Historical map of the Western Schism: red is support for Avignon, blue for Rome

The Western Schism or Papal Schism (also known as the Great Schism of Western Christianity) was a split within the Catholic Church (1378 - 1417). By its end, three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any real theological disagreement, it was ended by the Council of Constance (1414-1418). The simultaneous claims by three would-be Popes hurt the reputation of the office. The Western Schism is occasionally called the Great Schism, though this term is more often applied to the East-West Schism of 1054. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 786 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1416 × 1080 pixels, file size: 533 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Other versions File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 786 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1416 × 1080 pixels, file size: 533 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Other versions File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... Events March - John Wyclif tried to gain public favour by laying his theses before parliament, and then made them public in a tract. ... Events Antipope Benedict XIII is deposed, and Pope Martin V is elected. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Pope (from Latin... The Council of Constance was an ecumenical council considered valid by the Roman Catholic Church. ... For the later Papal Schism in Avignon, see Western Schism. ... Events Cardinal Humbertus, a representative of Pope Leo IX, and Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, decree each others excommunication. ...

Origin

The schism in the western Church resulted from the return of the papacy to Rome under Pope Gregory XI in 1378, ending the Avignon Papacy, which had developed a reputation of corruption that estranged major parts of Western Christendom. This reputation can be attributed to perceptions of predominant French influence and to the papal curia's efforts to extend its powers of patronage and increase its revenues. The word schism (IPA: or ), from the Greek σχίσμα, skhísma (from σχίζω, skhízō, to tear, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization or a movement. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Pope (from Latin... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Pope Gregory XI (c. ... The Papal palace in Avignon In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1377 during which seven popes, all French, resided in Avignon: Pope Clement V: 1305–1314 Pope John XXII: 1316–1334 Pope Benedict XII: 1334–1342 Pope Clement VI... This T-and-O map, which abstracts the known world to a cross inscribed within an orb, remakes geography in the service of Christian iconography. ...

After Gregory XI died, the Romans rioted to ensure the election of a Roman for pope. The cardinals, fearing the crowds, elected a Neapolitan, when no viable Roman candidates presented himself. Pope Urban VI, born Bartolomeo Prignani, the Archbishop of Bari, was elected in 1378. Urban had been a respected administrator in the papal chancery at Avignon, but as pope he proved suspicious, overbearing, and prone to violent outbursts of temper. The cardinals who had elected him soon regretted their decision: the majority removed themselves from Rome to Anagni, where they elected Robert of Geneva as a rival pope on September 20 of the same year. Robert took the name Pope Clement VII and reestablished a papal court in Avignon. The second election threw the Church into turmoil. There had been antipopes, rival claimants to the papacy, before, but most of them had been appointed by various rival factions; in this case, the legitimate leaders of the Church themselves had created both popes. For other uses, see Cardinal (disambiguation). ... Pope Urban VI (Naples c. ... Events March - John Wyclif tried to gain public favour by laying his theses before parliament, and then made them public in a tract. ... The Apostolic Chancery, also known as Papal - or Roman Chanc(ell)ery, is a former office of the Roman Curia. ... Anagni, (Latin Anagnia) is an ancient town in Latium, Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome, famous for its connections with the papacy and for the picturesque monuments of its unspoiled historical center. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert of Geneva (1342-16 September 1394) was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism. ... For the book by Robert Rankin, see The Antipope. ...

The conflict quickly escalated from a church problem to a diplomatic crisis that divided Europe. Secular leaders had to choose which pope they would recognize:

In the Iberian Peninsula there were the Fernandine wars (Guerras fernandinas) and the 1383-1385 crisis in Portugal, during which dynastic opponents supported rival popes. Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ... Capital Valladolid Official language(s) Spanish/Castilian Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked  94,223 km²  18. ... Coat of arms of the second Duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: ; German: ) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic peoples, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks; the former gave their... Flag of Savoy This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Flanders (disambiguation). ... This article is about the medieval empire. ... History of Portugal Series Prehistoric Portugal Pre-Roman Portugal Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia Visigoths and Suevi Moorish rule and Reconquista First County of Portugal Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal Second County of Portugal Establishment of the Monarchy Consolidation of the Monarchy 1383-1385 Crisis Discoveries Portuguese Empire 1580 Crisis Iberian...

Consequences

Habemus Papam at the Council of Constance

Sustained by such national and factional rivalries throughout Catholic Christendom, the schism continued after the deaths of both initial claimants; Boniface IX, crowned at Rome in 1389, and Benedict XIII, who reigned in Avignon from 1394, maintained their rival courts. When Boniface died in 1404, the eight cardinals of the Roman conclave offered to refrain from electing a new pope if Benedict would resign; but when his legates refused on his behalf, the Roman party then proceeded to elect Pope Innocent VII. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (469x622, 96 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Pope Martin V Western Schism Habemus Papam ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (469x622, 96 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Pope Martin V Western Schism Habemus Papam ... Habemus Papam (We have a Pope!) at the Council of Constance Habemus Papam is the announcement given in Latin by the senior Cardinal Deacon upon the election of a new pope. ... Boniface IX, né Piero Tomacelli (1356 - October 1, 1404), pope (November 2, 1389 - October 1, 1404), During his time the antipope Clement VII continued to hold state as pope in Avignon under the protection of the French monarchy. ... Events February 24 - Margaret I defeats Albert in battle, thus becoming ruler of Denmark, Norway and Sweden June 28 - Battle of Kosovo between Serbs and Ottomans. ... Benedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna, (b. ... // Events Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, travels with King Richard II of England to Ireland. ... Events June 14 - Owain Glyndwr of Wales allies with the French against the English and the Henry of Lancaster. ... Roman numerals are a numeral system originating in ancient Rome, adapted from Etruscan numerals. ... Innocent VII, né Cosimo de Migliorati (ca. ...

Efforts were made to end the Schism through force or diplomacy. The French crown even tried to coerce Benedict XIII, whom it nominally supported, into resigning. None of these remedies worked. The suggestion that a church council should resolve the Schism, first made in 1378, was not adopted at first because canon law required that a pope call a council. Eventually theologians like Pierre d'Ailly and Jean Gerson, as well as canon lawyers like Francesco Zabarella, adopted arguments that equity permitted the Church to act for its own welfare in defiance of the letter of the law. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Canon law is the term used for... Pierre dAilly (1350 - 1420) was a French theologian and cardinal of the Catholic Church. ... Francesco Cardinal Zabarella, celebrated canonist (Padua, 10 August 1360 – Constance, 26 September 1417). ...

Eventually the cardinals of both factions secured an agreement that Benedict and Gregory XII would meet at Savona. They balked at the last moment, and both colleges of cardinals abandoned their popes. A church council was held at Pisa in 1409 under the auspices of the cardinals to try solving the dispute, but it added to the problem by electing a third pope, Alexander V. He reigned briefly from June 26, 1409, to his death in 1410, when he was succeeded by John XXIII, who won some but not universal support. Savona (Sàn-na in the local dialect of Ligurian) is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea, at sea-level. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      An Ecumenical Council (also sometimes Oecumenical... This article incorporates text from the public domain Catholic Encyclopedia Preliminaries The Great Schism of the West had lasted thirty years (since 1378), and none of the means employed to bring it to an end had been successful. ... Events January 1 - The Welsh surrender Harlech Castle to the English. ... Alexander V (also Peter of Candia or Peter Philarges, c. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 1 - The Welsh surrender Harlech Castle to the English. ... Antipope John XXIII, antipope of the Pisan party (1410-1415), (about 1370 - November 22, 1419), was born as Baldassare Cossa. ...

Resolution

Finally, the Council of Constance in 1414, advised by the theologian Jean Gerson, deposed John XXIII and the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII, secured the formal resignation of the Roman Pope Gregory XII (who had abdicated in 1415, but not before formally empowering the Council of Constance to elect the new pope, thus ensuring the legitimacy of the Roman line), and elected Pope Martin V, thereby permanently ending the schism. The Council of Constance was an ecumenical council considered valid by the Roman Catholic Church. ... // Events Council of Constance begins. ... Jean de Gerson Jean Charlier de Gerson (December 14, 1363 – July 12, 1429), French scholar and divine, chancellor of the university of Paris, a guiding light of the conciliar movement and the one of most the prominent theologians at the Council of Constance, was born at the village of Gerson... Antipope John XXIII Baldassare Cossa, (about 1370 – November 22, 1419), also known as John XXIII,was Pope or antipope during the Western Schism (1410–1415) and is now officially regarded by the Catholic Church as an antipope. ... Benedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna, (b. ... Gregory XII, né Angelo Correr or Corraro (died October 18, 1417), Pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Pope Innocent VII (1404–06) on November 30, 1406, having been chosen at Rome by a conclave consisting of only fifteen cardinals, under the express condition that, should antipope Benedict XIII (1394–1423... Events Friedrich I Hohenzollern (b. ... Martin V, né Oddone Colonna or Odo Colonna (1368 – February 20, 1431), Pope from 1417 to 1431, was elected on St. ...

The line of Roman popes is now recognized as the legitimate line, but this was not true before the 19th century. Efforts to tidy-up Church history led to the claim that Gregory XII had legitimized the Council of Constance. Consistent with this outcome, Pope Pius II decreed that no appeal could be made from pope to council; this left no way to undo a papal election by anyone but the elected pope. No such crisis has arisen since the 15th century, and so there has been no need to revisit this decision. The alternate papal claimants have become known in history as antipopes. Those of Avignon were dismissed by Rome early on, but the Pisan popes were included in the Annuario Pontificio well into the 20th century. Thus the Borgia pope Alexander VI took his regnal name in sequence after the Pisan Alexander V. Pope Pius II. Pius II, né Enea Silvio Piccolomini, in Latin Aeneas Sylvius (October 18, 1405 - August 14, 1464) was pope from 1458 to 1464. ... For the book by Robert Rankin, see The Antipope. ... Alexander VI, né Rodrigo Borgia (January 1, 1431 - August 18, 1503) pope (1492-1503), is the most memorable of the secular popes of the Renaissance. ...

Popes of the Western Schism

References

• The Three Popes: An Account of the Great Schism, by Marzieh Gail.
• The Great Schism: 1378, by John Holland Smith (New York 1970).
• The awesome people of the Great Schism: A study in fourteenth century ecclesiastical history, by Walter Ullmann.

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia article