Cardinal System of the Curia During the Great Schism

Timeline

1. 1378–1394Rome · RomeAfter Urban VI was elected in Rome in 1378, some cardinals fled to Avignon and elected Clement VII, plunging the church into a standoff between two popes. The College of Cardinals split into two factions, each forming its own curia that exercised the functions of appointing bishops, issuing bulls, and collecting church taxes, while European states took sides according to political interest.
2. 1390–1400Avignon · AvignonDuring the standoff between Boniface IX (Rome) and Benedict XIII (Avignon) in the 1390s, each faction of cardinals maintained a full curial bureaucracy: treasurers, notaries, papal legates, and courts. Monarchs exploited the schism for gain, while church reformers called for a general council to resolve the crisis; the cardinal system was forced to adapt to extraordinary governance amid disputes over legitimacy.
3. 1409–1415Pisa · PisaThe Council of Pisa in 1409, dominated by the cardinals, deposed the popes of Rome and Avignon and elected Alexander V, but failed to gain broad recognition, resulting in the even more chaotic situation of three rival popes. This exposed the College's inability to resolve the schism on its own and pushed reformers toward the Council of Constance.
4. 1414–1417Constance · ConstanceThe Council of Constance (1414–1418), convened under the leadership of the Holy Roman Empire, successively deposed three rival popes. In November 1417 the College of Cardinals elected Martin V, reuniting the church. The crisis and reorganization of the cardinal system during the Great Schism profoundly influenced subsequent debates on papal centralization and conciliarism.