Great Schism

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Great Schism (1378–1417) Split within the Roman Catholic Church following the election of two rival popes to succeed Gregory XI. In 1309, Pope Clement V moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon, France. The attempt to return the papacy to Rome saw the Italian cardinals elect an Italian pope, Urban VI, and the French cardinals elect a rival ‘Antipope’, Clement VII. The schism ended with the Council of Constance, which established Martin V as sole pope.

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