The Concordat of Vienna was a treaty concluded on 17 February 1448 between the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

Background

In the Princes' Concordat, concluded in January 1447 between Pope Eugenius IV and the prince-electors of the

, Eugenius agreed to restore the archbishop-electors of Trier and

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

, whom he had deposed for supporting the Council of Basel and the

antipope An antipope () is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope. Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church its ...

it elected, Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy. In exchange, the princes recognized Eugenius as the legitimate Pope.

The treaty

The Concordat of Vienna was signed by

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (German language, German: ''Friedrich III,'' 21 September 1415 – 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death in 1493. He was the penultimate emperor to be Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor, crowned by the p ...

and the

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, to some other part of the Catho ...

Cardinal Juan Carvajal on 17 February 1448.

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V (; ; 15 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV made him a Cardinal (Catholic Chu ...

confirmed the treaty on 19 March. It provided that the initial selection of

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

was to take place without papal interference, but the pope continued to exercise the right to confirm such selections and to replace bishops he deemed unworthy, terms, writes one historian, "manifestly ... in the Pope's favor". Another writes: "It represented the complete victory of the ''curia'' over the reform party ..., more favourable to the Papacy than the similar Concordat of 1418" and "gave the Pope more control over the Church in Germany than in any other country". It governed relations between the Holy Roman Empire and the Holy See until the dissolution of the Empire on 6 August 1806.

References

{{treaty-stub 1440s treaties 1440s in the Holy Roman Empire 1448 in Europe

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

15th-century Catholicism Documents of Pope Nicholas V Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor