York and Lancaster, Coppini was unable to achieve much in his limited role as nuncio instead of a full

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

. To further his influence on England, Pius II nominated Coppini legate to England and Scotland on 11 December 1459 and asked him to propose another convent in 1460 to the English court. Coppini was also appointed as collector for a special tithe dedicated to battle the Turks. After his attempts to collect the tithe and proclaim the crusade were rebuffed by Queen

Margaret of Anjou Margaret of Anjou (french: link=no, Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorrain ...

in 1460, Coppini entered into negotiations with the

Yorkists The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

(namely the

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation c ...

, the

Earl of March Earl of March is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or borderlands between England and either Wales (Welsh Marches) or Scotland (Scottish Marche ...

and the

Earl of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first created for Patrick de S ...

) and returned from

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

on 2 July 1460. Still proclaiming to seek negotiation, Coppini explicitly favoured the Yorkist cause at the Battle of Northampton. With Henry VI now under control of the Yorkists, Coppini supposedly played a crucial role in arranging a new order in the kingdom, as he reported to Pius II. As he had been promised by the Yorkists, he could now fulfil his papal mission. After the

Battle of Wakefield The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI of ...

on 30 December 1460 however, the tides temporarily turned against York. In January 1461, Coppini sent fruitless letters of negotiation to Queen Margaret, then called for a crusade against the Lancastrians, promising absolution for those fighting alongside Warwick. Preparing for the worst, Coppini left London for the mainland on 10 February 1461. After the

Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in England. It took place at St Albans in Hertfordshire, the first battle having been fought in 1455. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of W ...

on 17 February 1461, he terminated his mission and fled to Bruges. He then travelled between

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, still in close contact with the Yorkists.

Trial and exile

In the aftermath of the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

on 29 March 1461, both King

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and Coppini's patron in Milan, Francesco Sforza, pleaded the pope to announce Coppini for the position of legate cardinal in England as reward for his services. Pius II however named the

bishop of Arras The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Atrebatensis (–Bononiena–Audomarensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer)'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church ...

as Coppini's successor to address concerns by the new

French king France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the firs ...

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

, who had sided with the Lancastrians in England. Coppini returned to England in the bishops entourage, but after French and Lancastrian complaints to the Pope, he finally returned to Rome in disgrace in November 1461. In March 1462, Pius II partially yielded to political demands. A process against Francesco Coppini was opened, he was dismissed from his bishopric and sent to

Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

. Charges were among others:

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

and raising the banner of the church to incite civil war. Coppini confessed under pressure and on 2 March 1463, he was banished to the Abbey of St Paul Outside the Walls. He took the name of Ignatius on 21 March 1463. Still working on his rehabilitation under the new

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...

, he died on 29 September 1464.

References

John A. Wagner John A. Wagner (May 26, 1885 - December 8, 1964) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life On May 26, 1885, Wagner was born in Le Roy Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. Wagner's grandfather was John Wagner, an early settler. ...

, ''Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses'', ABC-CLIO, 2001, , p. 62 *

Alison Weir Alison Weir ( Matthews; born 1951) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written nu ...

, ''The Wars of the Roses'',

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

, 1996, , p. 240 * Adolf Gottlob, ''Des Nuntius Franz Coppini Antheil an der Entthronung des Königs Heinrich VI. und seine Verurtheilung bei der Römischen Curie'', Deutsche Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft, 1890. * Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 28 (1983) - COPPINI, Francesco {{DEFAULTSORT:Coppini, Francesco 15th-century Italian jurists Bishops in Umbria People from Terni People from Prato People of the Wars of the Roses Year of birth uncertain 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops