Western Schism Essay

The Renaissance Papacy was a period in which the church was attempting to recover from the effects of the western schism and regain a sense of control and composure within the church itself. After the prolonged period in which the papacy had been based in Avignon, and then the intermittent years in which two popes existed in contention with the other, the Catholic model was being doubted for its ability to function well, and there was a desperate need to demonstrate that the papacy was still a powerful and influential institution, both in the west and in the immediate regions surrounding Rome. Moving along this vein of thought, the papacy turned its sights to the Papal States, and how re-establishing a sense of dominance over these states would

However, a long-term effect of the schism was beginning to emerge as catholic leadership began to be called into question, and suddenly the position of Pope was no longer as secure as it had been pre-schism. The Council of Constance was forcing Martin V’s hand to hold meetings regularly in order to keep the church in a state of constant review and prevent anything similar to the disaster of three different popes happening again. Martin V and his successor were not at all fond of this conciliar movement within the church, and tried their best to undermine it and dissolve councils when able. Through time it was eventually tamped down, but the idea of now being able to depose the pope through a council was now an established option for secular powers within Italy to pursue if need be. This tangible threat the papal power through a secular force was felt keenly by the church, and they realised actions would have to be taken in order to prevent this from happening “This anxiety, and the damage to their authority wrought by the prolonged crisis that the papacy had undergone, made them alert to threat to their power and keen to assert their supremacy in the Church.” The Papacy found that the most effective way to do this would be through the re-establishment of control of the Papal States; if their