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| 1378 Western Schism | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1378 Western Schism |
| Date | 1378–1417 |
| Location | Avignon; Rome; Europe |
| Result | Multiple papal claimants; Council of Constance (1414–1418) |
1378 Western Schism The 1378 Western Schism was a major split in the leadership of the Catholic Church that produced competing claimants to the papacy in Rome and Avignon between 1378 and 1417. The crisis involved key figures such as Pope Gregory XI, Pope Urban VI, and Antipope Clement VII, and drew in secular rulers including Charles V of France, King Charles VI of France, Edward III of England, and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. The schism reshaped relations among the Kingdom of France, the Kingdom of England, the Crown of Aragon, the Kingdom of Naples, the Papal States, and the Holy Roman Empire, while prompting ecclesiastical responses from councils like the Council of Pisa and the Council of Constance.
The origins trace to the end of the Avignon Papacy after Pope Gregory XI returned the papal court from Avignon to Rome in 1377, following pressures from figures such as Catherine of Siena, Cardinal Robert of Geneva, Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici (ancestral context), and political actors including Petrarch and Cola di Rienzo. Longstanding tensions involved factions of French cardinals and Italian cardinals whose rivalries intersected with the interests of Philip IV of France’s legacy, the House of Valois, the House of Plantagenet, and regional powers like the Duchy of Burgundy and the Republic of Florence. Financial strains, nepotism associated with Papal patronage networks, and disputes over benefices—involving figures such as William of Ockham in earlier debates—exacerbated mistrust among cardinals from Avignon, Naples, Pisa (Republic of Pisa), and Siena. The death of Pope Gregory XI in 1378 precipitated a conclave amid street pressures from Roman popular leaders including Giovanni di Vico and the Roman militia aligned with families like the Orsini and Colonna.
In April 1378 the conclave elected Bartolomeo Prignano as Pope Urban VI, a former Archbishop of Bari seen as sympathetic to Roman demands and backed by Roman figures like Baldassare Cossa and elements of the Collegiate system among cardinals. Urban’s reformist tone and harsh measures alienated many cardinals, prompting resignations and defections by cardinals such as Robert of Geneva, Pierre de Vergy, and Guy de Boulogne who had served under Pope Innocent VI and Pope Urban V. Accusations about coerced election arose involving Roman mob pressure and public leaders such as Giannozzo Manetti and Onorato I Caetani, while tensions over papal residence and revenue collection implicated institutions like the Apostolic Camera and administrative agents from Avignon.
Opposing cardinals rejected Urban’s papacy and in September 1378 elected Cardinal Robert of Geneva as Antipope Clement VII, who returned to Avignon and reestablished a rival curia, relying on support from King Charles V of France and the French court as well as allies in the Kingdom of Scotland, the Kingdom of Castile, and the Kingdom of Aragon. The presence of two obediences—Roman and Avignonese—led to competing appointments of bishops, contested bulls, and rival diplomatic missions involving ambassadors from Venice, Savoy, Portugal, Hungary, and the Teutonic Order. Both obediences issued provisions affecting universities such as the University of Paris, the University of Oxford, and the University of Bologna, and enlisted theologians like Jean Gerson and jurists such as Paolo da Legnano.
Secular rulers formed blocs: France and its allies largely supported Clement VII while England, parts of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of Naples often backed Urban VI or subsequent Roman popes, though allegiances shifted with dynastic interests of houses like Valois and Plantagenet. Ambassadors from Flanders, Burgundy, Savoy, Scotland, and the Kingdom of Portugal negotiated recognition; mercenary captains such as John Hawkwood and condottieri families influenced Italian alignments. The schism affected treaties like elements of the Treaty of Brétigny’s aftermath and interactions with councils convened by rulers including Duke Louis II of Anjou and King Ladislaus of Naples.
The split undermined papal authority, provoking criticism from reformers, humanists like Petrarch who lamented the division, and theologians including Marsilius of Padua’s intellectual heirs and William Courtenay’s contemporaries. Popular piety expressed through confraternities, Franciscan and Dominican orders, and lay movements in Florence, Avignon, and Rome faced conflicting obediences; parish clergy and bishops experienced contested appointments, leading to disputes recorded by chroniclers such as Jean Froissart, Boccaccio, and Matteo Villani. Artistic patronage shifted as courts in Avignon and Rome competed for painters, sculptors, and architects tied to projects commissioned by cardinals like Robert of Geneva and families such as the Orsini.
Multiple attempts sought reconciliation: negotiations at Anagni and envoys including Cardinal Pierre de Thury and Cardinal Henry Beaufort engaged in diplomacy, while the Council of Pisa in 1409—driven by cardinals from both obediences and secular pressure from rulers like Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor—attempted to depose two popes and elected Antipope Alexander V, inadvertently creating three claimants. The final resolution came via the Council of Constance (1414–1418), convened under Sigismund, with participation from representatives of England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Italian states including Venice and Milan, which deposed or accepted resignations from claimants such as John XXIII (antipope), and secured the election of Pope Martin V.
The schism weakened centralized papal prestige, encouraged conciliarist doctrines promoted by figures like Jean Gerson and institutions such as the University of Padua, and altered diplomacy between secular states and the papacy, presaging challenges during the Reformation involving leaders like Martin Luther and states including the Holy Roman Empire (Habsburgs). Administrative reforms followed in the Roman Curia, and families like the Medici and Della Rovere later navigated a changed ecclesiastical landscape. The legacy influenced ecclesiastic law, inspired canonical scholarship at institutions such as the University of Bologna, and reshaped cultural memory recorded by chroniclers including Gilles Li Muisis and historians of the Renaissance.
Category:Papal schisms