Pope John XXI issues another collection of…

Andronikos compels the old emperor to recognize him as coemperor in 1325, with control over the provinces of Thrace and Macedonia.

The civil war continues, however, as the younger Andronikos continues to oppose his grandfather, further weakening imperial power against the encircling Ottoman Turks.

Stefan Dushan, as “young king”—too young to be able to pursue more active policies—governs the maritime provinces of the Serbian state.

He has to reconcile himself to the loss, in 1235, of the most westerly region of Serbia, …

… the land of Hum (later called Herzegovina) to Bosnian ban Stephen (Stjepan) Kotromanic, who, extending his domain southward, incorporates also the Adriatic coastline between Split and the Neretva River.

The Expansion of Vincent of Beauvais’s Speculum Majus (1310–1325)

Between 1310 and 1325, a fourth part was added to Vincent of Beauvais’s Speculum Majus, the most comprehensive medieval encyclopedia, originally compiled in the mid-13th century. This new section, focusing on morals, expanded the encyclopedia’s scope beyond history, nature, and knowledge to include ethical and philosophical reflections.

The Structure of the Speculum Majus

• Originally, the encyclopedia consisted of three parts:

  1. Speculum Naturale (Mirror of Nature) – A collection of knowledge about the natural world.
  2. Speculum Doctrinale (Mirror of Doctrine) – A compilation of philosophical and practical knowledge.
  3. Speculum Historiale (Mirror of History) – A universal history of the world.

• The fourth part, added in the early 14th century, was called the Speculum Morale (Mirror of Morals).

Sources and Compilation

• The Speculum Morale drew heavily from:
  • Thomas Aquinas, incorporating elements of his moral philosophy and theology.
  • Stephen de Bourbon, a Dominican preacher known for his moral exempla and critiques of heresy.
  • Other contemporary medieval thinkers, making it a reflection of 14th-century Scholastic thought.

Impact and Legacy

• The addition of the Speculum Morale made the Speculum Majus a more complete guide to medieval knowledge, integrating theology, ethics, and philosophy into its encyclopedic framework.
• The Speculum Majus remained the most widely used reference work in medieval Europe, influencing scholars, clergy, and educators for centuries.
• Its moral teachings reinforced the values of medieval Christendom, aligning natural philosophy and history with Christian doctrine.

The addition of a moral section to the Speculum Majus (1310–1325) reflected the growing emphasis on ethics in medieval scholarship, ensuring the encyclopedia’s continued relevance as the premier intellectual resource of the Middle Ages.

A war had erupted between cousins Louis V of Germany and Frederick the Fair of Austria for the imperial crown after the death of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, in August 1313.

The ambitious Pope John XXII sees himself as the ultimate judge and arbiter in the conflict.

When Louis V ignored papal decrees and assumed full imperial authority, the pope had excommunicated Louis and rallied European nobility against him.

The Margraviate of Brandenburg was ruled by the House of Ascania, which became extinct with the deaths of Waldemar in 1319 and Henry II in 1320.

The succession crisis caused a lot of confusion.

Louis V considered the margraviate vacant and, after his victory in the Battle of Mühldorf, appoints his son also named Louis as Margrave of Brandenburg in 1323.

That has created a common border between possessions of Louis V and Polish King Władysław I, who compete for influence in the Duchy of Silesia.

The Poles also regard Lubusz Land, which has been incorporated into Neumark (East Brandenburg), as their territory.

Thus, it does not take much encouragement from Pope John XXII to convince King Władysław to attack Brandenburg.

In late 1324 or early 1325, Gediminas of Lithuania had concluded a military alliance with Poland primarily directed against the Teutonic Knights, a crusading military order.

The alliance had been cemented by the marriage of Gediminas' daughter Aldona and Władysław's son Casimir.

In 1322, Gediminas had sent a letter to Pope John XXII with vague promises to convert to Christianity.

Seeing a potential new ally, the Pope had sent a delegation to Lithuania and by threat of excommunication had compelled the Teutonic Knights, who support Louis V of Germany, to make peace with Gediminas in August 1324.

The peace will remain in effect for four years until 1328.

On February 7, 1326, with the help of papal legates, Władysław I concludes an armistice at Łęczyca with the Teutonic Knights and three Masovian dukes which guarantees safe passage for the Lithuanian troops through Prussia and Masovia while they are in "Polish service".

The truce is to last to Christmas 1326 and, according to chronicler Detmar von Lübeck, papal legates even accompany the army to ensure the Knights observe the armistice.

On February 10, 1326, David of Hrodna leads twelve hundred Lithuanian men to join the Polish forces.

The joint Polish-Lithuanian army loots and robs Frankfurt, Berlin, and surrounding territories.

Thus, the pagans reach Central Europe and strike the Holy Roman Empire, which shocks western rulers.

Not meeting any organized resistance, they plunder churches and monasteries for about a month.

Reportedly, they take six thousand prisoners as slaves and much booty.

The loot is large enough to allow Samogitian duke Margiris to pay twenty thousand florins to King John of Bohemia when he raids Medvėgalis in 1329.

German chronicles, including Nikolaus von Jeroschin, vividly describe atrocities committed by the invaders.

They are particularly scandalized by pagan Lithuanians who show no respect for Christian symbols, establishments, or personnel.

Reportedly distraught by Lithuanian cruelty, Masurian nobleman Andrew Gost ambushes and kills David of Hrodna and their way back to Lithuania.

The raid on the Neumark region is a successful military campaign and brings much loot, but it is not a political success.

The raid further antagonizes Poland and the Teutonic Knights.

The tension soon turns into the Polish–Teutonic War (1326–32).

Silesian Piasts turn against Poland and recognize the suzerainty of King John of Bohemia.

The alliance between the Pope and the pagan Lithuanians, subjects of the Lithuanian Crusade, scandalizes western rulers and damaged the Pope's reputation.

Louis will succeed in 1328 in installing Antipope Nicholas V.

The Polish–Lithuanian alliance, which will survive to 1331, ruins the Lithuanian alliance with the Duchy of Masovia, which has oscillated between Poland, Lithuania, and the Teutonic Knights in attempt to maintain its independence.

Gediminas' hopes of creating a Polish–Lithuanian–Hungarian alliance against the Teutonic–Bohemian alliance do not materialize.

Instead, the raid encourages John of Bohemia to join the Lithuanian Crusade and capture Medvėgalis in 1329.

Nicomedia, after a period of decline under the Eastern Roman Empire, falls in 1326 to the Ottomans, who rename it Izmit.

Corsica remains in the hands of the Genoese rulers.

The Aragonese defeat the Pisans by 1326 to take control of the Sardinian cities of Iglesias and …