In this decade Horatius would write his last part of the Annalis Sedi Sanctae. He reached the high age of 70, and he was growing weaker and weaker. He was also busy managing and teaching in his abbey, which was finished now. His adopted child, learning as well at the abbey, appeared to be an excellent writer in his kind, and so Horatius proposed him to Pope Clemens VII to succeed himself when he dies or become unable to write further. The Pope agreed with this proposal, and so Horatius started to teach the boy he named Nicolaus, after his best friend the former Pope Nicolaus V now buried below the Vatican. He taught him outside the regular days the monks practised on this wonderful art, and saw him growing into this job. Horatius knew his boy would become better then he has been, because of the possibility to have undivided attention to this practice. His abbey at Pernambuco had a reputation to accept every Catholic man, even from native offspring. But that were not many, as they would have to study Latin and Italian first before being fully a monk. Although these courses were given by monks of Horatius’ order, it was difficult for them to learn it.
The last days of November 1503 Horatius suffered from a fever, and his by age weakened resistance was not strong enough to resist this attack, and after a few days he died at the age of 70 on the 31st of November. All mourned over his death, and the Pope led a mass to remember the services this most loyal monk did to the Church and all of Christianity. “This man was a pillar of the Papal State, a rock, withstanding all troubles he met on his various journeys throughout the New World, over the seas and even in the Dark Lands, his devotion to our true Faith is an example for many other on this planet, and even within the Papacy and clergy itself. Let us all pray for his immortal soul, now with God in Heaven, let us pray for his immortal works he left behind, let us pray to God now to fill in the emptiness Horatius left behind” , the Pope said with a sad voice. And all prayed. And all mourned
Part V
1493-1503: The decade of prosperity
Finally the Papal States managed to get a fairly large income out of the colonies it had, the investments that were made began to pay back. In 1494 A.D. in the province of Santana a new colony was established to gain access to the large gold mines of the area. In the meantime, other colonies were growing, people emigrated en masse to these new cities and towns. But not all went peaceful there, particularly not in the most northern colony of Timucua. The untrustworthy native tribe of Creek was continuously trying to destroy the small army that stood there, but failed each time. His Holiness tried to evoke a war with them, but that failed as well as the cowardly attempts of the heathens to weaken the colonial defence force.
In the autumn of 1496 A.D. His Holiness Clemens VII hired the French diplomat René de Boulay and the Venetian trader Iulius Foscarini. The main task of this diplomat was to bring the reputation of the Papacy back to the good place it had before His Holiness fought the short war against Urbino and Modena and annexed them.
The 6th of November 1499 A.D. the conquistador Grimani died, and with him the last remains of the policy of the former Popes Nicolaus V and Nicolaus VI. The period of exploring has come to an end, and now the main goal was to establish in the explored New World. No risky voyages anymore were ordered by His Holiness, no more new seas to discover.
Just after the beginning of the new age, the 16th since the birth of the Christ, the most noble ally of the Papal States, Sicily declared war on the kingdom of Aragon, supported by their vassal Portugal. In this short war the Papacy gained the colonies of Ilheus, Bahia and Diamentina, captured from Portugal and seized. No resistance was met there. Labout a year later His Holiness made peace with the alliance of Aragon. And a half year later, Sicily deems it necessary to attack the traitors of Christianity, the protestant Genoa, and the crusade against those who dare to oppose the Holy Church began. The Papal Army besieged and captured the city of Genoa itself, but their far away cities in the Black Sea were safe, as Sicily didn’t undertook any action to bring those cities down as well. So to prevent troubles in the Papal State and Sicily itself, His Holiness made peace with Genoa at 15 September 1503 A.D., demanding repayment for the losses the Papal Army suffered which was 50 ducats and Genoa renounced their claims on Corsica.
The last days of November 1503 Horatius suffered from a fever, and his by age weakened resistance was not strong enough to resist this attack, and after a few days he died at the age of 70 on the 31st of November. All mourned over his death, and the Pope led a mass to remember the services this most loyal monk did to the Church and all of Christianity. “This man was a pillar of the Papal State, a rock, withstanding all troubles he met on his various journeys throughout the New World, over the seas and even in the Dark Lands, his devotion to our true Faith is an example for many other on this planet, and even within the Papacy and clergy itself. Let us all pray for his immortal soul, now with God in Heaven, let us pray for his immortal works he left behind, let us pray to God now to fill in the emptiness Horatius left behind” , the Pope said with a sad voice. And all prayed. And all mourned
Part V
1493-1503: The decade of prosperity
Finally the Papal States managed to get a fairly large income out of the colonies it had, the investments that were made began to pay back. In 1494 A.D. in the province of Santana a new colony was established to gain access to the large gold mines of the area. In the meantime, other colonies were growing, people emigrated en masse to these new cities and towns. But not all went peaceful there, particularly not in the most northern colony of Timucua. The untrustworthy native tribe of Creek was continuously trying to destroy the small army that stood there, but failed each time. His Holiness tried to evoke a war with them, but that failed as well as the cowardly attempts of the heathens to weaken the colonial defence force.
In the autumn of 1496 A.D. His Holiness Clemens VII hired the French diplomat René de Boulay and the Venetian trader Iulius Foscarini. The main task of this diplomat was to bring the reputation of the Papacy back to the good place it had before His Holiness fought the short war against Urbino and Modena and annexed them.
The 6th of November 1499 A.D. the conquistador Grimani died, and with him the last remains of the policy of the former Popes Nicolaus V and Nicolaus VI. The period of exploring has come to an end, and now the main goal was to establish in the explored New World. No risky voyages anymore were ordered by His Holiness, no more new seas to discover.
Just after the beginning of the new age, the 16th since the birth of the Christ, the most noble ally of the Papal States, Sicily declared war on the kingdom of Aragon, supported by their vassal Portugal. In this short war the Papacy gained the colonies of Ilheus, Bahia and Diamentina, captured from Portugal and seized. No resistance was met there. Labout a year later His Holiness made peace with the alliance of Aragon. And a half year later, Sicily deems it necessary to attack the traitors of Christianity, the protestant Genoa, and the crusade against those who dare to oppose the Holy Church began. The Papal Army besieged and captured the city of Genoa itself, but their far away cities in the Black Sea were safe, as Sicily didn’t undertook any action to bring those cities down as well. So to prevent troubles in the Papal State and Sicily itself, His Holiness made peace with Genoa at 15 September 1503 A.D., demanding repayment for the losses the Papal Army suffered which was 50 ducats and Genoa renounced their claims on Corsica.