Western Schism begins
Poets involved
What happened
In 1378, the Western Schism began with the election of two rival popes: Pope Urban VI, who resided in Rome, and Pope Clement VII, who established his court in Avignon. The schism divided the Catholic Church for nearly four decades, with European kingdoms choosing allegiance to one pope or the other based on political convenience. The schism weakened the authority of the papacy and fueled calls for reform that would culminate in the Conciliar Movement and, eventually, the Protestant Reformation.
Literary impact
The Western Schism had a profound impact on European literature, inspiring a wave of satirical and polemical poetry that attacked the corruption and worldliness of the Church. Poets such as Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland wrote works that critiqued the abuses of the clergy and questioned the moral authority of the papacy, reflecting the widespread disillusionment with the institutional Church. The schism also gave rise to a tradition of religious poetry that sought to transcend sectarian divisions and appeal to a more personal, interior form of faith, a theme that would be central to the poetry of the Reformation.
Source: Wikipedia
