BASEL (ba-zel), BASLE, or BALE, a canton and city of Switzerland. The can ton borders on Alsace and Baden, has an area of 163 square miles, and a popula tion of about 225,000, nearly all speaking German. It is divided into two half-can tons, Basel city (Basel-Stadt) and Basel country (Basel-Landschaft). The former consists of the city and its precincts, the remainder of the canton forming Basel Landschaft, the capital of which is Lie stal. The city of Basel is 43 miles N. of Bern, and consists of two parts on oppo site sides of the Rhine, has an ancient cathedral, founded 1010, containing the tombs of Erasmus and other eminent per sons; a university, founded in 1459, with an important library, a museum contain ing the valuable public library, pictures, etc. The industries embrace silk ribbons, tanning, paper, aniline dyes, brewing, etc.; and the advantageous position of Basel, a little below where the Rhine be were to extirpate heresies (that of the Hussites in particular), to unite all Chris tian nations under the Catholic Church, to put a stop to wars between Christian princes, and to reform the Church. But its first steps toward a peaceable recon ciliation with the Hussites were displeas ing to the Pope, who authorized the Car dinal Legate to dissolve the Council. That body opposed the pretensions of the Pope, and, notwithstanding his repeated orders to remove to Italy, continued its deliberations under the protection of the Emperor Sigismund, of the German princes, and of France. On the Pope
continuing to issue bulls for its dissolu tion the Council commenced a formal process against him, and cited him to ap pear at its bar. On his refusal to com ply with this demand the Council de clared him guilty of contumacy, and, af ter Eugenius had opened a counter synod at Ferrara, decreed his suspension from the papal chair (Jan. 24, 1438). The re moval of Eugenius, however, seemed so impracticable, that some prelates, in cluding the Cardinal Legate Juliano, left Basel, and went over to the party of Eugenius. The Archbishop of Arles, Cardinal Louis Allemand, was now made First President of the Council. In May, 1439, it declared Eugenius a heretic and formally deposed him. Excommunicated by Eugenius, they elected the Duke Am adeus of Savoy to the papal chair. Felix V.—the name he adopted—was acknowl edged by only a few princes, cities, and universities. After this the moral power of the Council declined; it was dissolved May 7, 1449, when it gave in its adhe sion to Nicholas V., the successor of Eu genius. The decrees of the Council of Basel are admitted into none of the Ro man collections. They are regarded, however, as of authority in points of canon law in France and Germany, as their regulations for the reformation of the Church have been adopted in the pragmatic sanctions of both countries.