Avignon!

The Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism (1309-1377)

Background

• European society became more institutionalized and regulated

• Kings, nobles, wealthy, and Church gain increasing control over populace

• Church is first of the governing elites to lose its power

13th Century Church

• Papacy focused on keeping Papal States free from Holy Roman Emperor

• Why? : Pope must remain an independent moral force, free from secular control (Ex: Washington, DC)

• During struggle, popes did not pay attention to the growing centralized power of the "national" monarchies in England, France, Castile, and Aragon

• Perhaps lulled into false sense of security by Jubilee Year of 1300

• Boniface III unaware that French monarchy is different and more dangerous than the Holy Roman emperors

Pope Boniface VIII

• r. 1294-1303

• He and Philip IV (Fr.) clash on 2 issues: (1) The status of criminous clergy (2) Taxation of clergy and church property

• Boniface issues 2 papal bulls: (1) Clericos laicos bull -- forbids church members from paying secular taxes unless ordered to do so by the pope (2) Unam sanctum bull -- declared Church superior to secular gov't. in all things, and that temperol authority is subject to the Church

• Philip defied the pope, and calls the Estates General. Boniface arrested, then eventually released. Dies soon after.

• Boniface's successor tries to make peace with France by increasing French representation in the College of Cardinals

The Babylonian Captivity

• In 1305 Philip is able to get a Frenchman elected pope -- Clement V.

• Clement will move the papal court to Avignon, a papal property on the Rhone river, where it will remain from 1305-1377

• This makes the pope look like a tool of the French and damaged the reputation of the papacy.

The Avignon Papacy (1309-1377)

• Papacy under strong influence. Under Clement V, French come to rule the College of Cardinals. Cut off from Roman papal estates, the papacy has to raise funds.

• Clement expands papal taxes, especially of collecting annates, or benefices.

• Clement VI begins selling indulgences. Church doctrine on purgatory makes selling indulgences more compelling.

• Number of church offices reserved for papal appointment was extended. Result? = Pluralism and Absenteeism

• Avignon declares belief in apostolic poverty heretical

• These practices add to Avignon's reputation for materialism and political scheming and gives reformers added ammunition.

Pope John XXII (1316-1334)

• Most powerful Avignon pope, he tried to restore independence and return to Italy. This leads him into war with teh Visconti, and a confrontation with Louis IV. Louis will declare John disposed and put an antipope in his stead.

• Louis enlists help of Franciscans, whose views on absolute poverty John declared heretical, to write pamphlets for the royal cause.

Critics of the Church

• William of Ockham (c. 1285-1349): says popes can err in spiritual interpretation, and heretical popes should be removed from office

• Marsilius of Padua (c. 1275-1342): Defender of the Peace -- papacy is not divinely created, but created by the Christian community and can be abolished, and Divine law infractions should be punished in next life, not in the present one. This is a direct challenge to the pope's power to excommunicate rulers and place countries under interdict.

Heresy ("A teaching contrary to the accepted orthodox doctrine.")

• John Wycliffe and the Lollards (England): supported ecclesiastical appointments and tax collections by Avignon papacy; Franciscan view on church poverty; personal merit should be only basis for religous authority. Challenged papal infallability, the sale of indulgences, authority of scriptures, and dogma of transubstantiation. Condemned by pope for heresy of Donatism.

• John Hus(s) and the Hussites (Bohemia): embraced Wycliffe's ideas; supported vernacular translations of the Bible; critical of traditional ceremonies, esp. the Eucharist; questioned validity of sacraments performed by priests in mortal sin. Hus(s) became leader of pro-Wycliffe group at Univ. of Prague. His actions cause excommunication and papal interdict in 1410. 1414--Audience with the Counsel of Constance to defend his beliefs; charged with heresy, tried, condemned, and burned at the stake in 1415. Reaction in Bohemia? -- REVOLT

The Great Schism (1378-1417)

• Pope Gregory XI takes papacy back to Rome in Jan. 1377, ending Babylonian Captivity. Short-lived, as Gregory dies in March 1378. Cardinals now select new pope in Rome. Most Cardinals are French and want a return to Fr. and a Fr. pope, but Romans determined to see papacy remain in Rome. Meet in an upper room in the Vatican, while Roman citizens wait below with torches and flammable material. Result? Urban VI elected in order to avoid a massacre.

• Pope Urban VI calls for reform of the Curia; cardinals respond by calling for a return to Avignon. King Charles V (Fr.) lends support to a schism.

• Sept. 20, 1378, 13 cardinals form a conclave and elect Pope Clement VII, a cousin of Charles V. Said they only voted for Urban out of fear for their lives.

• Papacy now a "two-headed thing."

• Allegiance to papacy divided along political lines. Urban VI: England, HRE, Hungary, Bohemia, Poland; Clement VII: France, Naples, Scotland, Castile, Aragon

• How to End the Division? Initial Approaches: 1. mutual cession of both 2. resignation of one in favor of the other

• Result? Each pope considers himself ligitimate and won't give up power

• WHAT TO DO NOW??

• Problem: Conciliar Theory says that a church council can only be convened by a pope, but neither of the competing popes will summon a council that is going to dispose one of them! Correctness will be debated for 30 years.

The Council of Pisa

• 1409: 500+ bishops and churchmen meet in Pisa and dispose of both Gregory XII (Rome) and Benedict XIII (Avignon)

• They elect Alexander V as the new pope.

• There is only one *slight* problem....neither Gregory nor Benedict accepted the ruling!

• Christendom now has 3 competing popes. (most people will accept Alexander and his successor John XXIII, but Rome and Avignon will not step down)

The Council of Constance

• 1414-1417: Emp. Sigismund got John XXIII to summon a new council.

• Sacrosancta declaration -- council asserted its supremacy and proceeded to elect a new pope, Martin V (r. 1417-1431), after the three contending popes had resigned or been deposed.

• Provisions made for regular meetings of church councils, within 5, then 7, then 10 years

Thus ended the Great Schism!

Consequences and Conclusions of the Great Schism

Consequences:

• Spiritual authority of pope decreases as each claimant hurled abuse at the other

• Royal power increased as spiritual authority of pope decreased

• Popes needed royal support and could not stand up to kings

Conclusions:

• The Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism damaged the spiritual authority of the papacy and ended any real efforts to assert claims of imperial papacy

• Kings and nobles throughout Europe began reasserting control over the church