Clement VII

Clement VII was the Avignon pope elected in 1378 by cardinals opposing Urban VI. His pontificate, lasting until 1394, began the Western Schism’s rival papal line.

Western Schism: A division in the Latin Church from 1378 to 1417, when rival papal claimants held competing obediences. Clement’s election established the Avignon obedience that made the schism a lasting institutional split.
Robert of Geneva: A French cardinal who became Pope Clement VII in 1378 and led the Avignon papal line. This was Clement’s name before his election as pope.
Charles V of France: King of France from 1364 to 1380, who supported Clement VII’s Avignon papacy. French royal backing gave Clement’s obedience a powerful political foundation.
Obedience (Western Schism): A political and ecclesiastical allegiance to one of the rival papal claimants during the Western Schism. Clement’s authority depended on rulers and church institutions recognizing his obedience.
Urban VI: The pope elected in Rome in 1378 whose disputed conduct and election prompted rival cardinals to elect Clement VII. His papacy and Clement’s emerged from the same disputed election crisis.
Gregory XI: The pope who returned the papal court from Avignon to Rome in 1377 and died the following year. His death in Rome precipitated the election crisis that produced Clement and Urban VI.
Boniface IX: The Roman pope from 1389 to 1404, successor to Urban VI in the Western Schism. He continued the Roman papal line opposed to Clement’s Avignon succession.
Kingdom of France: The medieval monarchy that supported the Avignon papacy during much of the Western Schism. French support made Clement’s rival papacy viable beyond Avignon.
Avignon Papacy: The period when the papal court resided in Avignon, France, from 1309 to 1377. Clement revived an Avignon-based papal court after the papacy had returned to Rome.
Roman populace: The inhabitants of Rome, whose political pressure shaped the papal election of 1378. Their demand for a Roman or Italian pope formed part of the pressure surrounding Urban VI’s election.

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War of the League of CognacRelated: His alliance with France placed the papacy at the center of the anti-imperial coalition.