What council helped end the Western Schism in 1417?

The story behind the answer

Amid the Western Schism (1378–1417), Christendom faced rival papal claimants in Rome, Avignon, and Pisa. This council (1414–1418), backed by Emperor Sigismund, deposed or accepted the resignation of competing popes—removing the Pisan and Avignon claimants and recognizing Gregory XII’s resignation—then elected Martin V in 1417, restoring a single papal line and ending the schism.

Beyond healing the split, it became a landmark of “conciliarism,” the idea that a general council could hold authority over a pope. It also condemned the reformer Jan Hus, who was executed in 1415 despite a promise of safe conduct—an act that sparked lasting controversy and later Hussite wars. While it achieved unity, many hoped-for structural reforms of the Church remained largely unfulfilled.