Juan de Torquemada (cardinal)


Juan de Torquemada, O.P.,, Spanish ecclesiastic, was born at Valladolid, and was educated in that city.

Life

Juan de Torquemada was born in Valladolid, Spain. At an early age he joined the Dominican Order, and soon distinguished himself for learning and devotion. In 1415 he accompanied the general of his order to the Council of Constance. Thereafter he proceeded to the University of Paris for study, and took his doctor's degree in theology in 1423. After teaching for some time in Paris, he became prior of the Dominican house in Valladolid, and then in Toledo.
Torquemada attended the Council of Basel as a representative of his order and of the King of Castile. At the Council of Basel he was one of the ablest supporters of the viewpoint of pope Eugene IV and the Roman curia. He was rewarded with the office of Master of the Sacred Palace, and later with a cardinal's hat in 1439. Torquemada participated in the Council of Florence, speaking on theological issues involving the eastern churches and defending papal primacy in a debate with Cardinal Giuliano Cesarini. He also worked on behalf of Pope Eugene on missions to Germany and France before settling in the Roman curia. As Cardinal of San Sisto, Torquemada supported papal Crusade policy in opposition to the Ottoman Turks. He also defended the conversos of Toledo against accusations that they were not true Christians. Torquemada promoted reform of religious houses of his order and of monasteries. In 1456, the new Pope Callixtus III, aka Alfonso de Borja, gave him, in commendam, the position of Abbot of the monastery of Santa Scolastica in Subiaco. This connection may explain his interest in the importation of printing into Rome. The cardinal wrote extensively on behalf of papal primacy. Most notably, his Summa de ecclesia defended the Church against the Hussites and the Roman pontiff against conciliarism.
Torquemada became cardinal priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere, then cardinal bishop of Palestrina, and last cardinal bishop of Sabina. He participated in four papal elections, casting the deciding vote in the election of Pope Nicholas V.
He died at Rome in 1468 and was buried at Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
A painting by Antoniazzo Romano showing the Annunciation has in its background Torquemada presenting girls who received dowry funds from a guild he founded to the Virgin Mary.

Works

Torquemada's principal works are:
The Summa de ecclesia has the following topical books:
  1. De universa ecclesia
  2. De Ecclesia romana et pontificis primatu
  3. De universalibus conciliis
  4. De schismaticis et haereticis.
His De conceptione deiparae Mariae, libri viii., was edited with preface and notes by E. B. Pusey in opposition to Pope Pius IX's definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
Other works include polemical tracts and sermons.
Torquemada's Meditationes'' was the first illustrated book published in Italy. The first edition of the book was published in 1467 in Rome by Ulrich Han.