Incoronazione di Carlo V in San Petronio a Bologna

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

in the

San Petronio Basilica The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, 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 1 ...

on 24 February 1530. He was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by a pope.

Context for the coronation

Vecellio di Gregorio Tiziano - L'imperatore Carlo V con un cane

Medici and

agreed to the imperial coronation as a means to heal the political and religious conflicts that had divided the Italian and European world and to reach a "universal peace" in the Christian West that would ensure a more effective defence against Turkish aggression which had reached the doors of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in 1529. Preparations for the meeting between the two sovereigns encountered difficulties and delays due to the Pope's skepticism of Charles V's proposals. One concern, among others, was the location of this meeting.

preferred

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 ...

but

chose instead

, given that many Romans blamed Charles for the Sack of Rome (1527), which was carried out by his mutinous troops. This moment of extreme conflict between Papacy and Empire lead to intense diplomatic activity during 1529, a rapprochement of the adversary parties which paved the way to their meeting in Bologna.

Arrival of Clement VII and Charles V in Bologna

Nobility and laymen prepared during the last months of 1529 to host the Pope and the future Emperor with their very extensive retinues. The city became a sort of stage theatre of the world, where the crafts and artistic skills of the Bolognese were put to the test. It was a prestigious occasion that received positive reviews, although no one had predicted that the guests would stay as long as they did. Clement VII arrived in Bologna on October 20, 1529, crossing the lands of his state: official sources of the time wrote that the Pope was splendidly received, but not without reservations from the populace, due to the taxes he imposed to mount a crusade against the Turks. Charles V travelled by sea from

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

and continued on to

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

, Reggio Emilia,

Castelfranco Emilia Castelfranco Emilia ( Western Bolognese: ; Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, north-central Italy. The town lies about northwest of Bologna. Castelfranco either occupies or lies near the site of the ancient For ...

and

Borgo Panigale Borgo Panigale (Bolognese dialect: ''Al Båurg'', ''Båurg Panighèl'') was a district of Bologna, northern Italy. Located in the city's western part, between the rivers Lavino and Reno, it had a population of 24,935 in 2009. Since 2016 it has be ...

to reach Bologna the following November 5: '' "... upon his arrival the emperor had all the artillery unloaded, and on the square in front of the Palace of the Podestà a fountain was installed in the shape of a black eagle in the middle of two lions. The eagle poured red wine all day long, one of the lions poured white wine, and the other water. And it was a very gratifying thing to the

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front lin ...

e, who nearby roasted a whole beef full of different animals with golden horns and feet. And from the pacala was thrown bread, cheese and meat..."''. Pope Clement and Emperor Charles both lodged at the Palazzo Pubblico, today

Palazzo d'Accursio 260px, Palazzo d'Accursio. Palazzo d'Accursio (or Palazzo Comunale) is a palace once formulated to house major administrative offices of the city of Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is located on the Piazza Maggiore, and is the city's ...

, in adjoining rooms that allowed the sovereigns and their main representatives to meet frequently between the various events and ceremonies. On January 30, 1530, the date of the coronation was agreed for the following February 24 (the Emperor's birthday). The choice of place fell on the

Basilica of San Petronio The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Petronius of Bol ...

, the largest and most spacious religious building, deeply rooted in the tradition of the city of Bologna.

The Iron Crown

On February 22, two days before the imperial coronation, Charles V received the

Iron Crown of Lombardy The Iron Crown ( lmo, Corona Ferrea de Lombardia; it, Corona Ferrea; la, Corona Ferrea) is a relic and may be one of the oldest royal insignia of Christendom. It was made in the Early Middle Ages, consisting of a circlet of gold and jewels fi ...

in the ''Chapel of the Legate'', today Farnese Chapel in Palazzo d'Accursio: '' ". ..His Majesty rose from his chair, and went to see Our Lord and kissed his foot, and afterwards the sword, the world, the sceptre and the crown were brought before His Holiness, and his Majesty was always on his knees to the feet of Our Lord and His Holiness read certain prayers: first he took the naked sword, blessed it, and put it in the hands of His Majesty who put it back in the sheath, and Our Lord with his hands put his belt around her, and then His Majesty rose to his feet, and took it out of its sheath, and three times he brandished it, then put it back, and having done this, again His Majesty returned to the feet of Our Lord, and his sanctity put the crown of iron on his head, and then he took the world, and the sceptre, and he gave it to His Majesty as he continued to read prayers... And the ceremonies ended, Our Lord and His Majesty left the chapel ... and went hand in hand to their rooms"''

The Imperial Crown

On the occasion of the coronation of February 24 - the Emperor's birthday - in San Petronio, to make the procession of the sovereigns and the powerful more visible, a bridgeway was erected that connected the rooms of the public palace in which Charles V and Clement VII stayed with the Saint Petronius Basilica: "...for the multitude of the people who had come to see this coronation, Our Lord for not having any impediment in going there from the palace in San Petronio, where he was determined to be crowned, and still to make the apparatus more superb, he had a lumber bridge made, which was two hundred and fifty in length and nine feet wide, for which he could go from the Pope's palace to the main altar of San Petronio."; in the church chapels and tribunes had been built in the likeness of St. Peter's in the Vatican, richly decorated; the city was fortified for security reasons;

Piazza Maggiore Piazza Maggiore (''Piâza Mażåur'' in the Bolognese language) is a central square in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The appearance in the 21st century, generally reflects the layout from the 15th century. The Northwest corner opens i ...

and the doors were closed by

Antonio de Leyva Antonio de Leyva, Duke of Terranova, Prince of Ascoli, Count of Monza (1480–1536) was a Spanish general during the Italian Wars. During the Italian War of 1521, he commanded Pavia during the siege of the city by Francis I of France, and took ...

and his soldiers armed to protect Charles V. The Mass was long and solemn and the Emperor knelt before the Pope after having pronounced the ritual formulas, received the golden crown, in the presence of the representatives of all the Italian states and a considerable part of the peninsula's aristocracy: " ... the Pope gave the emperor the insignia of the emperor, gave him the golden sceptre all worked on top with which he religiously commanded the nations, the naked sword with which he persecuted the enemies of the name of Christ, the golden apple to signify the world he would reign with singular piety, virtue and constancy, and finally he put on his head the imperial crown, and knelt as he was, his foot set, and worshiped. not far from the Pope in a chair covered with gold brocade d'or, but slightly lower, and was called Roman Emperor. In the Piazza awaited Antonio de Leyva with a lot of cavalry and armed infantry, who, hearing shouting that the Emperor was crowned "Viva Carlo V Imperatore Invittissimo", had all the big bombards shot ".

The Procession

After the coronation, a procession on horse set off from Piazza Maggiore passing through Via Orefici and through the streets of the city. The two sovereigns rode under a single canopy followed by magnates, magistrates and lawyers with their respective banners, the governor of Bologna, four chaplains of the pope, ambassadors of various states, various princes, dukes, marquises and counts, the college of cardinals, various prelates and German and Spanish soldiers led by their general captain. Soon, however, the procession fell apart and while the Pope and his retinue returned to the Palazzo Pubblico, the Emperor with another canopy continued with his retinue for another ceremony, up to Basilica of San Domenico where " ... he was brought to the high altar and placed on the

Faldstool Faldstool (from the O.H. Ger. ''falden'' or ''falten'', "to fold," and ''stuol'', Mod. Ger. ''Stuhl'', "stool"; from the medieval Latin ''faldistolium'' derived, through the old form ''fauesteuil'', from the Mod. Fr. ''fauteuil'') is a porta ...

. He removed the crown off his head and without a crown he prayed, and everyone received a kiss of peace".Anonimo, ''Prima e seconda coronatione di Carlo V Sacratissimo Imperatore Re dè Romani fatta in Bologna'', in Roberto Righi (a cura di), ''Carlo V a Bologna, 1530. Cronache e documenti dell'incoronazione'' Charles V, who had already shown his magnificence along the way by “seeding money”, named some Bolognese gentlemen and counts as knights and then returned to the Palazzo Pubblico with his court.

References

Bibliography

* Leandro Alberti, ''Descrizione di tutt' Italia'', Bologna, A. Giaccarelli, 1550, p. 297 * Bonita Cleri, ''Il Trionfo di Carlo V ovvero il Trionfo Di

Francesco Maria I Della Rovere Francesco Maria I della Rovere (25 March 1490 – 20 October 1538) was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1508 to 1516 and, after retaking the throne from Lorenzo II de' Medici, from 1521 to 1538. Biography He was born ...

'', sta in Feliciano Paoli (a cura di), ''Il trionfo di Carlo V'', Catalogo della Mostra omonima 27 Luglio - 31 Agosto 1991, Comune di Urbania - Museo Civico. Urbania 1991. * Leandro Alberti, ''Historie di Bologna'', t. II, (1511-1543), a cura di Armando Antonelli e Maria Rosaria Musti, Bologna, Costa, 2006 * Roberto Righi (a cura di), ''Carlo V a Bologna. Cronache e documenti dell'incoronazione (1530)'', Bologna, Costa Editore, 2000 * Adriano Prosperi, voce ''Clemente VII'' in ''Enciclopedia dei Papi'', III, Roma, Treccani, 2000, pp. 89–91 * Emilio Pasquini e Paolo Prodi (a cura di), ''Bologna nell'età di Carlo V e di Guicciardini'', Bologna, Il Mulino, 2002