The papal schism lasted from 1378 to 1417 and was a political division in the Catholic Church between Rome and Avignon. It was resolved with the Council of Constance, which deposed both antipopes and elected a new pope, Martin V. The schism was different from the earlier Great Schism, which was motivated by religious differences.
The papal schism was a political division in the Catholic Church that lasted from 1378 to 1417. Eventually, the situation was resolved with the Council of Constance, but not before all parties involved attempted violence, coercion and, of course, diplomacy in an attempt to fix this. This event in Western Christianity is sometimes known as the Western Schism and less commonly as the Great Schism. Referring to the papal schism as the great schism may cause confusion with the East-West schism that divided the Christian church of West and East in the 11th century.
Unlike the earlier Great Schism, which was motivated by fundamental religious differences, the papal schism was political in nature. It had to do with the conflict between Rome, Italy and Avignon, France. Rome had been the traditional stronghold of the papacy, but in the 1300s the papacy moved to Avignon. The French wished to maintain control of the papacy for political and prestige reasons, while the Romans demanded the return of the papacy to Italian soil.
In 1376, Pope Gregory XI brought the papacy back to Rome. Upon his death in 1378, the Romans elected Pope Urban VI. However, a group of renegade cardinals in France were not satisfied, and they in turn elected Pope Clement VII, who became known as the antipope. This has sparked a controversy, understandably so, as two popes should not exist at the same time. The battle between Rome and Avignon was launched, and then further confused in 1409, when a third pope was elected at a meeting in Pisa, Italy.
In 1417, a supporter of the third rival pope proposed the Council of Constance, a meeting that was supposed to resolve the situation, determine the legitimate pope, and end the papal schism. The Church realized that the event was of concern to its public relations, as well as being a bit embarrassing, and most of the parties to the council were eager to see the matter brought to a conclusion, even though they could have argued several popes.
In addition to finally deposing both antipopes, the Council of Constance also advanced a series of political and religious reforms. A new pope, Martin V, was elected, ending the papal schism and confirming Rome as the seat of the papacy. Under Pope Martin V, the authority of the papacy solidified, cementing the idea that the pope was the supreme authority in the Church and that his word was the law when it came to religious matters.
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