The Avignon Papacy (1309-1377) and

the Western Schism (1378-1417)

What do you know about
the Avignon Papacy
in the Late Middle Ages?
 What brought about
this particular event?
 1292
 Pope Nicholas IV died
 There were only 12 cardinals
Who should be
the next Pope
1294 – And still… there was no Pope
– The people had already gone impatient
An impatient hermit named Pietro di Murrone
sent a letter of warning to the College of
Cardinals, telling them that divine vengeance
would fall upon them if they did not quickly elect
a Pope…
 In response to his letter, the 12
cardinals elected Pietro di Murrone
as the new Pope.
Thus, on July 5, 1294 Pietro di Murrone
became the new Pope Celestine V.

Pope Benedict XVI visiting the relics of Pope Celestine V in 2010.

However…

It soon became evident that Pope

Celestine V (who was just a hermit
most of his life) lacked experience
in running the Church.
On a positive note, from July-December
1294, Celestine V created 12 more
cardinals, of whom 6 were French.
On December 13, 1294
Celestine V stepped
down as Pope, after 5
very unhappy months
in office.

He wanted to go back to
his life as a hermit, living
in solitude and prayer.
1295
Boniface VIII was
elected the new Pope
 When Boniface VIII became Pope,
the Church was in conflict with France.
 The Church in France

 King Philip IV (Philip the Fair)

• Taxed clergy members

• Kept churches in France from
sending money to Rome
• Ignored Canon Law
• Forced the French clergy to write
a letter stating that they no longer
obey Rome
 IN RESPONSE…

Pope Boniface VIII issued two Papal bulls (official decrees)

that condemned Philip the Fair’s actions.

1. Clericis laicos (1296) – the clergy were not to pay any

tax to any lay ruler
2. Unam Sanctam (1303) – the Pope was the supreme
authority, even over kings
 IN RESPONSE…

• Philip the Fair sent an army (led by William of Nogaret)

to arrest the Pope and imprison him.

• The Pope was slapped in the face in public, tortured,

and died shortly thereafter in humiliation and distress.

The arrest of Pope Boniface VIII by William of Nogaret and his army.
 Boniface VIII was succeeded
by Pope Benedict XI, but he
died 8 months later.

Who should be the next Pope?

Should he be a friend or
an enemy of France?
1305. Wanting to please the French crown, the
cardinals elected Pope Clement V, a French
and boyhood friend of Philip the Fair.
Pope Clement V (1305-14)

 chose to stay in France,

first in Poitiers (4 years),
and then in Avignon

 thus began the Avignon

Papacy – the period
when 7 Popes stayed not
in Rome but in Avignon
in France
And, among the other things, he told me,
"Listen, your sisters will get married, your
brother will get married and you will remain
alone for the rest of your life, you will remain
alone." And then I thought inside of me, "But
until there is a tabernacle on this earth, I
will not remain alone."
Positive Outcomes for Ruling in Avignon
• It was a more peaceful place than the bustling
city of Rome (which was in chaos at that time)
• Avignon was papal territory
• It was closer than Rome was to many of the
major centers of Catholicism in Western
Europe
Pope Gregory XI brought the papacy
back to Rome.

1377
Pope Gregory XI’s decision to return
to Rome was said to be influenced by
two great women mystics.

Saint Bridget of Sweden Saint Catherine of Siena

1378 Gregory XI died in March

The Romans pressured the cardinals

to elect an Italian Pope.
April 1378
The cardinals elected an
Italian who took the name
Urban VI.

BUT…

He was ill-tempered and his

way of treating the cardinals
(taking away their wealth &
privileges) made them very
angry with him. Pope Urban VI
September 1378
The cardinals demanded
that Urban VI should step
down.

When he refused…

They elected another Pope,

Clement VII who would rule
from Avignon.

Antipope Clement VII

 AS A RESULT…

THE WESTERN SCHISM

(1378-1417)
The Western Church split into two,
then later into three.
Soon… all of Europe
began to take sides.

Bottom line question:

Who’s really the true
Pope?
 Taking Sides in the Schism

Clement VII (Avignon) Urban VI (Rome)

France England, Italy
Holy Roman Empire,
Burgundy, Scotland, Castile
Poland, Hungary

Portugal Portugal
 THE WESTERN SCHISM (1378-1417)
Rome Avignon

1. Urban VI 1. Clement VII

(1378-1389) (1378-1394)

2. Boniface IX 2. Benedict XIII

(1389-1404) (1394-1423)

3. Innocent VII
(1404-1406)

4. Gregory XII
(1406-1415)
 1409 The Council of Pisa
 Deposed both Benedict XIII and Gregory XII
 Elected a new Pope Alexander V
 BUT both
Gregory XII and Benedict XIII rejected the
decision of the Council of Pisa
 AS A RESULT…

There were now THREE POPES

ruling at the same time!!!
 THE WESTERN SCHISM (1378-1417)
Rome Avignon Pisa
1. Urban VI 1. Clement VII 1. Alexander V
(1378-1389) (1378-1394) (1409-1410)

2. Boniface IX 2. Benedict XIII 2. John XXIII

(1389-1404) (1394-1423) (1410-1415)

3. Innocent VII
(1404-1406)

4. Gregory XII
(1406-1415)
1414-1418 Council of Constance
 Gregory XII stepped down (1415)
 Both Benedict XIII and John XXIII
were deposed
On November 11, 1417
Martin V was elected
Pope at the Council of
Constance.

This finally brought the

Western Schism to an
end.