The Western Schism divides the Latin Church
- Date
- 1378–1417 CE
- Category
- Religion & ideology
- Region
- Western Europe (Rome and Avignon)
- Era
- Post-Classical / Medieval
- Significance
After the papacy returned from Avignon to Rome under Gregory XI in 1377, the disputed election of Urban VI in April 1378 split the Latin Church.
Dissatisfied cardinals declared his election void and chose a rival, Clement VII, who re-established a papal court at Avignon, so that two lines of popes, each with its own curia, college of cardinals and obediences, claimed legitimacy. Europe's kingdoms divided along political lines: France, Scotland and their allies backed Avignon, while England, the Holy Roman Empire and much of Italy supported Rome. An attempt to heal the rift at the Council of Pisa in 1409 only added a third claimant. The scandal of rival popes excommunicating one another gravely damaged the prestige of the papacy and fed demands for reform, encouraging conciliarist arguments that a general council outranked the pope and giving impetus to critics such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus. The schism was finally resolved by the Council of Constance (1414–1418), which secured the removal of all three claimants and elected Martin V in 1417. The episode left lasting doubts about papal authority that would resurface in the Reformation a century later.
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Empires active in 1378–1417 CE
- Kanem-Bornu Empire700 CE – 1900 CE
- Ming Dynasty1368 CE – 1644 CE
- Ottoman Empire1299 CE – 1922 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
- Byzantine Empire330 CE – 1453 CE
- Mamluk Sultanate1250 CE – 1517 CE
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- King Lalibela carves the rock-hewn churches of a 'New Jerusalem'c. 1181–1221 CE
- The Investiture Controversy and the Walk to Canossa1075–1122 (Investiture Controversy)
- Anawrahta establishes Theravada Buddhism across the Pagan realm1057 CE
Further reading
The wider story
A Little History of Religion
Accessible sweep of humanity's faiths and belief systems from prehistory to the present.
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