Pope Eugene IV: A turbulent papacy defined by exile, conciliar struggle, and moral ambiguity

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Elected in 1431, Pope Eugene IV spent nearly a decade in exile, fled Rome disguised as a monk, and battled the Council of Basel for supremacy. His legacy remains a complex tapestry of early anti-slavery decrees, shifting stances on Jewish rights, and the eventual restoration of papal authority through political compromise.

Born Gabriele Condulmer to a wealthy Venetian merchant family in 1383, Eugene IV ascended to the papacy in 1431. His tenure was immediately defined by a fierce confrontation with the Conciliar movement, specifically the Council of Basel, which asserted that ecumenical councils held authority superior to the Pope. This conflict, coupled with his aggressive stance against the Colonna family, led to his 1434 flight from Rome, where he was pelted with stones while escaping down the Tiber disguised as a Benedictine monk. He would not return to the city for nearly ten years.

Eugene’s moral record is notably inconsistent. In 1434, he issued the bull Creator Omnium, which rescinded Portugal’s right to conquer the Canary Islands and enslave their native populations, threatening excommunication for those who ignored the ban. Yet, by 1442, he granted spiritual legitimacy to Portuguese expeditions along the African coast, a move some historians argue helped frame the enslavement of Africans as a service to Christendom. Similarly, while he initially protected Jewish communities from forced baptism, he later promulgated the 1442 bull Dudum ad nostram audientiam, which provided a legal framework for the creation of Jewish ghettos.

By the time of his death in 1447, Eugene had effectively neutralized the Council of Basel and restored the papacy’s dominant position, though this victory required significant concessions to European princes. His pontificate was marked by a reliance on military force—often carried out by condottieri like Giovanni Vitelleschi—which left the Papal States devastated. Despite his personal austerity and support for learning, he reportedly expressed regret on his deathbed for ever leaving his monastery, reflecting on a life defined by political maneuvering and the heavy costs of maintaining ecclesiastical power.

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