Church and Christianity PART 3 PDF

**'Church and Christianity' PART 3** The decline of the Church (14^th^ -- 15^th^ century) 1. **The Western Schism** **Pope Boniface VIII** (1294 -- 1303) was not able to subdue the European rulers anymore. They didn't acknowledge his papal power. The French king **Philip IV** (= Philip the Fair...

**'Church and Christianity' PART 3** The decline of the Church (14^th^ -- 15^th^ century) 1. **The Western Schism** **Pope Boniface VIII** (1294 -- 1303) was not able to subdue the European rulers anymore. They didn't acknowledge his papal power. The French king **Philip IV** (= Philip the Fair) rebelled against the Pope and even demanded the clergy to pay taxes. After Pope Boniface VIII died, Philip IV organised the election of the French Pope. From 1309 until 1377, the popes resided in **Avignon** (and no longer in Rome). But it became even worse: in 1378 the Italian Bartolomeo Prignano was elected as new Pope. He took on the name **Pope Urban VI** and resided in **Rome** again. The French bishops however did not agree with this election. They organised a second election and the French Robert de Genève was elected as the antipope. He took on the name **Pope Clemens VII** and resided in **Avignon**. Both Pope Urban VI as Pope Clemens VII considered himself the true Church leader and they judged each other's decisions. This divide was known as the **Western Schism**. This Western Schism knew a weird development. There were dioceses (bisdommen) with two bishops, abbeys with two abbots, parishes with two priests... 2. **Important Councils** At the controversial **Council of Pisa in 1409**, the Catholic leaders attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing both Clemens VII as Urban VI. The College of Cardinals (from Avignon ànd Rome) elected a new Pope; Alexander V. This Pope died after a few months and he was succeeded by **John XXIII**. Both Clemens VII as Urban VI did not acknowledge this new Pope, so for a while, there were three popes! The **Council of Constance** decided that Otto of Cologne will be the only true Pope in **1417**. He took the name **Martin V** and resided in **Rome**. He was acknowledged by both parties.  Bishops debating at the Council of Constance 3. **The damage to the Church** Even though the new Pope is acknowledged by everyone after the Council of Constance, the Church was heavily damaged. Kings had been able to assign bishops at their own will, ecclesiastical functions were bought, priests hadn't been celibate... All this, combined with the poor living circumstances of the everyday man, led to a lot of **reactions**. In **England**, Oxford professor **John Wycliffe** (1328-1384) attacked the privileged status of the clergy. He also revolted against the actions of the popes in Avignon. He denounced the papal authority, the monasteries, celibacy etc. He stated that one had to live by the Bible, not by with the Pope said. He had a lot of followers (they were called 'The Lollards') in the third estate. John Wycliffe was declared a **heretic** by the Council of Constance in 1415. It decided his works should be burned and his remains were removed from sacred ground. Portrait of John Wycliffe, by Bernard Picard. It also shows the burning of Wycliffe's works **Jan Huss** (1372 -- 1415) was a **Czech** philosopher and theologian at the university of Prague. He was inspired by the works of Wyciffe. He wanted to reform the Church and laid the foundation of **Hussitism** (a reformation that was the beginning of Protestantism). At the Council of Constance, he too was declared a heretic. He was burned at the stake for it in 1415.  Woodcut of Jan Huss, ca. 1587 Huss' followers did not give up on Hussitism. Their battle against the German Emperor would be known as the Hussite Wars (1420-1434). In **Italy**, Dominican friar **Savonarola** had a lot of criticism against the wealth of the Church and the cities. He denounced clerical corruption and the exploitation of the poor. He was able to rule Florence in a strict Christian way for some time. He too was sentenced to death as a heretic by the Council of Constance. Savonarola by Fra Bartolomeo -- Museo di San Marco (Florence) The union and the overall trust in the Church was permanently broken. The German monk Martin **Luther** will be an important figure in the 16^th^ century during the Protestant Reformation. That's something for next year :-) - Make your own summary by using a either a 'word spider' or by using a scheme. I do not want a fully written text. - Use keywords. I do not want fully written sentences.