Wilhelm of Modena

For a short time (1219–1222), William of Modena headed the Apostolic Chancellery , being vice chancellor of the Holy Roman Church . In May 1222 he was appointed bishop of Modena .

In Livonia

In 1225 he was sent as a papal legate to resolve the differences that appeared at the end of the Livonian Crusade between the participants in the colonization of the Baltic states . The Bishop of Riga, Albert Buksgeven, and the semi-monastic military Order of the Sword-bearers created in Livonia, the Teutonic crusaders and the Russian sovereigns of the Baltic lands (especially Pskov as a transit center in the trade of Russia and Europe ^[3] ) claimed land of Livs, Ests and other tribes of the region. Denmark, the papal throne, and the Holy Roman Empire also had their interests here. In a letter to the Legate Wilhelm dated November 19, 1225, Pope Honorius III vested him with the authority to establish the Livonian Archbishopric.

Wilhelm arrived in Riga in 1225, according to the testimony of Henry of Latvia , there were already five bishopric departments (Riga, Semigalskaya (and Selonskaya), Revelskaya (and Garionskaya), Vironskaya (and Gervenskaya), Derptskaya) in Livonia ^[3] . It is believed that the Chronicle of Heinrich of Latvia, one of the greatest medieval chronicles, was written as a report for him to tell him the history of the Catholic Church in Livonia before his time.

The legate made an extensive detour of the subordinate territories: he visited Toreyda , Ugandi , where he was visited by the Danish ambassadors from Revel and the Estonians from Pomerania in the Odenpe fortress. The first complained to him "of their misfortunes and wars," and the coastal Estonians, "always fighting with the Danes," announced their readiness to "give up their lands and areas under his authority, as they always suggested to the residents of Riga, just to get protection from the Danes and Ezels ".

Upon returning to Riga, the legate "sent ambassadors to the Danes and Ezels, offering to end the war, accept peace from him and obey his orders." The swordsmen from Odenpe understood this literally and in the autumn of 1225 seized all Danish possessions in northern Estonia ^[3] . The historian D. G. Khrustalev sees in this action the influence of the Buxgevden family: the Riga bishop Albert, with the assistance of his brother Herman, whose possessions were located around Odenpe, expected to get Northern Estonia under his own hand. However, William of Modensky acted as an arbitrator and made a completely different decision: demanding an end to the war, he ordered that all disputed lands be transferred under the control of the papal throne. Thus, he created the papal region in Estonia, the secular possession of the Pope in the eastern Baltic states, appointing his deputy legate governor, to whom the German knights were to submit as vassals.

Capturing Ezel and Countering Bishop Albert

Wilhelm also began to solve problems with Primorye (Vic). In the spring of 1226, he visited Vironia, delivering sermons and meeting with elders in the largest settlements ( Agelinda , Tabellina, Tarvanpe ). In Revel, he designed the transition under the papal control of Vironia, Gerven and Primorye, leaving the Danes only Revel and Garia. Returning from Revel, he sailed to Gotland (April 28, 1226) ³⁴ , where he campaigned for the collection of a crusader army to subdue Ezel . Only Germans Visby agreed to participate in the campaign. The locals of Gotland (Goths) and Danes refused.

The campaign on the island took place at the beginning of 1227, the locals were converted to Christianity, and the Ezel-Vick (Leal) bishopric was formed on their land, which included Ezel with the neighboring islands and Primorye (Vic). This bishopric was included in the diocese of Riga. But despite the fact that the Riga hierarch was endowed with archbishopric functions (subordination directly to the pope, the establishment of subsidiary dioceses), Albert Buksgevden did not receive the corresponding title. The legate did not take advantage of the right to do so, granted by the papal bull of November 19, 1225, “considering it unnecessary to strengthen the ambitious Riga hierarch” ^[3] .

Wilhelm of Modensky extended the Alberta privilege , which since 1211, by decree of the Riga Bishop Albert, has given the right to duty-free trade to German merchants, to Riga burghers.

Trying to balance between the bishop of Riga and the Danish king Waldemar II , William was forced to rely on the Order of the Swordsmen as a military force. However, as soon as the legate left in 1226, a conflict occurred between his papal administration and the Danes in Rotalia and Vironia, as a result of which the vice-legate, who had no strength behind him, gave secular power in the newly acquired areas to the knight brothers.

Catholic Promotion Plans for Russia

If Primorye (Vic) became the base for the conquest of Ezel (1227), Vironia could be the base for advancement beyond Narva - to the lands of Vodi , Izhora and Karelians , tributaries of Novgorod . It seemed to the papal government that after the fourth crusade and the subjugation of Constantinople to the Latins (1204), as well as the defeat in the battle of Kalka (1223), Russia lost church support and strength for resistance ^[3] .

In a letter to judges in Livonia on February 8, 1222, Pope Honorius III wrote that it was necessary to combat the spread of Orthodox rites in Livonia: “In order to avoid the temptation for neophytes to follow them, these Russians must be forced to observe the Latin ritual in cases where it is known that, persisting in the Greek rite, they act contrary to the source, that is, the Roman Church ” ^[4] .

In parting words to William of Modena before the mission to Livonia, Honorius III on November 16, 1224 issued a message to “all Christians in Russia” ( Universis Christi fidelibus per Russiam constitutis ... ), urging them to fight together with the pagans tormenting the young Livonian church ^[3] . S. A. Anninsky interpreted this as an appeal to the Livonian bishops, who at that time were formally located on the territory of Russia, and A. M. Ammann admitted that the message was addressed to the Russians, especially to the Novgorod and Pskov people, whom they wanted to mobilize for a joint struggle with Lithuania . According to D.G. Khrustalyov, the time of compilation of the papal message speaks in favor of Ammann's correctness: by the end of 1224, when Yuryev had fallen, Livonia and Estonia were already captured from the Russians, there were almost no pagans left there.

When the northern Russian principalities made peace with the Livonians, in 1225 their representatives arrived in Riga to the papal legate, which was regarded as a signal of the interest of Novgorodians and Pskov in moving to the bosom of the Latin Church. This was written by William of Modensky in a report drawn up in the second half of 1226.

On January 17, 1227, Pope Honorius, referring to the opinion allegedly expressed by the Russian ambassadors at a meeting with Wilhelm Modensky, issued a bull demanding that “all the kings of Russia” ( Universis Regibus Russie ) immediately confirm their desire “to accept the legate of the Roman Church, so that under the influence of his sound instructions you have comprehended the truth of the Catholic faith, without which no one will be saved. " On the same day, in a message from the pope to the Germans in Visby, the Russian lands are mentioned as the object of the next crusade: “As we have learned, you, inflamed by your concern for the Christian faith, intend to carefully protect new converts in Livonia and Estonia from courageous rebuff as heathens , and Russian ( tam paganis quam Rutenis ). "

In 1227, the Livonians conquered Ezel. On March 18, 1227, Pope Honorius died, and William of Modensky completed his mission without having assembled a campaign for Narva. In 1228, clashes with the Curonians and Zemgale escalated, which distracted the forces of the Riga bishopric and swordsmen. After the death of Bishop Albert (January 17, 1229), a new feud began in Livonia, and plans for campaigns in Russia were delayed by circumstances ^[3] .

Bishopric of Prussia

During the period when William was negotiating in Livonia, conflicts were brewing in Prussia, which he took up two decades later. During the conquest and Christianization of Prussia, William of Modena had to mediate between the rival bishop of Prussia, Christian , who could be ranked as the “Apostle of the Prussians,” if he were more successful, and the knights of the Teutonic Order , to whom the Duke Konrad Mazalovetsky possession.

Until 1227, only the Cistercian order of Christian himself helped him in armed eastern missions; but with the advent of the Teutonic Knights, the Dominicans , acting under the wing of the Order and Pope Gregory IX , took a strong position in Prussia, and Christian and his Cistercians faded into the background.

Wilhelm of Modensky, appointed papal legate to Prussia, neglected the rights of Christian, who was captured by the pagans and demanded ransom (1233-1239), and in his absence appointed another bishop in his place. In 1236, Gregory IX finally betrayed Christian and authorized William of Modena to divide Prussia into three dioceses. In accordance with the desire of the Teutonic Order, the bishops for these new thrones were to be elected from the Dominicans, while no positions were provided for Christian languishing in captivity.

Finally, in the winter of 1239-40, Christian was released. He was obliged to give in his place the hostages, whom he subsequently purchased for the amount of not less than eight hundred marks that were given to him by Gregory . Immediately after his release, Christian complained to the pope that the Teutonic Order refused the baptism of those who desired it and oppressed the converts. More specific allegations concerned the bishopric rights claimed by the knights, and property, which they refused to restore. The confrontation was not settled after the death of Pope Gregory (August 22, 1241). Christian and the Teutonic Order then agreed that two-thirds of the conquered territory in Prussia should belong to the Order in order to form the state of the Teutonic Order , and one third to the bishop; in addition, the bishop should have the right to exercise church functions in the territory belonging to the Order.

Wilhelm of Modensky did not abandon his plans for the division of Prussia into a diocese instead of endowing a vast territory with a knightly order. In the end, he received permission from Pope Innocent IV to divide, and on July 29, 1243, Prussia was divided into four dioceses:

In 1243, the territorial possessions of the Teutonic knights were divided into the dioceses of Helm, Pomezanie, Warmia and Sambia.

• Helmine diocese ^[5] ,
• Pomezan diocese ^[5] ,
• Bishopric of Warmia ^[6] , and
• Sambian diocese ^[5] ( Sambia , now Kaliningrad ), under the archbishopric of Riga with the relocation of the center from Visby to Riga . Both cities joined the Hanseatic League .

Over the decades of his apostolic work, Christian received the privilege of choosing any of the four new episcopal departments for himself, but refused to take any.

Embassy to Frederick II

When Pope Celestine IV died after a short 16-day reign, the excommunicated emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen took control of the Papal region around Rome and tried to intimidate the cardinals to choose the pope to his liking. The cardinals fled to Anagni and cast their ballots for Sinibaldo de Fieschi, who ascended the papal throne as Innocent IV on June 25, 1243.

The newly elected pope was previously a friend of Frederick II. Immediately after his election, the emperor sent envoys with congratulations and peaceful assurances, which Innocent refused to accept. Two months later, he sent emissaries, including Peter de Colmier, Archbishop of Rouen , Wilhelm of Modena, who left his bishop’s post, and Abbot Wilhelm of the Church of St. Fakund as legates to the emperor in Melfi with instructions to ask him to release the prelates, whom he captured along the way to the council that Gregory IX convened in Rome, and to call on the emperor to compensate for the damage done to the Church, because of which Gregory IX excommunicated the emperor from the Church.

If the emperor denied that he had inflicted damage on the Church, or even argued about the injustice of the Church, the legates should have proposed that a decision be made by the council of kings, prelates, and high aristocracy.

Friedrich entered into an agreement with Innocent on March 31, 1244. He promised to yield to the demands of the curia in all significant moments, restore the church state, release the prelates and amnesty the pope's allies. His insincerity became apparent when he secretly provoked various unrest in Rome and never released captive prelates.

Feeling constrained in freedom of action due to the military superiority of the emperor and fearing for his personal safety, Innocent decided to escape by ship from Sutri to Civitavecchia , using the fleet provided by a sympathetic Genoese. On the night of June 27-28, he escaped to Genoa. In October, he went to Burgundy, and in December to Lyon, where he remained in exile for the next six years. He died in Lyon, where he was buried in the Dominican Church ^[2] .

• State of the Teutonic Order
• Baldwin of Aln
• Christian Olivsky
• Oddone of Monferrat

• Map of Old Prussia
• Historical Overview of the Crusade to Livonia [1] , William Urban
• Catholic Encyclopedia : Christian; Innocent IV.