Page 37 - 1

Matthew of Agrigento. The political and religious engagement of a franciscan... 487

arranged to reconcile the opposing factions, in Piacenza to convert
three harlots, while, in southern Italy, notably in Salerno, to deplore
the profits from usury . It was, thus, often the city councils them-
20
selves or the lords of important urban centers who requested the pres-
ence of the observants to elevate the customs of individuals and im-
prove the conditions of society. Even Pope Martin V, in 1424, made
use of the oratorical and persuasive skills of Matthew and John da
Capestrano: the pope, in fact, sent the two Franciscans to Naples to
urge the ruling classes and the Neapolitan population to reject the
coming of Alfonso V the Magnanimous and to support, at the same
time, the claims of Louis III of Anjou . In this circumstance, the pon-
21
tiff could further test the abilities of the observants, who had managed
to establish themselves as privileged interlocutors of the different com-
ponents of the city.
By the first two decades of the fifteenth century, Bernardine of Si-
ena and his companions had visited many cities on the Italian penin-
sula, becoming indefatigable itinerant preachers. To cope with their
constant travels, they needed lodgings in which they could find shelter
at night. Thus it was that the friars obtained their first modest dwell-
ings from the city authorities, always located outside or close to the
city walls . It is likely that the Franciscans had obtained such con-
22
vents, thanks in part to the support of the pontiff, who most likely saw
in them a powerful tool for the implementation of precise institutional,
political and religious projects .
23
Between 1424 and 1425, it is presumable, thus, that Martin V had
finally made up his mind to support the Observants’ intentions of ex-
pansion in Sicily. This is evidenced by the fact that, on April 23, 1425,
the pope granted Matthew permission to be able to found three

20 See B. Matthaei Agrigentini OFM., Sermones varii cit., p. 165.
21 About the presence in Naples of Matthew of Agrigento, news can be found in
Bvn, Ms. 18.11.3, c. 86v, and then especially in B. Matthaei Agrigentini OFM.,
Sermones varii cit., pp. 108-117. On the events surrounding the seizure of Naples,
and on Alfonso V the Magnanimous in general, see A.F.C. Ryde, Alfonso the Mag-
nanimous. King of Aragon Naples, and Sicily, 1396-1458, Oxford University Press,
Oxford 1990.
22 It was a constant for the Friars Minor Observant to found their first convents
outside the urban perimeter. The figure was also confirmed for Sicily by M. d’Alatri,
Gli insediamenti osservanti in Sicilia nel corso del Quattrocento, in D. Ciccarelli, A.
Bisanti (a cura di) Francescanesimo e civiltà siciliana nel Quattrocento. Atti del con-
vegno internazionale di studi (Palermo, Carini, Gibilmanna 25-31 ottobre 1992),
Officina di Studi Medievali, Palermo 2000, pp. 41-50.
23 On the support given by the pontiffs to the Friars Minor Observant, see M.
Fois, I papi e l’osservanza minoritica, in Il rinnovamento del francescanesimo, l’Os-
servanza. Atti dell’XI convegno della Società internazionale di Studi francescani
(Assisi, 20, 21, 22 ottobre 1983), Società Internazionale di Studi Francescani, As-
sisi, 1985, pp. 29-105.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Dicembre 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)