THE APPOINTMENT OF PAPAL CHAPLAIN TIMOTHY TO ZAGREB EPISCOPAL DIGNITY IN 1263: A STUDY OF RELATIONS BETWEEN MEDIEVAL CENTRES OF POWER

Sa？etak By participating in the procedure of the episcopal elections, the Pope, secular rulers and canon communities not only demonstrated their authority in the process of controlling clerical careers, but also con？rmed their in？uence on ecclesiastical life in general. Thus, it is no wonder that the investiture of bishop could lead to a con？ict of authorities. In this context, an interesting case from the 1260s, when three candidates were trying to gain the vacant post of Zagreb bishop, is analysed. King Bela IV wanted to promote his vicechancellor Farcasius to the episcopal see – the King’s candidate was even signing the royal charters as “electus Zagrabiensis” in 1262/63. The Pope, however, never issued the bull of appointment to this cleric. The second candidate was Stephen, the provost of the Pozsony chapter and the nephew of Cardinal-bishop Stephen Báncsa. He was elected by the assembly of the Zagreb chapter canons, but due to the defectus aetatis Papal Curia rejected his candidacy. Instead, the Pope’s chaplain Timothy was appointed bishop in 1263. The crucial role in this promotion was played by Cardinal Stephen Báncsa, whose relations with the King were far from ideal. For Papal Curia, the appointment of the new Zagreb bishop independently of the local centres of power meant one step further towards the effective application of the papal authority. The involvement of a cardinal-bishop in the process of episcopal election and, consequently, the distribution of Timothy’s prebends to members of cardinal’s household, af？rmed the corporative structure of the Papal Curia in which cardinals represented its ？rmest pillars. Timothy’s appointment, however, was followed by the opposition of both, the King and the Zagreb chapter. They saw episcopal promotion of a cleric belonging to a Curial milieu as papal violation of traditionally established relations between the King and ecclesiastical elite. The King exercised enormous authority over the Church in his Realm and regularly managed to appoint clerics in royal service to higher ecclesiastical posts. But in 1260’s political crisis caused by the war between Bela IV and his son Stephen broke out. The political circumstances required most of the King’s attention, preventing him from imposing full royal authority in promoting a new bishop of Zagreb. On the other hand, the participation of Zagreb canons in the process of episcopal appointments and their contacts with the royal house were a means for securing the chapter’s power on the local level. That is why the papal act of independent appointment was