The Great Papal Schism (1378–1417 AD)

Overview of the Schism

• The Great Papal Schism, also called the Great Western Schism, lasted from 1378 to 1417.
• It was a 40-year crisis where two (and later three) rival popes each claimed to be the true leader of the Catholic Church.
• This split divided the loyalty of Catholic Europe and seriously damaged the Church's unity and authority.
• The Schism came right after the "Babylonian Captivity" (the time when popes lived in Avignon, France, instead of Rome).
• It directly led to the Conciliar Movement, which said that a big Church council (called an ecumenical council) had more power than the pope in fixing problems like this.

Origins: The Double Election of 1378

• The Schism started right after Pope Gregory XI moved the papacy back from Avignon to Rome in 1377.
• He died soon after, and the cardinals (mostly French) had to pick a new pope.
• On April 1378, an angry Roman mob demanded an Italian pope.
• Under this pressure, the cardinals elected an Italian named Urban VI.
• But Urban VI turned out to be bossy, rude, and unstable, which made the cardinals regret their choice.
• The cardinals left Rome and went to Anagni.
• They said the first election was invalid because of the mob's threats.
• Then they elected a French cardinal as a second pope, Clement VII.
• Clement VII set up his court back in Avignon.
• Now there were two popes: Urban VI in Rome and Clement VII in Avignon.
• Each one excommunicated the other and their followers.
• This was different from past splits because it started inside the Church itself, not from outside rulers.
• Europe split into two camps based on politics:
  • Rome (Urban VI) was supported by England, Germany (Holy Roman Empire), Scandinavia, Bohemia, Poland, and Northern Italy.
  • Avignon (Clement VII) was supported by France, Spain, Scotland, and Southern Italy.

The Rise of the Conciliar Movement

• Having two popes fighting and cursing each other hurt the pope's respect a lot.
• Theologians from the University of Paris, like Peter d’Ailly and John Gerson, came up with a new idea called Conciliarism.
• This idea said that the real power in the Church belongs to the whole group of believers, shown through a general council.
• A council could even remove a pope if he was causing a schism or acting like a heretic.

The Council of Pisa (1409): The Three-Pope Scandal

• Cardinals from both sides (Rome and Avignon) met at the Council of Pisa in 1409 to fix the problem.
• The council said it had the right to judge the popes.
• It removed both popes: Benedict XIII (from Avignon) and Gregory XII (from Rome).
• Then it elected a new pope, Alexander V (who was soon followed by John XXIII).
• But neither of the old popes accepted being removed.
• Now there were three rival popes, which made the confusion even worse.

The Council of Constance (1414–1418)

• The Schism was finally fixed at the Council of Constance.
• It was called by Emperor Sigismund and the Pisan pope, John XXIII.
• This was one of the biggest meetings in the Middle Ages, with leaders from all over Europe.
• The council passed a very important decree called Sacrosancta.
• Sacrosancta said that a general council gets its power straight from Christ.
• Everyone, including the pope, had to obey the council on matters of faith and Church reform.
• This was a big change because it put the council above the pope.
• The council ended the three-way split in these steps:
  • It removed the Pisan pope, John XXIII, because of his bad behaviour.
  • It accepted the resignation of the Roman pope, Gregory XII.
  • It removed the Avignon pope, Benedict XIII, who refused to quit and was left alone by his Spanish supporters.
• In 1417, the council elected Cardinal Oddone Colonna as the new single pope, Martin V.
• This brought back one leader for the whole Church.

Aftermath and Failure of Reform

• The Council of Constance ended the Schism, but it also burnt the Czech reformer Jan Hus as a heretic.
• It tried to make sure the Church would keep reforming by passing a decree called Frequens.
• Frequens said future councils must meet regularly (every 5 years at first, then 7, then 10) to fix problems.
• But once the Church was united again, the new popes (Martin V and later ones like Eugenius IV) worked to weaken the Conciliar Movement.
• The next big council, the Council of Basel (1431–1449), fought with the popes but lost.
• In the end, the popes became the absolute rulers of the Church again.
• The Schism's problems, like corruption, were not really fixed.
• This failure helped create the conditions for the Protestant Reformation about 100 years later.

How Rival Popes Impacted Ordinary European Citizens

• The two (and three) popes each claimed to be the true leader, so people were confused about who to follow.
• Kings and countries picked sides based on politics, which split families, friends, and even whole nations.
• Ordinary people had to decide which pope's priests to trust for baptisms, marriages, and forgiveness of sins.
• This caused fear and doubt about salvation, since one side said the other was fake and their sacraments didn't count.
• It also led to higher taxes and wars as rulers fought over Church lands and power.
• Many felt the Church was broken, which made them question its authority and look for new ways to practise faith.

What Happened to the Rival Popes? After the Council of Constance

• The Council of Constance removed all three rival popes in different ways to make way for one new pope, Martin V.
• John XXIII (the Pisan pope): He called the council but ran away in disguise when he saw it wanted to replace him. He was caught, brought back, tried for bad behaviour and immorality (including selling Church jobs), and officially removed in 1415. He had to give up his claim to the papacy.
• Gregory XII (the Roman pope): He agreed to step down on his own, but only after he was allowed to officially start the council (to make it legal for his side). After resigning in 1415, he was made a cardinal and lived with honour until he died two years later at age 90.
• Benedict XIII (the Avignon pope): He refused to quit, even when Emperor Sigismund went to Narbonne to beg him. His supporters (mostly Spain and Scotland) left him, so the council called him a liar, heretic, and blocker of unity. They removed him in 1417. He hid in a fortress in Spain (Peniscola) and kept thinking he was the only real pope until he died around 1422 or 1423.

How the Schism Affected the Papacy's Long-Term Power

• The Schism made the pope look weak because people saw the Church fighting itself.
• It started the Conciliar Movement, which tried to limit papal power by giving more say to councils.
• But after the Schism ended, the popes fought back and won.
• By the 1400s, the popes were stronger than ever as absolute rulers.
• The failure to reform during the Schism let corruption grow, which helped cause the Protestant Reformation.

How the Conciliar Movement Eventually Failed

• The Conciliar Movement wanted councils to run the Church like a parliament, above the pope.
• It worked at first to end the schism.
• But once there was one pope again (Martin V), he and later popes slowly took back full control.
• The Council of Basel tried to keep the movement going but lost to the popes.
• In the end, the popes became the only real leaders, and the idea of council power was mostly forgotten.

How the Council of Constance Impacted Jan Hus

• The Council of Constance was supposed to fix the Schism but also dealt with heretics.
• It called Jan Hus (a Czech reformer) to answer charges.
• Emperor Sigismund promised him safety, but the council ignored that.
• Hus was put in prison, bullied, and not allowed to defend himself well.
• He refused to take back his ideas unless proven wrong by the Bible.
• On July 6, 1415, the council condemned him to death.
• He was burnt at the stake, which made him a martyr and sparked the Hussite Wars in Bohemia.

The Political Fallout of the Three Rival Popes

• The three popes caused chaos because each had their own followers and armies.
• Countries picked sides, leading to wars and broken alliances.
• It weakened the Holy Roman Empire and made kings more powerful over church matters.
• The split made it hard for the Church to act as one, so rulers stepped in more, like Emperor Sigismund calling the council.
• In the end, it showed that the Church needed outside help (from emperors) to fix its problems.

How the Council's Decision-Making by "Nations" Weakened the Pope

• At the Council of Constance, they changed how voting worked.
• Instead of counting each person (where the Italian bishops loyal to the Pisan pope John XXIII would win), they voted by "nations" (groups like German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish).
• This gave more power to kings, universities, and laypeople.
• It stopped the pope from controlling the council through his own supporters.
• This made the council more independent and helped it go against the popes.

How the Council's Decree "Sacrosancta" Changed Church Law

• The decree Sacrosancta (issued in 1415) was a huge change in how the Church was governed.
• It said a general council gets its power directly from Christ, not from the pope.
• Everyone, including the pope, had to obey the council on faith, ending the schism and reforming the Church.
• It allowed the council to punish anyone who disobeyed, even the pope.
• This overthrew the old idea that the pope was above everyone and could not be judged.
• It made the council the highest authority, at least for a while, to fix the schism.
• Later, popes ignored it, but it showed a new way to think about Church power.