«Блаженны те, что умирают, угождая Господу»: папа Пий II о своем участии в крестовом походе против турок

Диалог со временем. 2026. № 94. С. 36–50.

Рязанов П. А., Софронова Л. В.

Among the Roman pontiffs who proclaimed crusades against the Turks, Pius II (1458-1464) stands out for having publicly declared his intention to go to war and backed it up with concrete actions. His death in Ancona, from where he was about to set sail for the East, can be perceived as a feat of faith and a demonstration of his unwavering determination to see his pious undertaking through to the end. Researchers often view Pius II's expedition as an unrealistic and doomed-to-fail venture, at least after the refusal of the Duke of Burgundy to participate. All the more tragic and self-sacrificing is the last journey of a seriously ill pope to Ancona. For Pius II, however, it was a well-considered act. Having offered himself as the spiritual leader of the campaign, he could no longer retreat, as he felt it would be a severe blow to the authority of the Catholic Church. It needed the example of sacrificial service demonstrated by the first Roman patriarchs. Also it was an attempt to revive the outmoded crusader idea. In case the Duke of Burgundy had joined the campaign (up to a certain point, this was quite probable), the pope's plan would have had a chance of practical realization. Finally, Pius II was pushed to go to Ancona by personal religious motives. The whole Catholic world witnessed his vow to God, thanks to the bull «Ezechielis prophetae». As a humanist and historian, he could not ignore the problem of his posthumous fame. Even at death’ door, the pontiff understood that the heroic image he had created might collapse if he yielded under the pressure of circumstances.

Keywords: Pius II, Пий II, крестовый поход, Святой Престол, The Holy See, Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, Council of Mantua, Philip III the Good, Crusade, Turks, Эней Сильвий Пикколомини, Филипп III Добрый, Мантуанский собор, турки