Great Schism

Taken from the AP World History Book



Gregory XI died in Rome the spring after his return to Rome in 1377. When the college of cardinals met to elect a new pope, the citizens of Tome, fearful that the French majority would choose another Frenchman who would move the papacy back to Avignon, threatened that the cardinals would not leave Rome alive unless a Roman or Italian were elected pope. Wisely, the terrified cardinals duly elected the Italian archbishop of Bari as Pope Urban VI.

Five months later, a group of dissenting cardinals - the French ones - declared Urban's election invalid and chose one of their number, a Frenchman, who took the title of Clement VII and promptly returned to Avignon.

Because Urban remained in Rome, there were now two popes, beginning what has been called the Great Schism of the church.

The Great Schism divided Europe. France and its allies supported the pope in Avignon, whereas France's enemy England and its allies supported the pope in Rome.

The Great Schism was also damaging to the faith of Christian believers. The pope was widely believed to be the true leader of Christendom; when both lines of popes denounced the other as the Antichrist, people's faith in the papacy and the church were undermined.

Finally, a church council met at Constance, Switzerland, in 1417. After the competing popes resigned or were deposed, a new pope was elected who was acceptable to all parties.

By the mid-fifteenth century, as a result of these crises, the church had lost much of its temporal power. Even worst, the papacy and the church had also lost much of their moral prestige.