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98-552: A real desert has never existed here. However, there have been temporarily severely eroded areas, more properly called "badlands". Two main types of badlands can be found in the area of the Crete Senesi , the Valdorcia , and the Volterra areas of Tuscany : Biancana (from Bianco , white, due to the light color of the clay and of the saline efflorescence) and calanco (local name for

196-646: A UNESCO Global Geopark in 2019. Garbeta , Eastern India is a badlands located in a monsoon climate. Chambal spread across northern parts of Madhya Pradesh , southeastern Rajasthan and southern parts of Uttar Pradesh known for its lawlessness and dacoity is another example of badlands. A small strip of badlands is also found in western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana . In Italy , badlands are called "calanchi". Some examples are Aliano ( Basilicata ), Crete Senesi ( Tuscany ) and Civita di Bagnoregio ( Lazio ). A well-known badlands formation in New Zealand –

294-521: A "great crime". in a letter of 7 October 1462, addressed to the Bishop of Rubico in the Canary Islands , Pius instructed bishops to impose ecclesiastical penalties on transgressors. Pius did not condemn the concept of trading in slaves, only the enslavement of Christians, who represented a very small minority of those captured and taken to Portugal. Pope Pius II inaugurated an unusual urban project, perhaps

392-580: A Christian. The pope even suggested that if Mehmed were to convert, he would be recognized as "Emperor of the Greeks and of the East." However, there are historians who believe that the mentioned letter was sent to the Sublime Porte. Not surprisingly, if it was delivered, the invitation was not successful. In April 1462, a public pageant was staged for the pope to receive the relics of the head of Saint Andrew when it

490-457: A Frenchman and a blood cousin of the king of France, seemed certain to be elected. On 18 August, the first scrutiny took place; Aeneas and Calandrini each received 5 votes, while no one else received more than three. Whether out of trickery or out of hatred, no cardinal gave a vote for d'Estouteville. The results contradicted the expectations. D'Estouteville then set out to frustrate the ambitions of Aeneas. The second ballot took place on 19 August;

588-527: A cardinal in 1456. He was a Renaissance humanist with an international reputation. Aeneas Silvius' longest and most enduring work is the story of his life, the Commentaries , which is the only autobiography of a pope ever to have been published. It appeared posthumously, in 1584, 120 years after his death. Aeneas was born at Corsignano in Sienese territory of a noble but impoverished family. His father Silvio

686-546: A child but it died. Upon his return to Basel, Aeneas again served from 1436 to 1438 as secretary of Cardinal Domenico Capranica. He actively supported the council in its conflict with the Pope, and, although still a layman, eventually obtained a share in the direction of its affairs. He gave a speech advocating the choice of Pavia as the site of a meeting between council members and the Greek delegation, to discuss church union, which caught

784-602: A clay veneer, and still others have a biological crust of algae or lichens . In addition to lacking significant regolith, they also lack much vegetation. The lack of vegetation could very well be a result of the lack of a substantial regolith. Although most badland topography is natural, badlands have been produced artificially by destruction of vegetation cover, through overgrazing , acid rain , or acid mine drainage . The Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon, Ontario are an example of badlands produced by poor farming practices . In

882-495: A diplomatic mission to Vienna in 1438, it was reported that he had died; and the duke of Milan, who had abandoned the council and returned to Pope Eugenius' side, gave Aeneas' provostship to another candidate. In recompense, the Council appointed him a canon in the cathedral Chapter of Trent. He refused the offer of the diaconate , shunning the ecclesiastical state because of the obligation of sexual continence which it imposed. Even

980-401: A field can attain 2–4 mm of soil loss in a single rain event. Excessive animal grazing facilitates gully erosion, soil slips and mass movements. Cropland management requires tillage (deep ploughing, seed bed preparation) and sometimes large earth movements. All these activities cause a net movement of soil from the upslope side of the field to the downslope side. Soil in the upslope side of

1078-468: A future council in a statement handed the pope by his proctor on 4 August 1460. On 8 August, Sigismund was excommunicated and his domains were placed under the interdict. On 26 September 1459, he called for a new crusade against the Ottomans, and on 14 January 1460, he proclaimed the official crusade that was to last for three years. The pope influenced Vlad III Dracula , whom he held in high regard, to start

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1176-711: A hideout for outlaws . There is a large badland area in Alberta , particularly in the valley of the Red Deer River , where Dinosaur Provincial Park is located, as well as in Drumheller , where the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is located. Zhangye National Geopark is a badlands area known for its colorful rock formations. It was voted by Chinese media outlets as one of the most beautiful landforms in China and became

1274-639: A layer of unweathered shale. Badlands such as those found in the Mancos Shale , the Brule Formation , the Chadron Formation , and the Dinosaur Provincial Park can be generally said to fit this profile. In less arid regions, the regolith profile can vary considerably. Some badlands have no regolith layer whatsoever, capping instead in bare rock such as sandstone . Others have a regolith with

1372-709: A leadership role in the spheres of economy and spirituality. The area has churches, monasteries, and farms. Then, under French rule from 1797 all the Church possessions were confiscated and sold. Only after the Restoration did the Olivetan Benedictines recover the Monastery of Monte Oliveto and slowly resume their role as local leaders. The Crete Senesi lie on top of Plio-Pleistocene silty-clay over consolidated marine deposits rich in sodium . Deep, narrow cracks (joints;) cut

1470-412: A man of the world with no strictness in morals or consistency in politics. Being sent on a mission to Rome in 1445, with the ostensible object of inducing Pope Eugene to convoke a new council, he was absolved from ecclesiastical censures and returned to Germany under an engagement to assist the Pope. This he did most effectually by the diplomatic dexterity with which he smoothed away differences between

1568-455: A mission to Bohemia and concluded a satisfactory arrangement with the Hussite leader George of Poděbrady . In 1452 he accompanied Frederick to Rome, where Frederick wedded Eleanor and was crowned emperor by the pope. At the coronation, speaking in the name of the emperor, Aeneas repudiated the conciliar theory, holding that the pope and his cardinals were the best council. Bishop Aeneas Sylvius

1666-479: A result of natural processes, but destruction of vegetation by overgrazing or pollution can produce anthropogenic badlands. Badlands are characterized by a distinctive badlands topography . This is terrain in which water erosion has cut a very large number of deep drainage channels, separated by short, steep ridges ( interfluves ). Such a drainage system is said to have a very fine drainage texture, as measured by its drainage density . Drainage density

1764-583: A strong interrelationship between vegetation biodiversity and erosion /deposition processes, biodiversity is also threatened and the biancana landscape is forecast to disappear entirely within 20–40 years as brush cover expands. Spots where the traditional forms can still be observed are scattered in the Crete Senesi and the Valdorcia , included within the quadrangle of vertices [43°16'10.58"N; 11°15'59.30”E], [43°18'28.68”N; 11°39'4.92”E], [42°43'32.58”N; 11°42'22.98”E], [42°45'49.22”N; 11°58'41.90”E]. Leonina and Lucciola Bella [43° 2'4.85"N; 11°45'35.75"E] are two of

1862-570: A teacher. In 1431 he accepted the post of secretary to Domenico Capranica , bishop of Fermo , then on his way to the Council of Basel . Capranica was protesting against the new Pope Eugene IV 's refusal of a cardinalate for him, which had been designated by Pope Martin V . Arriving at Basel after enduring a stormy voyage to Genoa and then a trip across the Alps , he successively served Capranica, who ran out of money, and then other masters. In 1435, he

1960-653: A terrain of lava flows that is unlike the eroded badlands of the White River. Badlands are generally unsuitable for agriculture, but attempts have been made to remediate badlands. For example, reforestation is being attempted in the Garbeta badlands of Eastern India. Revegetation and reforestation have been studied in the black marl badlands of the French Alps . Austrian black pine can become established and then be gradually replaced by native deciduous species. However,

2058-550: A type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay -rich soils have been extensively eroded . They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation , lack of a substantial regolith , and high drainage density . Ravines , gullies , buttes , hoodoos and other such geologic forms are common in badlands. Badlands are found on every continent except Antarctica, being most common where there are unconsolidated sediments . They are often difficult to navigate by foot, and are unsuitable for agriculture. Most are

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2156-562: A type of gully or ravine ). Both are linked to gully erosion processes, the former intermingled mainly with subsurface erosion and the latter with mass movements. Biancanas can also be found in Basilicata and in Calabria . The calanco landscape is common all along the Apennines and in many parts of the Alps . Both calancos and biancanas were used as grazing ground, with an almost annual burning of

2254-572: A war against Sultan Mehmed II of Turkey . This conflict at its peak involved the Wallachians trying to assassinate the Sultan (see The Night Attack ). After his departure from Mantua on 19 January 1460, Pius II reached his former bishopric of Siena on 30 January, where, exhausted by his exertions at Mantua, he was advised by his doctors to rest, either in the city or at the Petriolo hot springs. There he

2352-816: Is Toadstool Geologic Park in the Oglala National Grassland located in northwestern Nebraska . Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah are also badlands settings, along with several other areas in southern Utah, such as the Chinle Badlands in Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument . A small badland called Hell's Half-Acre is present in Natrona County , Wyoming . Additional badlands also exist in various places throughout southwest Wyoming, such as near Pinedale and in

2450-477: Is a system of pipes, joints, caverns , and other connected void spaces in the subsurface through which water can drain. However, this is not a universal feature of badlands. For example, the Henry Mountains badlands show very little piping. The precise processes by which the erosion responses take place vary depending on the precise interbedding of the sedimentary material. However, it has been estimated that

2548-465: Is channeled into a very dense system of streamlets that erode a dense system of ever-enlarging, coalescing gulleys and ravines. Erosion is enhanced by pelting raindrops that dislodge soft sediments. The presence of bentonite clay further increases erodibility , as can rejuvenation of the drainage system from regional uplift , as occurred at Badlands National Park . In addition to surface erosion, badlands sometimes have well-developed piping , which

2646-499: Is defined as the total length of drainage channels per unit area of land surface. Badlands have a very high drainage density of 48 to 464 kilometres per square kilometre (77 to 747 miles per square mile). The numerous deep drainage channels and high interfluves creates a stark landscape of hills , gullies , and ravines . In addition to a dense system of drainages and interfluves, badlands often contain buttes and hoodoos . These are formed by resistant beds of sandstone, which form

2744-505: Is located would have been threatened by the approach of the heads of large (and deep) gully systems retreating upslope. It had an economy mainly based on agriculture and animal husbandry. Chiusure's importance is due mainly to its proximity to Accona about 1 km away. The members of three leading Sienese families (Tolomei, Patrizi, and Piccolomini) founded in 1313 what became the Benedictine monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (1320-1344) on

2842-590: Is part of Navajo County encompasses numerous badlands that also abuts the Navajo Indian Reservation and is directly north of Joseph City, Arizona . Many dinosaurs are believed to be buried in the immediate area and exploration has been ongoing since the early 20th century. Among the Henry Mountains area in Utah, about 4,900 ft (1,500 m) above sea level, Cretaceous - and Jurassic -aged shales are exposed. Another popular area of badland formations

2940-498: Is such that you would appear to have been chosen, not to govern the state, but called to enjoy pleasures. You avoid neither hunting, nor games, nor the company of women. You put together parties that are more opulent than is fitting. You wear clothes that are far too expensive. You overflow with gold and silver.... We can't keep people from making requests, but we can easily refuse to entertain them. Think about who are appropriate, and I will choose from among their number...." He then gave

3038-778: Is the Roman gold mine of Las Médulas in northern Spain. The word badlands is a calque from the Canadian French phrase les mauvaises terres , as the early French fur traders called the White River badlands les mauvaises terres à traverser or 'bad lands to traverse', perhaps influenced by the Lakota people who moved there in the late 1700s and who referred to the terrain as mako sica , meaning 'bad land' or 'eroded land'. The term malpaís means 'badlands' in Spanish , but refers to

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3136-584: The Aragonese claimant to the throne of Naples, in opposition to the French House of Anjou, his next important act was to convene a congress of the representatives of Christian princes at Mantua for joint action against the Turks . In anticipation of his departure for Mantua, Pius issued the bull "Cum Concedente Deo" on 5 January 1459, in which he considered the possibility of the pope dying outside Rome; he ordered that

3234-733: The Bridger Valley near the towns of Lyman and Mountain View , near the high Uintah Mountains . Pinnacles National Park in California also has areas of badlands, as does the Mojave Desert in eastern California . Badlands have become a popular trope inside various media, particularly westerns . Pope Pius II Pope Pius II ( Latin : Pius PP. II , Italian : Pio II ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (Latin: Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus ; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464),

3332-806: The Putangirua Pinnacles , formed by the erosion of the conglomerate of an old alluvial fan – is located at the head of a small valley near the southern tip of the North Island . The Bardenas Reales near Tudela, Navarre , the Tabernas Desert in Tabernas, Almería , parts of the Granada Altiplano near Guadix and possibly Los Monegros in Aragon are examples of Spanish badlands. Turkey has extensive badlands, including Göreme National Park . In

3430-444: The caprock of the buttes and hoodoos. Badlands arise from a combination of an impermeable but easily eroded ground surface, sparse vegetation , and infrequent but heavy rainfall. The surface bedrock is typically mudrock , sometimes with evaporites , with only occasional beds of more resistant sandstone . Infrequent heavy rains lead to heavy erosional dissection. Where sudden precipitation cannot penetrate impermeable clays, it

3528-625: The Aventine. He was allowed to keep the diocese of Siena. He also acquired the bishopric of Warmia (Ermel and, Prussia; now in Poland) on 12 August 1457. Calixtus III died on 6 August 1458. The leading candidate was Cardinal Domenico Capranica, but he died on 14 August, during the Novendiales . The ambassador of the Duke of Milan wrote on 31 July that Cardinal Juan de Torquemada and Cardinal Filippo Calandrini ,

3626-716: The Chapel of St. Andrew. When his nephew, Pius III , died in 1503, he was buried next to Pius II. In 1506, because of the demolition of Old St. Peter's, the tombs were moved to the crypt. In 1612, when the church of St. Andrea della Valle was completed, the bodies of both popes, as well as parts of their funeral monuments, were moved there and re-entombed on 1 February 1613. Pius II was a prominent author of poetry in his lifetime, being named imperial poet laureate in 1442. But his reputation in belles lettres rests principally upon his The Tale of Two Lovers , an erotic novel. He also composed some comedies , of which only one ( Chrysis )

3724-648: The Gothic wars, and the Justinian plague caused a demographic decline which reduced the anthropic impact on the environment and favored the natural reforestation of the area. Nevertheless, in the seventh century Asciano was already a Curtis Regia. It was a village with a territory where agriculture and animal husbandry coexisted with hunting reserves used by the Lombard lords. In the 10th century, documents show Leonina, too, as Curtis . Other rudimentary documentation testifies to

3822-452: The Milanese ambassador indicated it would be possible to carry the election of Piccolomini, who was being supported by the king of Naples. On 16 August, the cardinals entered into a papal conclave . Eighteen cardinals took part. The Italian cardinals were outnumbered by the foreigners. According to Aeneas' account, the wealthy cardinal Guillaume d'Estouteville , Archbishop of Rouen , though

3920-573: The Ottomans and attacked their forces near Ohrid. Pius II's planned crusade envisioned assembling 20,000 soldiers in Taranto, and another 20,000 would be gathered by Skanderbeg. They would have been marshaled in Durazzo under Skanderbeg's leadership and would have formed the central front against the Ottomans. The Pope did his best: he addressed an eloquent letter to the Ottoman ruler, Mehmet II , urging him to become

4018-582: The U.S., Makoshika State Park in Montana and Badlands National Park in South Dakota are examples of extensive badland formations. Also located in this region is Theodore Roosevelt National Park , a United States National Park composed of three geographically separated areas of badlands in western North Dakota named after former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt . Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona which

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4116-617: The action. The crusade for which the Congress of Mantua had been convoked made no progress. In November 1463, Pope Pius II tried to organize the crusade against the Ottomans, similar to what Nicholas V and Calixtus III had tried to do before him. Pius II invited all the Christian nobility to join, and the Venetians immediately answered the appeal. So did George Kastriot Skanderbeg the leader of Albanian resistance, who on 27 November 1463 declared war on

4214-620: The affairs of the Empire and the Roman Curia, in which occupations he incessantly strove to acquire benefices that should raise him out of poverty, Piccolomini was not inspired by any ardent longing for virtue, nor was he stirred by the sublime genius of an exalted nature. There was nothing great in him. Endowed with fascinating gifts, this man of brilliant parts possessed no enthusiasms. We cannot even say that he pursued any aim beyond that of his own advantage." Aeneas' character had hitherto been that of

4312-502: The attempt to seize Genoa ; Florence cynically advised the Pope to let the Turks and the Venetians wear each other out. Pius II was aware that he was nearing his end, and his malady probably prompted the feverish impatience with which, on 18 June 1464, he assumed the cross and departed for Ancona to conduct the crusade in person. Pius condemned the enslavement of newly baptized Christians as

4410-451: The attention of the duke of Milan, as he had hoped. The archbishop of Milan named him Provost of the church of S. Lorenzo in Milan, even though he had not been elected to the post by the chapter of the church and was still a layman. The Council granted him a dispensation, despite their policy against such dispensations, which they considered a feature of papal corruption. But when Aeneas was sent on

4508-439: The badlands of Badlands National Park erode at the relatively high rate of about one inch or 25 millimetres per year. The White River draining Badlands National Park was so named for its heavy load of bentonite clay eroded from the badlands. Badlands are partially characterized by their thin to nonexistent regolith layers. The regolith profiles of badlands in arid climates are likely to resemble one another. In these regions,

4606-621: The best sites for walking through the biancanas, while Chiusure - Monte Oliveto Maggiore (i.e., the ancient Accona) and Radicofani [42°55'8.14"N; 11°44'38.82"E] host the most impressive calancos. Archaeological maps of the Siena province show that the Crete Senesi area was inhabited in Etruscan and Roman times. Almost every slope contains remnants of that period. The periods of the Barbarian invasions,

4704-525: The bull "In Minoribus Agentes," addressed to the rector and members of the University of Cologne. In it, he withdrew his treatise against Pope Eugene IV and in favor of the Council of Basel. It contained the famous remark, "reject Aeneas, retain Pius" ( Aeneam rejicite, Pium recipite ). In spite of suffering from a fever, Pope Pius II left Rome for Ancona on 18 June 1464, arriving on 18 July. He hoped to increase

4802-576: The cardinals and merchants. He was executed on 31 October. The European powers, however, had not ceased their pressure for the appointment of more cardinals. The cardinals, however, were insistent that there should be no creation of non-Italians. An agreement was finally reached that there would be six new cardinals, three Italians and three "ultramontani", thereby preserving the balance of power. On 18 December 1461, six cardinals were announced: Bartolomeo Roverella , archbishop of Ravenna; Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati , bishop of Pavia; Francesco Gonzaga , who

4900-404: The cardinals to vote for the duke's almoner, Jean Jouffroy, bishop of Arras. He wrote that it was because the cardinals would have no ultramontanes as cardinals. Pius was recalled to Rome, reaching the city on 6 October 1460. His presence was urged by the disturbances occasioned by Tiburzio di Maso , who, when captured, confessed that he had planned to overthrow the papal government and plunder

4998-408: The conclave to choose his successor lasted from 4 to 6 March 1447. Aeneas Sylvius was one of the four ambassadors chosen to be the guardians of the conclave. The new pope, Tommaso Parentucelli, chose the name Nicholas V , and immediately confirmed Aeneas in his posts of papal subdeacon and secretary, and appointed him to carry the papal cross at his coronation. One of the first acts of Pope Nicholas

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5096-512: The conclave to elect his successor should take place only in Rome, contrary to previous practice. On 11 January 1459 Pope Pius appointed Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa Vicar-General of the city of Rome and of the Patrimony of S. Peter; and on 15 January he named Bishop Galeazzo Cavrini of Mantua his Governor of Rome. He finally set out for the north on 22 January. While at Mantua, he undertook to mediate in

5194-530: The countryside. Hence, erosion and floods are testified in several documents, including t Lorenzetti's Buongoverno frescos (1340) that show biancanas while severe floods are reported. The climate was characterized by droughts and extreme events that led to a shortage of food in Italy and necessitated imports from abroad. This forced Siena to invest a large part of its wealth in facing these difficulties, and divert funds from other priorities such as flood prevention. In

5292-400: The current cardinals, whose consent was necessary. On 4 March 1460, the Wednesday of Ember Days , a formal consistory was held to make the final decisions on the candidates. Pope Pius' opening address was frank and detailed in cataloguing the shortcomings and faults of the luxurious lifestyle of the cardinals, and their activities on behalf of monarchs rather than the church: "Your lifestyle

5390-810: The deposits to about 10m from the surface, favoring localized water infiltration and the excavation of subterranean tunnels. In natural, unstressed conditions, soils can develop as deep as 1.5 m, with removal of sodium by the leaching action of infiltration water. The present situation is characterized by the presence of eroded or poorly developed soils especially in the badlands. Intense animal activities (trampling, overgrazing ) and anthropic activities (deforestation, tillage operations, exposure of bare soil surface to weather agents on excessively sloping grounds) favor surface soil erosion, causing small rivulets, rills and gullies. The rate of soil erosion varies from zero to 1–2 mm of soil removed yearly. If gullies are excavated by concentrating overland flow, erosion values in

5488-571: The desert of Accona referred at first to the absence of farmers in Accona and/or the lack of strong spiritual leadership, a role that the Olivetans had filled. Later, between 1830 and 1850 when the badlands were at their maximum, the label "Accona desert" was adopted by scholars and learned persons to convey the feeling of desolation felt when in the midst of the biancana fields or the calanco gullies . 43°11′44.19″N 11°34′22.43″E  /  43.1956083°N 11.5728972°E  / 43.1956083; 11.5728972 Badlands Badlands are

5586-421: The dispute between Sigismund of Austria and Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa over the bishopric of Brixen, which had been given Nicholas by Pope Nicholas V in 1450, without the consent of the emperor, the count of Tyrol (Sigismund), or the cathedral chapter of Brixen. A public reconciliation was arranged, but no resolution of the basic problem was achieved, but rather postponed to a Diet to be held at Trent two years in

5684-426: The early 1900s, the area was used for agricultural purposes, predominantly cattle grazing . Agricultural use ceased by 1931 and natural recovery of the majority of the property began. Once established, however, this type of erosion can continue rapidly, if land clearing, overgrazing, and increased foot traffic by humans persists, as the shale is highly susceptible to erosion. An example of badlands created by mining

5782-463: The election. He was crowned Pope on the front steps of St. Peter's Basilica on 3 September 1458 by the Protodeacon, Cardinal Prospero Colonna. From the first day of his papacy, Pius' greatest priority was freeing Europe from the threat of the Turks, through a great crusade. He had also been preparing a bull, which in the event he never published, outlining his plans for a reform of the Roman Curia. After allying himself with Ferdinand (Ferrante),

5880-401: The end of the 20th century.   Asciano, with its surroundings, was a major town in the Sienese territory for a long time and contributed to the Republic's economy in a substantial way, gaining Sienese citizenship in 1369. A few kilometers south of Asciano, the small town of Chiusure grew around the seventh century church of Sant'Angelo in Luco, even though the hill on which the village

5978-414: The eroded areas expanded, reaching a maximum in the 19th century. This picture is substantially confirmed by soil denudation rates estimated using average erosion in the basin of the river Ombrone , which drains the area, and on the denudation rates of the two largest biancanas of the Leonina site and the gully in between. Biancana badlands reclamation began at the end of the 19th century and ended during

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6076-480: The existence of a settlement in Leonina. At the time of the Black Death , (1348 with several returns of the plague in the following 60–70 years ) Leonina's population halved from more than 150-160 to about 60 at the beginning of 1400. This fate was common to Siena, Asciano and the whole territory of the Sienese Republic: Siena's population fell from about 50,000 before the Black Death to 14-16,000 in 1400-1450 (Ginatempo, 1990) and returned to pre-plague levels only at

6174-453: The field is lost at rates between 1 and 4 cm yearly. For medieval tilling techniques, the estimated erosion rate would have been around 2 cm/year. Considering an alternation of years with and without ploughing, 300 years would have been enough to expose the subsoil still rich in sodium. Sodium gives dispersive characteristics to the clay, making it very erodible, hence increasing the velocity of rain-induced erosion. The first half of

6272-476: The first city-planning exercise in modern Europe. He refurbished his hometown of Corsignano ( province of Siena ) and renamed it Pienza , after himself. A cathedral and palaces were built in the best style of the day to decorate the city. They survive to this day. He also issued a papal bull , Cum almam nostram urbem , on 28 April 1462, prohibiting damage to ancient ruins in Rome or Campagna . On 26 April 1463, Pius II published his most famous retracation in

6370-431: The fourteenth century was characterized by social unrest due to the transformation from farmers who owned their land to large land holdings with the property subdivided into poderi. Each pderi was managed by a farmer (mezzadro) and his family living on the fields in a crop sharing system. At the same time foreign armies (e.g. Henry VII 's, mercenaries) passing through the Sienese territory interfered with normal activities in

6468-541: The future. Sigismund, who had not been friendly toward the papacy for some years, left Mantua on 29 November 1459, even more irritated than before. Pius' efforts had failed. Both returned to the north, and in April 1460 trouble broke out again. Cusa, who was at Bruneck and engaged in negotiations with Sigismund, was surrounded, captured by the archduke, and forced to agree to Sigismund's demands. Cusa appealed to Pius II. A restrained Pius only summoned Sigismund to appear before him and explain his conduct, but Sigismund appealed to

6566-424: The half-brother of Pope Nicholas V , were also candidates, and he thought that Calandrini might win. Aeneas and his friend Cardinal Calandrini of Bologna immediately headed from Viterbo to Rome, and when they reached the gate of the city, they were met by a friendly assembly of courtiers and common people, who shouted that one or the other of them would be made pope. On the evening of the death of Cardinal Capranica,

6664-460: The humanities curriculum, and then that of civil law. At Siena he studied under the Augustinian Andreas of Milan, the noted historian. His preceptor and professor of civil law was Antonio de Rosellis. He also studied law under Mariano Sozzini. He then attended the university of Florence where he studied under Francesco Filelfo , and where he became friends with Poggio Bracciolini , Leonardo Bruni , and Guarino da Verona . He settled in Siena as

6762-401: The morale of the crusading army. However, the armed forces melted away at Ancona for want of transport and the outbreak of pestilence, and when at last the Venetian fleet arrived, led by Doge Cristoforo Moro , the dying Pope could only view it from a window. He died two days later, on 14 August 1464. The cardinals at Ancona decided to put the papal galleys in the hands of the doge of Venice, on

6860-450: The names of those who nominated themselves, or who had been nominated by others." When he finished, Cardinal Scarampi rose to speak. He remarked that Pius' predecessors had named nobles, eminent for learning and holy life. But he was proposing people whom Scarampi would not employ in his kitchen or in his stables. In fact, according to the cardinal, there was no need for new cardinals: "With too many of us, our value declines." Finally, Pius

6958-441: The nearest shrine was 10 miles (16 km) distant at Whitekirk . The journey through the ice and snow left Aeneas afflicted with pain in his legs for the rest of his life. Only when he arrived at Newcastle did he feel that he had returned to "a civilised part of the world and the inhabitable face of the Earth", Scotland and the far north of England being "wild, bare and never visited by the sun in winter". In Scotland, he fathered

7056-604: The offer to become one of the electors of a successor to Pope Eugene IV was not enough for him to overcome his reluctance. He supported the creation of the Antipope Felix V (Amadeus, Duke of Savoy) in November 1439, and participated in his coronation. In 1440, he composed a work in defense of the authority of the general council of Basel, the Libellus dialogorum de generalis concilii auctoritate et gestis Basileensium . Aeneas then

7154-719: The papal authority in France had been weakened. But Louis XI had expected that Pius II would in return espouse the French cause in Naples , and when he found himself disappointed he virtually re-established the Pragmatic Sanction by royal ordinances. Pius II built a fortress in Tivoli called Rocca Pia in 1461. The Diocese of Ljubljana was established on 6 December 1461 by Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor . On 9 September 1462, Pope Pius confirmed

7252-541: The papal court of Rome and the German imperial electors. He played a leading role in concluding a compromise in 1447 by which the dying Pope Eugenius accepted the reconciliation tendered by the German princes. The documents were signed on 5 February and 7 February 1447. As a result, the council and the antipope were left without support. He was ordained a priest in Vienna on 4 March 1446. Pope Eugenius died on 23 February 1447, and

7350-541: The results gave Piccolomini 9 votes, and D'Estouteville 6. After intense intrigue among the cardinals, including a private meeting of the Italian cardinals, who were urged by Cardinal Barbo of Venice to choose the Italian Piccolomini over the French d'Estouteville, Aeneas was able to secure enough votes for his candidacy after the second ballot at the accessio , to be elected with 12 votes. All 18 cardinals then ratified

7448-435: The second half of the 14th century the abrupt and large demographic decrease due to the plagues resulted in the farming population of small owners and mezzadri needing to manage twice as much livestock and land per capita. With no resources for maintenance, the only use for a severely eroded field was animal grazing. Hence, the eroded fields became irrecoverable. The lack of personnel persisted for about two centuries during which

7546-899: The second half of the 20th century when bulldozers removed almost all the biancanas and some of the smallest calancos, encouraged by EU subsidies then available under the Common Agricultural Policy . Thus it can be said that damage mainly due to an epidemic (Black Death) was eventually solved by the EU-CAP of 1960-2000. The natural and social history of the Crete Senese does not leave much room, either temporal or spatial, for any physical desert. Nevertheless, there certainly were large areas that progressively became severely eroded and devoid of vegetation. The Accona podere when Bernardo Tolomei retired there in 1313 may have been in poor condition, certainly without any mezzadro. Hence, in all likelihood,

7644-466: The site of the Tolomei's Accona podere (farm). Pope Pius II (Enea Piccolomini) visited the monastery during his papacy (1458-1464) and described the area as rich in olive trees , fruit trees , almonds , vines , orchards , small cypress woods, oaks and junipers . Furthermore, Pius II added, there was water: a perennial spring, wells, tanks, and cisterns. From this time until 1796, the monastery played

7742-588: The time scale for this process is many decades. Badlands are found on all the continents except Antarctica . The presence of unconsolidated sediments is a strong control on their locations. The Valle de la Luna ("Valley of the Moon") is one of many examples of badland formations in midwestern Argentina . The Cheltenham Badlands are in Caledon, Ontario , not far from Canada's largest city Toronto . The Big Muddy Badlands in Saskatchewan gained notoriety as

7840-522: The understanding that they would be handed over to the next pope. They also sent the 48,000 gold ducats which Pius had on hand for the crusade to Matthias of Hungary . The crusade of Pius II was at an end. Despite the canonical requirement that the conclave to elect a successor should take place in the place where he died, Pius II's body was taken to Rome and interred at the Vatican, in Old St. Peter's Basilica, in

7938-509: The upper layer (~1–5 cm or 0.4–2.0 in) is typically composed of silt , shale , and sand (a byproduct of the weathered shale). This layer can form either a compact crust or a looser, more irregular aggregation of "popcorn" fragments. Located beneath the top layer is a sublayer (~5–10 cm or 2.0–3.9 in), below which can be found a transitional shard layer (~10–40 cm or 3.9–15.7 in), formed largely of loose disaggregated shale chips, which in turn eventually gives way to

8036-452: The vegetation to remove brush and favor herbaceous cover more palatable for sheep , goats , and cattle . Both practices were abandoned in the 1990s to favor measures to preserve biodiversity and geo forms under the EU Natura 2000 program. Conservation has almost stopped erosion in both types of badlands and vegetation now covers the majority of the area that was once bare slopes. As there is

8134-498: Was a delegate of Frederick III at the Diet of Ratisbon in February 1454. In August 1455, Aeneas again travelled to Rome on an embassy which included Johann Hinderbach to proffer the obedience of Germany to the new pope, Calixtus III . The ceremony took place on 12 August in a public consistory. As instructed, the envoys pressed the pope for a war against the Turks, which pleased Calixtus, who

8232-484: Was a soldier and member of the House of Piccolomini , and his mother was Vittoria Forteguerri, who had 18 children including several twins, though no more than ten were alive at one time. The plague ( iniqua lues ) finally left him with only two sisters, Laudamia and Catherina. He worked with his father in the fields for some years. In 1423, at the age of 18, he left to study at the university of Siena , where he first followed

8330-546: Was able to secure a positive vote on five names, and he was able to pressure the cardinals into accepting his own nomination of a sixth. These were: Angelo Capranica , bishop of Rieti and brother of Cardinal Domenico Capranica ; Bernardo Eroli , bishop of Spoleto; Niccolò Fortiguerra , bishop of Teano; Alessandro Oliva de Saxoferrato, the Prior General of the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine (the pope's choice, whose candidacy

8428-692: Was also concluded by the success of the Pope's ally the Aragonese Ferdinand. In particular, the Pope engaged for most of his reign in what looked like a personal war against Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta , Lord of Rimini , with the result of the almost complete submission of that condottiero. Pius II also tried mediation in the Thirteen Years' War of 1454–66 between Poland and the Teutonic Knights , but, when he failed to achieve success, cast an anathema over Polish and Prussians both. Pius II

8526-498: Was also engaged in a series of disputes with King George of Bohemia and Archduke Sigismund of Austria (who was excommunicated for having arrested Nicholas of Cusa , Bishop of Brixen ). In June 1461, Pius II canonized Saint Catherine of Siena . In October 1461, he gained what at first appeared to be a brilliant success by inducing the new king of France, Louis XI , to abolish the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges , by which

8624-406: Was appointed secretary and protonotary in the imperial chancellery. There he obtained the patronage of the emperor's chancellor, Kaspar Schlick. Some identify the love adventure that Aeneas related in his romance The Tale of Two Lovers (1444) with an escapade of the chancellor. Of his activities at this period in his life, Ferdinand Gregorovius , the historian of medieval Rome, wrote, "Versed in

8722-600: Was brought from Patras in the Peloponnese to Rome by Thomas Palaeologus. Pius II succeeded in reconciling the Emperor and the King of Hungary, and derived great encouragement as well as pecuniary advantage from the discovery of mines of alum in the papal territory at Tolfa , c. 1459. However, France was estranged; the Duke of Burgundy broke his positive promises; Milan was engrossed with

8820-678: Was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, and orator, and private secretary of Antipope Felix V and then the Emperor Frederick III , and then Pope Eugenius IV. He participated in the Council of Basel , but left it in 1443 to follow Frederick, whom he reconciled to the Roman obedience. He became Bishop of Trieste in 1447, Bishop of Siena in 1450, and

8918-608: Was hostile to the idea of a crusade. Two cardinals had died six months previously, Antonio de la Cerda y Lloscos and the Infante Jaime of Portugal . Some of the Italian cardinals, led by the Patriarch of Aquileia, Lodovico Scampi , were hostile to him personally and skeptical of his project. Pius decided to hold a consistory for the creation of new cardinals. Suggestions poured in from all sides, petitioning for at least ten new cardinals. During Lent of 1460, he began consultations with

9016-525: Was joined by his recent host in Mantua, Ludovico Gonzaga . Pius described his delight with country life in very pleasing language. At the same time, since he had long been concerned with the content of the College of Cardinals and with the behavior of some of its members, The French faction among the cardinals, especially d'Estouteville and Alain de Coëtivy , obstructed every move that might harm King Louis XI , who

9114-503: Was much resisted); Pius' nephew Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini , a protonotary apostolic ; and Burkhard von Weisbriach , archbishop of Salzburg. The appointment of Weisbriach was not made public until 31 May 1462, to avoid offending the foreign powers. The five cardinals whose names were published were all Italians. On 7 March 1460, Pope Pius had to write to the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good , apologizing for having been unable to convince

9212-414: Was of the same mind. He brought strong recommendations from Frederick and Ladislaus V of Hungary (also King of Bohemia) for the nomination of Aeneas to the cardinalate, but delays arose from the Pope's resolution to promote his own nephews first, which he did on 17 September 1456. Finally, on 17 December 1456, he was named a cardinal, and next day he was assigned the titular church of Santa Sabina on

9310-618: Was only 17; Jean Jouffroy , the nomination of Louis XI and Philip the Good; Louis d'Albret , son of the Count of Dreux; and Jaume Cardona , bishop of Urgel. The name of Burkhard von Weisbriach of Salzburg was also finally published. In the struggle for the Kingdom of Naples between the supporters of the House of Aragon and the House of Anjou , the Papal States were at this time troubled by rebellious barons and marauding condottieri , whom he gradually, though momentarily, quelled. The Neapolitan War

9408-482: Was sent by Cardinal Niccolò Albergati , Eugenius IV's legate at the council, on a secret mission to Scotland , the object of which is variously related even by himself. He visited England as well as Scotland, underwent many perils and vicissitudes in both countries and left an account of each. The journey to Scotland proved so tempestuous that Piccolomini swore that he would walk barefoot to the nearest shrine of Our Lady from their landing port. This proved to be Dunbar ;

9506-557: Was sent to Strasbourg , where he fathered a child, a son, with a Breton woman called Elizabeth. The baby died 14 months later. Piccolomini served briefly as secretary to Pope Felix, and in 1442 was sent as envoy to the Diet of Frankfurt . On 27 July 1442, at Frankfurt, Frederick III , King of the Romans celebrated him as Poet Laureate, and offered him a position at court as his secretary. In January 1443, Aeneas resigned as secretary of Felix V, and

9604-407: Was to appoint Aeneas Bishop of Trieste on 17 April 1447. On 13 August 1447, at Cologne, Bishop Aeneas wrote the first Epistola retractationis, ad Magistr. Jordanum . Pope Nicholas transferred him to the diocese of Siena on 23 September 1450. In 1450, Aeneas was sent as ambassador by Emperor Frederick III to negotiate his marriage with Princess Eleonore of Portugal . In 1451, he undertook

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