Download Medieval Sourcebook: The Great Schism

Medieval Sourcebook:
The Great Schism: Manifesto of the Revolting Cardinals, Aug 5, 1378
[Thatcher Introduction]At the death of Gregory XI in 1378, the cardinals elected Bartholomew, archbishop of
Bari, who took the title Urban VI. He soon announced that he would not remove his court to Avignon, as many
the cardinals wished him to do, but would remain in Rome. For various reasons the cardinals of the French
party became more and more displeased with Urban and soon rebelled against him and deposed him. After
publishing a manifesto, in which they defended air action, they elected Robert of Geneva, who called himself
Clement VII. The manifesto is long and full of invective and generalities, but contains very little argument and
few facts. We give only the essential part of it.
After the apostolic seat was made vacant by the death of our lord pope Gregory XI, who died in March, we
assembled in conclave for the election of a pope, as is the law and custom, in the papal palace, in which
Gregory had died. . . . Officials of the city with a great multitude the people, for the most part armed and called
together for this purpose by the ringing of bells, surrounded the palace in a threatening manner and even entered
it and almost filled it. To the terror caused by their presence they added threats that unless we should at once
elect a Roman or an Italian they would kill us. They gave us no time to deliberate but compelled us unwillingly,
through violence and fear, to elect an Italian without delay. In order to escape - danger which threatened us
from such a mob, we elected Bartholomew, archbishop of Bari, thinking that he would have enough conscience
not to accept the election, since every e knew that it was made under such wicked threats. But he was unmindful
of his own salvation and burning with ambition, and so, to the great scandal of the clergy and of the Christian
people, and contrary to the laws of the church, he accepted this election which was offered him, although not all
cardinals were present at the election, and it was extorted from us by the threats and demands of the officials
and people of the city. And although such an election is null and void, and the danger from the people still
threatened us. lie was enthroned and crowned, and called himself pope and apostolic. But according to the holy
fathers and to the law, of the church, he should be called apostate, anathema, Antichrist, and the mocker and
destroyer of Christianity. . . .
trans in Oliver J. Thatcher, and Edgar Holmes McNeal, eds., A Source Book for Medieval History, (New York:
Scribners, 1905), pp. 325-326
Jan Hus
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in English History. The names of famous
Medieval people scatter the History books. What were these important people of the Middle Ages famous for?
The famous people of the Middle Ages included Artists, Clerics, Crusaders, Diplomats, Explorers, Religious
Leaders, Military Leaders, Philosophers & Theologians, Scientists, Physicians, Engineers, Mathematicians,
Writers & Poets and Reformers who featured in the Medieval period from 1066 - 1485. The following
biography information provides basic facts and information about the key dates and events in the life of Jan Hus
who was famous as a Medieval cleric and religious reformer in Czechoslovakia who attracted followers called
the Hussites.
Short Biography profile and facts about the life of Jan Hus
The following biography information provides basic facts and information about the life and history of Jan Hus
a famous Medieval character of the Middle Ages:
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Nationality: Czechoslovakian
Also Known as: Johann or John Hussinetz, Johannes de Hussinetz or Huss
Lifespan: 1370 - 1415
Time Reference: Lived during the reigns of the English Kings - King Richard II, King Henry IV and
King Henry V
Date of Birth: He was born in 1390 in was born at Hussinetz in Southern Bohemia
Early Life and Education: He studied at Prague and was an early follower of Stanislaus of Znaim
Career Timeline of Jan Hus:
 In 1400 he was ordained priest
 In 1401 he became a Dean
 In 1402 Jan Hus became a rector and preacher of the Bethlehem Church in Prague
 1402 - Jan Hus was influenced by the theological writings and ideas of John Wycliffe
 Hus began to attack the views of clerics
 Jan Hus became the rector of Prague University and was received at court
 In 1410 the Pope issued a decree against the ideas of John Wycliffe which were banned
 Jan Hus continued to preach about the new ideas - his followers were called the Hussites, but
was forced to leave Prague
 1414 - Three Bishops were appointed to investigate Jan Hus
 He was imprisoned by Archbishop of Constance at his castle on the Rhine
 1415 Jan Hus was sent to trial and convicted as a heretic
 He was sentence to burning at the stake
 Jan Hus refused to recant and the terrible sentence was carried out
Date of Death: Jan Hus died on July 6, 1415
Accomplishments or why Jan Hus was famous: A cleric and religious reformer in Czechoslovakia who
attracted followers called the Hussites. He was a follower of the English reformer John Wycliffe
Prophecy and Jan Hus Quote: “In 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be
suppressed.”
 Nearly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of Contention on to
the church door at Wittenberg
 The prophecy of Jan Hus had come true. The protests of Martin Luther against the Roman
Catholic church led to the new Protestant religion
Jan Hus
The story and biography of Jan Hus which contains interesting information, facts & the history about the life of
this Medieval person of historical importance
John Wycliffe
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in English History. The names of famous
Medieval people scatter the History books. What were these important people of the Middle Ages famous for?
The famous people of the Middle Ages included Artists, Clerics, Crusaders, Diplomats, Explorers, Religious
Leaders, Military Leaders, Philosophers & Theologians, Scientists, Physicians, Engineers, Mathematicians,
Writers & Poets and Reformers who featured in the Medieval period from 1066 - 1485. The following
biography information provides basic facts and information about the key dates and events in the life of John
Wycliffe ( also spelt as John Wyclif) who was famous as a Medieval religious reformer and the first person to
translate the Bible into English.
Short Biography profile and facts about the life of John Wycliffe
The following biography information provides basic facts and information about the life and history of John
Wycliffe a famous Medieval character of the Middle Ages:
-Nationality: English
-Also Known as: Wyclif, Wycliff, Wicliffe or Wiclif. The “Morning Star of the Reformation.”
-Lifespan: 1324 - 1384
-Time Reference: Lived during the reign of King Edward III and King Richard II of England
-Date of Birth: He was born in 1324 in Yorkshire
-Early Life and Education: Balliol College, Oxford
-Career and Timeline:
In 1376 John Wycliffe wrote Civil Dominion calling for reforms in the Church
1382 John Wycliffe was expelled from Oxford University because of his opposition to traditional
Church doctrines
1380 John Wycliffe began the first English translation of the Bible into English
-Date of Death: John Wycliffe died on 31 December 1384 at Hipswell near Richmond, in Yorkshire, England
John Wycliffe and the Lollards. After his death John Wycliffe was condemned as a heretic and his teachings
were suppressed. However, the popular movement of the Lollards kept his ideas alive and were the basis of
their philosophy
Accomplishments or why John Wycliffe was famous: As a Medieval religious reformer and the first person to
translate the Bible into English
John Wycliffe
The story and biography of John Wycliffe which contains interesting information, facts & the history about the
life of this Medieval person of historical importance. John Wycliffe, (or Wyclif) was master of an Oxford
college and a popular preacher. John Wycliffe appealed from the authority of the Church to the authority of the
Bible. With the assistance of two friends John Wycliffe produced the first English translation of the Bible.
Manuscript copies of the work had a large circulation, until the government suppressed it. Wycliffe was not
molested in life, but the Council of Constance denounced his teaching and ordered that his bones should be dug
up, burned, and cast into a stream.
John Wycliffe and the Lollards
The Lollards. John Wycliffe had organized bands of "poor priests" to spread the simple truths of the Bible
through all England called the Lollard preachers. They went out, staff in hand and clad in long, russet gowns,
and preached to the common people in the English language, wherever an audience could be found. The
Lollards, as Wycliffe's followers were known, not only attacked many beliefs and practices of the Church, but
also demanded social reforms. For instance, they declared that all wars were sinful and were but plundering and
murdering the poor to win glory for kings. The Lollards had to endure much persecution for heresy.
Nevertheless their work lived on and sowed in England and Scotland the seeds of the Reformation.
A Time of Troubles: Conciliar Movement
In the 14th and 15th Centuries, the Church in the West underwent a period of reform. Originally, the reform
movement focused on eliminating simony and married clergy in the West. Over time it was successful,
however, there were other important issues at hand. Chief among them was the schism in the Catholic Church.
One Pope sat in Rome while another sat in Avignone. At the same time, the growing Conciliar Movement was
gaining in influence. This movement extended across several Church councils and attempted to limit the power
of Popes and make councils the highest authority in the Church.
A council at Pisa attempted to heal the schism by deposing the two sitting Popes and electing a new one. This
council declared that the authority of a single bishop, even the bishop of Rome (i.e. the Pope) was not greater
than a council of bishops. The legitimacy of this council was never recognized. It only succeeded in widening
the schism by electing a third Pope and ended up becoming a black mark on the Conciliar Movement.
Called by King Sigismund of Germany, the Council of Constance finally healed the schism in 1415. In a decree
of the council, it declared that it was an assembly lawfully gathered under the Holy Spirit and claimed authority
directly from Christ. This was significant because it was implying that it did not receive authority from the
Church or from the Pope. Most importantly, the council declared that even Popes were bound by the decisions
of the council. This was a high point in the Conciliar Movement however, these decrees were considered to be
invalid and did not have a lasting effect.
Pope Martin V, who was elected by the council, also did not accept the council's declaration of its authority. He
did follow the council's order, an order he himself had approved, that a council should be called for every five
years. The next council received little support form Martin and was dissolved before reaching a conclusion.
The Conciliar Movement received another blow when Pope Pius II wrote the Bull Excrabilis in 1459. In it, he
declared the ideas of the Conciliar Movement to be against the traditions and canons of the Church.
According to Papal views at that time, their authority was based on their succession from St. Peter.
With the failure of the Conciliar Movement, the position of the Pope in the Catholic Church increased in
authority into modern times, climaxing in the declaration of Papal infallibility at Vatican I. While an accepted
fact in the Catholic Church today, Papal infallibility remains a contentious subject in the Church's dealings with
other Christian communities.
Sources:
Southern, R. W. Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages
John Meyendorff, Byzantine Theology
J.M. Hussey, The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire
Marsilius of Padua
(Italian Marsilio or Marsiglio da Padova; born circa 1275 – circa 1342) was an Italian scholar, trained in
medicine who practiced a variety of professions. He was also an important 14th century political figure. His
political treatise Defensor pacis is seen by some authorities as the most revolutionary political treatise written in
the later Middle Ages.
Early years
Marsillius was born in Padua, an important Italian city, circa 1275. He initially trained in medicine, but was
employed in various professions, including that of a soldier. He went to the University of Paris in 1311. The
reputation which he had gained in what were then called the physical sciences soon caused him to be raised to
the position of rector of the university for the first term of the year 1313.
Political theory
Marsilius wrote Defensor pacis in 1324. [1] This treatise was created in the context of a power struggle between
Pope John XXII and Louis of Bavaria (or Ludwig of Bavaria), the elected candidate for Holy Roman Emperor.]
In Defensor pacis, Marsilius sought to demonstrate, by arguments from reason (in Dictio I of the text) and by
argument from authority (in Dictio II) the independence of the Holy Roman Empire from the Papacy and the
emptiness of the prerogatives alleged to have been usurped by the sovereign pontiffs. This demonstration was
regarded as heretical.[1]
In Bavaria, as imperial vicar, Marsilius persecuted the clergy who had remained faithful to John XXII
Legacy
Some authorities consider Defensor pacis one of the most important political and religious works of fourteenthcentury Europe. In the Defensor minor, Marsilius completed and elaborated on different points in the doctrine
laid down in the Defensor pacis. He dealt here with problems concerning ecclesiastical jurisdiction, penance,
indulgences, crusades and pilgrimages, vows, excommunication, the general church council, marriage and
divorce, and unity with the Greek Orthodox Church. In this work he even more clearly articulates imperial
supremacy over the Church.[3]