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Late Avignon Papacy and the Obedience Crisis

Type Event Region Western Europe Time 1390–1400

The Avignon Papacy fell into severe crisis in the 1390s; after Clement VII died in 1394, the Spaniard Pedro de Luna succeeded as Benedict XIII, but F…

Timeline

  1. 1390–1394Avignon · ProvenceAvignon pope Clement VII kept the papacy functioning amid the schism but did not recognize the Roman pope Boniface IX; with monarchs divided in their loyalties, the Avignon Papacy's influence was confined to parts of France and the Iberian regions.
  2. 1394Avignon · ProvenceAfter Clement VII's death, the cardinals elected the Spaniard Pedro de Luna as Benedict XIII, continuing the line of Avignon popes; his hardline stance and refusal to compromise laid the groundwork for the deepening church crisis.
  3. 1398–1400France · FranceThe French church declared its withdrawal of obedience from Benedict XIII and called for a general council to resolve the schism; the Avignon Papacy lost its most important base of support, the pope was forced to move to a nearby fortress, and Avignon's status as an effective papal center became nominal.

Sources