The Religious Chaos of
the Late Middle Ages
Guiding Questions
1. What factors contributed to the Great
Schism, Babylonian Captivity and the
Conciliar Movement?
 2. What were the major threats to church
power?
 3. What were the (BIG PICTURE)
reactions and results of the religious chaos
of this time period?

Overview
The Catholic Church Dominated the Social,
political and economic trends of the
Middle Ages.
 Popes continually gained more power and
acted like kings instead of religious
leaders.
 Constant battles for power between Popes
and Kings

The Division of the Catholic Church

A series of events within the Catholic
Church cause chaos and actually effect the
common worshipper in the Church.

Most battles between Popes and Kings
were mainly political and but often had
significant effects on common church
goers.
Pope Boniface VIII vs.
Philip IV the Fair [Fr.]
1302 “Unam Sanctum” this basically claimed that
“all are subject to the Pope”desperate act
 This was an attempt to reinforce Papal authority.
 This was to prevent Kings from France and England
from taking Church money by way of the state
taxing the Church. (The Church was the wealthiest
institution)
 King Philip states that the Kings protect the faith
and therefore taxing the Church is justified.

Power means Control
King Philip IV of France
came down and captured
Boniface…… Boniface
“conveniently” died soon
after being captured.
 Philip, with his whole
military in Rome,
influenced the Cardinals in
to appoint a French Pope.

The Babylonian Captivity
 1303
– 1377 the Pope moved
from Rome to Avignon,
France.
 This made the institution of
the Pope a nationalistic
object. POWER shifts to
STATES!
 Indulgences
and Purgatory
contributed to reputation of
corruption and materialism
The Great Schism
1378: Gregory XI dies  division within
the Church.
 French Cardinals vote for a French Pope
and non-French Cardinals vote for a Pope
that lived in Rome.
 This continues for several Papal
elections…
 The two Popes essentially competed
against each other.

Reactions to the Great Schism
People did not know which Pope to
follow??often chose based on politics.
 Which Pope spoke for God? How did they
know they were following the “right”
Pope?
 Men, such as John Wycliff [Lollards]and
John Hus [eventually burned at the stake],
claim that people only need to read the
Bible and the church is not needed.
 The Great Schism made the Church
questionable.

CONCILIAR MOVEMENT

Theologians speculate on who should run the
church if Pope incompetent…

Council of Bishops. Perhaps??

Wanted to convert church to kind of a
constitutional monarchy

Sought to limit power of the Popes
CONCILIAR MOVEMENT
The Council of Pisa, 1409
 Deposed 2 reigning Popes and elect third…
 However, first 2 Popes won’t step down so now
have 3 Popes!
 The Council of
Constance, 1414-18
 All Popes were forced to
resign.
 Pope Martin V was
selected and the Great
Schism was ended.

Religious Chaos
Because of the Chaos within the Catholic
Church, the Babylonian Captivity, Great
Schism and Conciliar Movement and set
the Stage for the Reformation.
 These events allow for the Church to be
criticized and that there is doubt in the
churches infallibility.
