Papal vaticinia

Salzburg, around 1431
Parchment
Papal vaticinia (prophecies concerning the popes) developed in Italy in the 13th and 14th century within the circle of Spiritual Franciscans in fierce opposition to traditional clerical circles. The vaticinia were initially distributed as documents voicing criticism and complaint. The images mostly depict a pope with his characteristic attributes, animals, objects, figures, sometimes engaged in some activity. From the start, the images are relatively independent of the associated text. Numerous copies of the text and the images have survived, with a number of errors and inaccuracies, as in this manuscript. After 1400, the text met with great interest outside of Italy, due to the Western Schism and the attempts of reforms. This manuscript produced in Salzburg around 1430 has to be considered in this context.
Fol 1v: Martin IV (Pope from 1281 to1285, here erroneously as from 1280) was a supporter of the house of Anjou of Naples-Sicily and an adversary of the house of Staufen and the Sicilian Aragonese related to them. Here, he pierces the imperial (Staufen) or Aragonese eagle with a lance.
Fol. 2r: The "bestia terribilis", the Antichrist, prophesied as successor of Pope Gregory XI (1370 – 1378). The pope is depicted as an apocalyptic beast, alluding to the Western Schism which started under Pope Urban VI (1378 – 1389).