Late Medieval Catholic Church History

I. AVIGNON PAPACY (BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY)          (1305-1377)

   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

              Avignon Papacy: Pope in southern France 1305-1377
                        Financial corruption during Avignon period:
                                    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 Univ. of Paris
                  Jean Gerson 1409 On Unity

               Church Councils:
                            Council of Pisa, 1409 -- elects Alexander V (3rd pope)
                            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 Basel       1431
                             Council of Ferrara    1438 (last council before Trent in 1543)

            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)