Editing Pope Martin V (section)

===Position on slavery===
 
During the Middle Ages, slavery had fallen out of usage in Europe, with the Church denouncing enslavement of Christians;{{cn|date=March 2025}} however, voyages and discoveries brought other continents, where slavery still existed, into European contact, raising the question of whether slavery of unbelievers and outside of Europe was permitted.{{cn|date=March 2025}} According to Burton, Pope Martin V authorized a crusade against Africa in 1418, and this, coupled with a later bull of [[Pope Eugene IV]] (1441), sanctioned the Portuguese trade in African slaves.<ref name=Burton-p197>{{Harvnb|Burton|2007|p=197}}.</ref>  In March 1425, Davis notes that a bull was issued that threatened excommunication for any dealers in Christian slaves and ordered Jews to wear a "badge of infamy" to deter, in part, the buying of Christians.<ref>{{Harvnb|Davis|1988|p=100}}.</ref> Setton states that in June 1425 Martin [[anathema]]tized those who sold Christian slaves to Muslims.<ref name="The Papacy and the Levant, p. 46">{{Harvnb|Setton|1978|p=46}}.</ref> Maxwell states that traffic in Christian slaves was not banned, instead it was purely sales to non-Christian owners.<ref>{{cite book |title=Slavery and the Catholic Church |first=John Francis |last=Maxwell |page=49 |publisher=Barry Rose |location=Chichester |year=1975 |isbn=9780859920155 }}</ref> Davidson argues that the papal bull of excommunication issued to the Genoese merchants of [[Caffa]] related to the buying and selling of Christians, but was considered ineffectual, as prior injunctions against the Viennese—including the Laws of Gazaria—made allowances for the sale of both Christian and Muslim slaves.<ref>{{Harvnb|Davidson|1961|p=41}}.</ref> Semmes states that ten black African slaves were presented to Martin by [[Prince Henry of Portugal]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Semmes|1996}}{{page needed|date=March 2025}} citing {{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Vincent Bakpetu|title=The Making of the African Diaspora in the Americas, 1441-1900|year=1987|publisher=Longman|location=New York, NY}}{{page needed|date=March 2025}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2025}} Other scholarly sources argue that Martin supported colonial expansion.<ref>{{cite book | editor = Koschorke, Klaus; Ludwig, Frieder; Delgado, Mariano & Spliesgart, Roland | year=2007 | chapter = Africa: Africa 1450-1600. B. European Expansion and New Discoveries. 113. The Papal Privileges of Portugal | title=A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, 1450–1990: A Documentary Sourcebook | page=144 | location=Grand Rapids, MI |publisher=W.B. Eerdmans |isbn=9780802828897 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dbq6fkyp698C | access-date = 16 March 2025 }} Note, the Google Books entry for this errantly states Roland Spliesgart as lead author (rather than fourth editor) of this edited work. Note also, the referenced content in this WP article is not available using this URL.</ref> Davidson argues that Martin's injunction against slavery was not a condemnation of slavery itself, but rather driven through fear of "infidel power".<ref>{{Harvnb|Davidson|1961|p=100 fn 8}}.</ref>

Norman Housley states that "political weakness compelled the Renaissance Papacy to adopt an acquiescent and unchallenging position when approached for requests for privileges in favour of these ventures", and that he viewed it "hard to avoid the conclusion that the pope was agreeing to whatever was asked of him by the king".{{what|date=March 2025}}<ref name=Housley>{{cite book| author = Housley, Norman | date = 2002 | title = Religious Warfare in Europe 1400–1536 | page = 182 | location = Oxford, England | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 9780198208112 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2QYdZlGcNpQC | access-date = 16 March 2025}} Note, the referenced content is not available using this URL.</ref>