Daily Curiosity

Middle Ages · Question

Which council (1414–1418) is associated with ending the Western Schism and condemning Jan Hus?

Answer

Council of Constance

The story behind the answer

Held 1414–1418 at the imperial city on Lake Constance, this council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the resignations of rival popes and electing Martin V in 1417. It also condemned the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus, who was executed in 1415 despite a promise of safe conduct—an event that sparked the Hussite Wars.

It marked the high point of conciliarism, the belief that a general council could hold authority over the papacy, a stance promoted by Emperor Sigismund in a Europe rattled by plague and war. For contrast, Pisa (1409) only deepened the schism, Basel (1430s) prolonged conciliar conflicts, and Ferrara-Florence (1438–45) focused on reuniting Western and Eastern churches.

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