Late Medieval Catholic Church History
I.
Origin: conflict between Pope and French King Philip IV over whether
King has right to tax French clergy & limit judicial appeals to Rome
Pope Boniface VIII's declaration of papal supremacy
1302 Unam Sanctam: papal bull declaring it necessary
for salvation to be subject to Roman pontiff
(similar to Gregory VII during Investiture Controversy)
Result: French troops arrest Boniface (d. 1305) in Italy
new papal election controlled by French King
Clement V (French) elected 1305, moves to Avignon
Financial corruption during
expectancies, annates, tithes, sale of indulgences
II. GREAT SCHISM (1378-1417) and CONCILIAR MOVEMENT (1409-1438)
1. Papal claims of authority
spiritual -- Matt. 16 "Thou art Peter...upon this rock"
temporal -- Donation of Constantine (AD 313)
2. CONCILIARISM as alternative theory of church government:
highest authority in church = council of bishops
Radical conciliarists
John Wyclif (1328-1384) -- 1379 On the Power of the Pope
Marsilius of Padua (1275-1348) -- 1324 Defensor Pacis
Moderate conciliarists
Pierre d'Ailly -- chancellor of
Jean Gerson 1409 On Unity
Church Councils:
Council of
Council of Constance, 1414-1417 official decrees
1415 Sacrosancta -- on authority of councils
1417 Frequens -- on frequent meetings
elects Martin V (Colonna – Roman noble family)
Council of
Council of Ferrara 1438 (last council before
3. End of Conciliar Movement
1460 Pope Pius II Execrabilis: condemnation of conciliar
theory of church government as heresy
(Pius II = Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, author of anti-German Letter
to Martin Mair in Xerox packet on Grievances section)
IV. TREND TO NATIONAL CHURCHES
France, 1438 Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges (King Charles VII): "Gallican liberties"
Bohemia, John Hus of Prague (d. 1414, executed at Council of Constance)
: Utraquist Church (1431-1620)