Western Schism

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The Western Schism was a prolonged split within the Catholic Church (1378–1417) during which multiple rival claimants to the papacy simultaneously asserted their legitimacy, deeply dividing Christendom.


Statements (52)
Predicate Object
instanceOf crisis of the papacy
event in church history
religious conflict
schism
alsoKnownAs Great Western Schism
Papal Schism
cause contested papal election of 1378
political tensions between French and Italian factions in the College of Cardinals
return of the papacy from Avignon to Rome
characterizedBy crisis of authority in the Church
division of European states between obedience to different popes
multiple rival claimants to the papacy
overlapping papal obediences
divided Christendom
endedBy Council of Constance
endResult election of Pope Martin V
restoration of a single universally recognized pope
endTime 1417
firstAvignonPope Clement VII
firstRomanPope Urban VI
followedBy Conciliar movement
reforms of the Council of Constance
hasDuration 39 years
historicalPeriod 14th century
15th century
impact deepened political and national divisions in Europe
stimulated conciliar theory
weakened prestige of the papacy
involves Catholic Church
College of Cardinals
Holy Roman Empire
Kingdom of Aragon NERFINISHED
Kingdom of Castile NERFINISHED
Kingdom of England
Kingdom of France
Kingdom of Naples NERFINISHED
papacy
laterAvignonPope Benedict XIII
locatedIn Western Christendom
mainLocation Avignon
Pisa
Rome
numberOfRivalPopesAtPeak 3
partOf Late Middle Ages
history of the Catholic Church
PisanLinePope Alexander V
John XXIII (antipope)
precededBy Avignon Papacy
religiousTradition Roman Catholicism
significantEvent Council of Constance
Council of Pisa
startTime 1378


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