Western Schism

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Western Schism

Part of the crisis of the late Middle Ages
A 14th-century miniature symbolizing the schism
Date	20 September 1378 – 11 November 1417 (39 years, 1 month, 3 weeks and 1 day)
Location	Europe
Type	Christian schism
Cause	Election of two popes by the College of Cardinals in 1378 Election of a third pope by the Council of Pisa in 1409
Motive	International rivalries in Catholic Europe
Outcome	Reunification of the Catholic Church after the Council of Constance

The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Great Occidental Schism, the Schism of 1378, or the Great Schism^[1] (Latin: Magnum schisma occidentale, Ecclesiae occidentalis schisma), was a split within the Roman Catholic Church lasting from 20 September 1378 to 11 November 1417, in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon simultaneously claimed to be the true pope, and were eventually joined by a third line of Pisan claimants in 1409. The event was driven by international rivalries, personalities and political allegiances, with the Avignon Papacy in particular being closely tied to the French monarchy.

The papacy had resided in Avignon since 1309, but Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1377. The Catholic Church split in September 1378, when, following Gregory XI's death and Urban VI's subsequent election, a group of French cardinals declared his election invalid and elected Clement VII, who claimed to be the true pope. After several attempts at reconciliation, the Council of Pisa (1409) declared that both rivals were illegitimate and elected a third purported pope. The schism was finally resolved when the Pisan claimant Antipope John XXIII called the Council of Constance (1414–1418). The Council arranged for the renunciation of both Roman pope Gregory XII and Pisan antipope John XXIII. The Avignon antipope Benedict XIII was excommunicated, while Pope Martin V was elected and reigned from Rome.

The event is sometimes referred to as the Great Schism, although this term is usually reserved for the East–West Schism of 1054 between the churches remaining in communion with the See of Rome and those remaining with the Eastern Orthodox Church.