§ 7. THE PONTIFICATE OF JOHN XXII. 1316-1334. 63
But Lewis had no idea of surrendering his claims to Italy, and, now that he was once again free by Leopold's death, he marched across the Alps and was crowned, J^anuary 1327, emperor in front of St. Peter^s. Sciarra Colonna, as the representative of the people, placed the crown on his head, and two bishops administered unction. Villani ^ expresses indignation at an imperial coronation conducted without the pope's consent as a thing unheard of. Lewis was the first mediaeval emj^eror crowned by the people. A formal trial was instituted, and "James of Cahors,who_callsJiim_sfilf _Jiilm XXIJ." was cleiiounced as anti-christ and dep^pssiJ from the papal throne and his effigy carried through the streets and burnt.^ John of ^orbaj'j,i_bek>nging to the Spiritual wing of the Franciscans, was elected to the throne just declared vacant, ajjd took the name of Nicolas^* He was the first anti-pope since the days of Barbarossa. Lewis himself placed the crown upon the pontiff's head, and the bishop of Venice performed the ceremony of unction. Nicolas surrounded himself with a college of seven cardinals, and was accused of having forthwith renounced the principles of poverty and abstemiousness in dress and at the table which the day before he had advocated. To these acts of violence John replied by pronouncing Lewis a heretic and appointing a crusade against him, with the promise of indulgence to all taking part in^it. Fickle Rome soon grew weary of her lay-crowned emperor, who had been so unwise as to impose an extraordinary tribute of 10,000 florins each upon the people, the clergy, and the Jews of the city. He retired to the North, Nicolas following him with his retinue of cardinals. At Pisa, the emperor being present, the anti-jjope excommunicated John and summoned a general council to Milqji. John was again burnt in effigy, at the cathedral, and condemned to death for heresy. In 1330
1 X. 55.
2 The gi'ounds on which John was deposed were his decisions against the Spirituals, the use of money and ships, intended for a crusade, to reduce Genoa, appropriation of the right of appointment to clerical offices, and his residence away from Rome. The document is found in Muratori, XIV., 1107-1173. For a vivid description of the enthronement and character of John of Corbara, see Gregorovius, VI. 153 sqq.
64 TriE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1294-1517.
Lfisda_55dtlidraw from Italj altogether, wliile Nicolas, with a cord around his neck, submitted to John. He died in Avignon three years later. In 1334^ John issued a bulj. which, according to KarlMuUe]', was the rudest act of violence done up to that time to the German emperor by a pope.^ This fulraination separated Italy from the crown and kingdom — imiJerium et regnum — of Germany and forbade their being reunited in one body. The reason given for this drastic measure was the territorial separation of the two provinces. Thus was accomplished by a distinct announcement what the diplomacy of Innocent III. was the first to make a part of the papal policy, and which figured so prominently in the struggle between Gregory IX. and Frederick II.
With his constituency completely lost in Italy, and with only an uncertain support in Germany, Lewis now made overtures^ f or peace. But the pope was not ready for anything less than a full renunciation of the imperial power. John died 1334, but the struggle was continued through the pontificate of his successor, Benedict XII. Philip VI. of France set himself against Benedict's measures for reconciliation with Lewis, and in 1337 the emperor made an alliance with England against France. Princes of Germany, making the rights of tlie empire their own, adopted the famous constitution of Reuse, — a locality near Mainz, which was confirmed at the Diet of Frankfurt, 1338. It repudiated the pope's extravagant temporal claims, and declared that the election of an emperor by the electors was final, and did not require papal approval. This was the first representative German asscml)ly to assert the independence of the empire.
The interdict was hanging over the German assembly when Benedict died, 1342.^ The battle had gone against Lewis, and his supporters were well-nigh all gone from him. A submission even more humiliating than that of Henry IV. was the only thing left. He sought the favor of Clement YL, but in vain. In a bull of April 12, 1343, Clement enumerated the emperor's many crimes, and anew ordered him to renounce the imperial dignity. Lewis wrote, yielding sub-
I336sqq., 376 sqq., 406.