States of the former country at Viburg on the island Funen in the year 1386,' and invested on St. John's day, Gerhard, son of Henry the Iron, with the duchy of Holstein, the prelate of Gardar, Henry, was present, together with several other bishops. A plenary council of the hierarchy of the united kingdoms was celebrated on the same occasion, in which took part the archbishops of Drontheim, Nicholas, and Magnus of Lund, the bishops John of Ripen in Jutland, Sueno of Bornholm, James of Viburg, John of Slevik, and the prelate of Greenland, Henry of Gardar. On the 26th of July they granted special favors to the church of Stendorp, soon after to those of Bendrop and Harby, and on the 29th of the same month to the monastery of Godsort. They conceded several indulgences to all who would co-operate towards the erection of new churches and monasteries, and ordered public prayers for the health of the Danish king and queen and for the success of their undertakings.2 3 4 Messenius and Huitfeldt state with great probability that Bishop Henry was consecrated in 1383, the year in which the demise of his predecessor was heard of in Norway. He went and took possession of his episcopal see, but not until 1388; probably not finding an opportunity to cross the ocean before this time. Gams 5 says that he left his native country to reside in the city of Gardar, and Beamish has found the interesting particular that, at his departure from Norway, he was charged by the government to have the royal 6 1 And not in 1389, as is said by Grönland; Moosmüller, S. Peyrère, pp. 189, 211. 2 Hamsfortii Chronologia 2a., ap. Langebek, t. i. p. 315; Torfæus, Gronl. Ant., cap. xxx. p. 254; Pontanus, lib. viii., ad an. 1386, p. 509; Wetzer und Welte, art., 66; Crantz, vol. i. p. 252. p. 65. 4 Ap. Moosmüller, S. 66. 5 P. 334. dues of Greenland lodged in a specified place, as no state vessel would sail for the island that year. One of the most curious particulars in the history of the small and poor diocese of Greenland is that its cathedral could, for a few years, boast of two simultaneous bishops. Whilst Henry was in legal possession of the see, two priests were successively appointed bishops of Gardar. This anomaly, incompatible with canon law, may be explained by the possible ignorance at the pontifical court of the fact of Henry's consecration by the archbishop of Norway, but it is more likely a consequence of the sad schism which for some time distracted the Western Church. At the death of Pope Gregory XI., in the year 1378, the Sacred College elected Urban VI. But a month after, when it became apparent that the new Pontiff was bent upon the reform of the Roman court, eighteen cardinals under the protection of Jane, queen of Naples, set up another, the antipope Clement VII., under the pretext that the election of Urban VI. had not been free and was, consequently, invalid. So many arguments were set forth and learned discussions carried on by both parties, that even the best-intentioned and deepest scholars of the time doubted on which side were to be found authority and right. There was no real schism, but it was doubtful who was the one true Pope, whom all were ready to obey. This uncertainty with all its evil consequences lasted until the council of Constance most providentially restored peace and unity in the year 1417.1 The bishop of Greenland, Henry, had been promoted, according to ancient custom founded on several 1 Cf. Wouters, vol. ii. pp. 358, 360, 361. concessions of the Roman pontiffs, by the metropolitan of the province. There can be no doubt that he was in communion with Urban VI. and paid allegiance to him, when we see him afterwards visit Pope Boniface IX., Urban's immediate successor. No wonder if the pope of Avignon, Clement VII., should have required obedience from the prelates of the northern countries, and, at the refusal of the bishop of Gardar, should have given him a competitor in the Greenland diocese, or, rather, replaced him by another bishop. In fact, we find one of the bulls in which he recognizes as bishop of Gardar a certain Georgius, whom he had probably appointed himself, and at whose death he named the successor. "At the time," Clement says, "that Georgius of blessed memory presided at the government of the church of Gardar, We concluded to reserve his cathedral to our own command and disposal in case of his demise." Making this deviation from customary rights more evident, he adds, "By this act we do not intend to occasion for the future any prejudice to our venerable brother, the archbishop of Drontheim, to whose metropolitan authority the above-named church is known to be subject." 1 Following is part of the bulls by which Clement VII. appoints the successor of Georgius, bishop of Gardar: "To our beloved brother Nicholas, cardinal priest of the title of St. Mary in Trastevere, Greeting, etc. . . . Now that the church of Gardar has become vacant and is vacant yet through the death of the aforesaid Bishop Georgius, who died without the city of Rome [yet not likely in Greenland], We are anxious to prevent a long vacancy, and trust that the diocese will be well and usefully governed by our beloved son, Peter Staras, a pro 1 Document LXII., b. Further information regarding this bishop George is not to be found in the papal archives. fessed brother of the Order of Minorites, a priest of religious zeal and honest life. We, therefore, give you charge and command to provide the said church with the person of the above-named Peter Staras. . . . Given in Avignon the sixth day before the ides of April in the year eleven,"-i.e., April 7, 1389.1 Nothing more is to be found of the history of Bishop Staras. It is not likely, however, that he ever sailed for Greenland, to dispute with Henry, the resident prelate, over the right to the cold, hard seat of its cathedral. Intercourse between Greenland and Europe had been steadily decreasing from the time that the distant provinces of Norway had lost their independence. The Scandinavian kings not only collected the fines due for murder and a yearly tribute; but, to further profit by the honest labor and industry of the Greenlanders, they established a royal monopoly of its commerce, forbidding all trade with the islands not carried on by the appointed merchants, who were to pay them a share of their profits. The ancient abuse, which affords sufficient grounds for the modern Monroe doctrine, enriched a few individuals in Norway, but ruined the colonies and proved eventually to be a damage to the Crown." Greenland became isolated and its industries neglected, and the tributes due to the king grew so insignificant that it was not worth while to go to receive them regularly. Yet the avaricious decrees continued to be strictly enforced and obeyed with fear. About the year 1389 some vessels of Norway had accidentally touched Greenland. When this became known to Queen Margaret, the sailors were indicted and the day was 1 See Document LXII., b. 2 Torfæus, Gronl. Ant., Præf. p. 23; von Humboldt, Kosmos, S. 276, 459; Examen, t. ii. p. 103; Peschel, Geschichte der Erdkunde, S. 161; Gravier, p. 217. set for an exemplary condemnation; but the culprits succeeded in establishing their innocence, as they had been compelled to seek refuge on the forbidden shores from the dangers of storms and icebergs. The queen despatched a few ships to the unfortunate island, but they never returned. Their loss inspired with awe the mariners that might have wished to sail past Iceland; and Margaret, busily engaged in her wars with Sweden, did not care about Greenland any longer. Her successor, Eric of Pomeren, continuing her hostilities with Sweden, never gave a thought to Greenland, and so also did her later successors attach more importance to a castle in their neighborhood than to their transmarine domains. Greenland was completely abandoned, and it was a rare event when a foreign ship would peacefully approach its coast.2 From all this we may readily conclude that Bishop Henry did not pass the days of his administration in luxury and pleasure. A papal document assures us that he manfully bore the solitude and destitution, and the hardships of his high and sacred vocation, attending in a praiseworthy manner to both the spiritual and the temporal concerns of his diocese." 5 Torfæus and Moosmüller erroneously assert that he died at his post of honor in Greenland in the year 1391. From the evidence of his seal, bearing the date of 1388, which was published in the Historic Monuments of Greenland, it is clear that at such a time he was the bishop of Greenland, and he continued to be for half a dozen more years. It is uncertain, however, at what time he ceased to reside in his diocese. We only know 1 Pontanus, lib. ix., ad an. 1389, p. 521. 'Torfæus, Gronl. Ant., Præf. p. 25; Kunstmann, S. 31. Document LXII., c. Gronl. Ant., cap. xxxii. 5 S. 66. 6 Mémoires des Antiq. du Nord., 1845-49, p. 432. |