Great Western Schism Essay

For centuries historians have argued about what might have caused the decline in

the fourteenth century Roman Catholic Church, and whether it was related to the Great Western

Schism, or the Black Death and famine. While each of these events were devastating to Europe

at the time, the majority of decline in authority and power of the church and pope lie within the

anomaly of the Great Western Schism. According to much research a divide in power of the

Catholic Church led to two strongly opposing popes claiming legitimacy. The schism began soon

after the death of the Avignon pope, Gregory XI (1305-1377), more specifically 1378. Once an

election was ran for the new pope, the people of Rome demanded they enlist a pope of Italian

heritage. In response to

Their election did result in a

pope from Italy; however, Pope Urban VI proved himself unfit for Papacy—displaying acts of

selfishness, greed, and extravagant living. Since the reign of Papacy on Avignon, “…the Great

Western Schism, and what [it means is] far from over, and we have had more than four centuries

of arguments…” (4). During the last four centuries, something that historians have in fact agreed

upon is that Pope Urban VI has been “…considered, both by the majority of contemporary

chronicles and by most later historians, one of the most arbitrary and, indeed, insane of all

popes” (5). Because of the obvious mistake the Cardinals had made, they decided to withdraw

their election of Pope Urban VI, and bestow it upon Robert of Geneva, making him Pope

Clement VII. Urban VI was not happy about this, and was not ready to give up his authority as

pope; in retaliation to the Cardinals, Pope Urban VI manipulated Queen Johanna to support his

claims that Clement VII was the ‘anti-pope.’ The claim made by Pope Urban VI (who at