Suppliche al pontefice. Diocesi di Trento 1566–1605 (review)

The volume presents the petitions by the Tridentine faithful to the pope in a period between the pontificates of Pius V and Clement VIII (1566–1605) and follows Suppliche al pontefice. Diocesi di Trento 1513–1565 (ed. Cristina Belloni and Cecilia Nubola, Bologna, 2006).

The particular situation of the diocese of Trent, located in imperial territory entrusted to the bishop-prince of Trent, provides a privileged point of view for the study of the relations of the papacy and the empire in a moment of particular political and religious importance.

The 681 petitions that constitute the text are held in the Registra Supplicationum at the Secret Vatican Archives and are presented as a collection of texts, in chronological order, along with indices and useful appendices that provide dates as well as the beneficiaries of the documents and the names of those who granted them.

Aside from providing information on the number of petitions presented during the various pontificates under consideration, the introduction discusses the influence of the decrees of the Council of Trent, concluded in December 1563, in the relations between the diocese and the Holy See, in comparison with the pre-Tridentine situation studied in the previous book.

The average number of petitions presented to the pontiff, which ranged from two to four in the period prior to the Council of Trent, increased to seventeen in the forty-year period under consideration. Although the state of conservation of the archival sources must be taken into account when weighing the available evidence, the innovations introduced by the Council of Trent, especially those pertaining to marriage, ecclesiastical justice, and the renewal of diocesan life, are reflected in the increased number of petitions presented in the Curia. Furthermore, the reasons behind the petitions changed profoundly. The number of requests that sought benefits declined considerably while the petitions that sought papal intervention in judicial questions increased, and the petitions regarding marital questions soon became predominant.

The petitions regarding questions of marriage constitute more than 67 percent of the total number, reflecting the gradual application of Tridentine decrees on marriage that introduced important changes in society. For the most part, the requests are for dispensations from impediments based on affinity and consanguinity, but we can observe a variety of other questions regarding marriage.

With respect to the pre-Tridentine period, even the petitions regarding the administration of justice considerably increased. These are requests for absolution, indulgences, licenses, other kinds of dispensation, and, above all, requests that are classed in a list as “significavit” (cases of theft or inappropriate appropriation frequently initiated by diocesan tribunals).

In addition, in the analysis of the petitions, important differences exist when comparing the years before and after the council. In fact, while the clergy was clearly prevalent prior to the council, laypeople—simple faithful, family groups, social entities, and representatives of the Tridentine elite—took on a larger role after the council, as they became nearly 90 percent of the petitioners.

The publication of such sources is of great importance for the study of questions related to the Council of Trent, and it permits us to expand research into the relations between local churches and the Holy See and will encourage the continuation of research in the Vatican Archives and local archives as well.