In March 1378, Pope Gregory XI died in Rome. The cardinals gathered and elected Bartolomeo Prignano, who took the name Urban VI. Nobody expected what came next. The new pope had a temper. He alienated cardinals with his abrasive personality and aggressive approach to reform. Within months, the same cardinals who elected him declared the vote invalid (they claimed a Roman mob had pressured them), left for Anagni, and elected someone else: Robert of Geneva, who became Clement VII in September 1378.
Two popes. Each one insisted he was legitimate and the other was an impostor.
This wasn’t resolved quickly. The split lasted from September 20, 1378, to November 11, 1417. We call it the Western Schism, or sometimes the Papal Schism. Here’s what made it unusual: this had nothing to do with doctrine or theology. The conflict was entirely about politics, personalities, and which kingdoms supported whom. There were no competing interpretations of scripture or debates about sacraments. Just two men claiming the same job, backed by different political factions.
France and its allied kingdoms backed the Avignon pope, Clement VII. England, much of northern Europe, and most Italian states supported the Roman claimant, Urban VI. These allegiances weren’t about faith but about existing diplomatic relationships and dynastic calculations. If you opposed France politically, you supported the Roman pope. If you aligned with French interests, Avignon was your choice.
People proposed different solutions: maybe both popes could resign, or an independent group could decide, or a general council could sort it out. Neither papal line would budge. So in 1409, frustrated cardinals from both camps met at Pisa. They wanted to end the deadlock by electing someone both sides could accept. They chose Alexander V as a compromise candidate.
The other two popes refused to step down. Three popes, all excommunicating each other!
Constance finally sorted it out. The council met from 1414 to 1418. Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund threw his weight behind finding a solution. The council deposed John XXIII (who had succeeded Alexander V in the Pisan line), got Gregory XII from the Roman line to resign voluntarily, and dismissed Benedict XIII’s claims to the Avignon papacy. In November 1417, they elected Martin V, and finally there was just one pope again.
The damage lasted longer than the schism itself. Forty years of competing popes undermined the Church’s moral authority and credibility, creating conditions that made the Protestant Reformation possible a century later.
Look at the map again. The kingdoms backing Avignon in 1378 formed a geographic bloc that looks familiar if you know what happens next in European history. A century after the schism ended, Europe split again during the Reformation. France stayed Catholic. Much of northern Europe turned Protestant. Different labels, different theological arguments, but geography and political calculations decided religious allegiance both times.
