The Council of Basel and Church Reform (1430s)

Timeline

1. 1431Basel · SwitzerlandPope Martin V convoked the Council of Basel in accordance with the decisions of the Council of Constance, aiming to advance church reform and address the aftermath of the schism. After Martin V's death, Pope Eugenius IV clashed with the council over its venue and agenda, but the council insisted on continuing its work in Basel.
2. 1432–1435Basel · SwitzerlandThe council passed numerous reform decrees limiting papal power, regulating episcopal elections and papal finances, and reaffirming the ecumenical council's supreme oversight of the pope. Participants engaged in theological disputes over conciliarism versus papal supremacy, influencing church constitutional discussions across the Latin Christian world.
3. 1433–1436Basel · SwitzerlandThe council negotiated with Bohemian representatives on articles of Hussite faith, ultimately producing the Compactata of Prague, which allowed Utraquists to reconcile with the Catholic Church under defined conditions. This brought Central Europe's religious conflict into the conciliar reform framework and was an important breakthrough in 15th-century church politics.