1. Chapter 10: Europe in the Middle
Ages: A.D. 1000-1500
The Great Schism

2. The Great Schism
• As we discussed earlier, a power struggle between Philip IV of France
& Pope Boniface VIII led to the creation of the Estates General
• This disagreement stemmed in part to two official papal orders issued
by Boniface
• Bull of 1296: Stated that the
Church could not be taxed
by the King of France

3. Great Schism..cont
• Unam Sanctam: Declared that
there were two powers on earth,
the temporal (earthly) & the
spiritual (heavenly).
• The spiritual power, according to the pope, was always
supreme over temporal power
• In short, kings must always obey popes
• Philip IV is threatened w/excommunication
• But before he is excommunicated he takes the offensive

4. Great Schism..cont
• Philip sends a small army to Italy with the
goal of kidnapping the pope to bring him
back to France for trial
• French soldiers burst into the pope’s palace
in Anagni, outside of Rome, in Sept 1303
and take him captive
• He escapes thanks to the people of Anagni
• Boniface dies one month later

5. Great Schism..cont
• Two years later, Philip IV persuades the College of
Cardinals to choose a French archbishop as the new pope
• Clement V: : French
archbishop who was elected
pope in 1305
• In 1309, Clement claimed that political violence in Rome
was threatening his life

6. Great Schism..cont
• With the help of Philip IV, Clement V moved his papacy
out of Rome
• Avignon: French city that
Clement V moved the papacy to in
1309
• This outraged the English, German, & Italian Christians
• “Babylonian Captivity”: Used to
describe the Avignon papacy

8. Great Schism..cont
• In 1378, Pope Gregory XI died while visiting Rome, The
College of Cardinals then met in Rome to choose a
successor
• Pope Urban VI: Italian
archbishop of Bari who was
elected pope in 1378
• Urban VI moved the papacy back
to Rome after his election

9. Great Schism..cont
• A little over a year later, 13 French cardinals decided to elect another
pope
• Robert of Geneva: French
cardinal who became Pope
Clement VII & moved the papacy
back to Avignon
• Now there were two popes, each excommunicated the
other

10. Great Schism..cont
• Great Schism: Period in which
the church was divided in
western Europe. Lasted from
1378 to 1417
• The French supported the Avignon papacy
• The English, Germans, & Italians supported the Roman
papacy
• There were church officials appointed by both popes

11. Great Schism..cont
John Wycliffe: English professor who
challenged the actions of the Church
• 1) Jesus true head of Church, not
pope
• 2) Clergy should not own land or
wealth
• 3) Bible final authority for Christian
life

13. Great Schism..cont
• John Huss: Bohemian professor
who challenged the actions of the
Church
• Huss taught that the authority of
the Bible was higher than that of
the pope
• He preached, like Wycliffe, in the local vernacular rather than Latin
• Huss was excommunicated in 1411

14. Great Schism..cont
• In 1414, the newly elected emperor of
Germany, Sisismund, arranged a Church
council to end the Great Schism.
• Huss was urged to attend & was promised
he would be safe from retribution by the
Church
• Instead he was seized & burned at the stake
1415

16. Great Schism..cont
• Council of Constance: Church
meeting that ended the Great Schism
• By the time of the Council of
Constance there were three popes
• Martin V: Chosen pope by the
Council of Constance. His election
ends the Great Schism