Fifteenth Century

Schism Ends, Turks, Worldly Popes, Spanish Inquisition, America

        The Papal Great Schism Ends: The Council of Constance of 1414 -1417 ends the Great Schism. Pope John XXIII deposed; Election of Pope Martin V.

            In 1453 the Turks capture Constantinople and turn St. Sophia Basilica into a mosque. The many scholars fleeing west encourage a revival of classical learning - the Renaissance. In 1455 Johann Gutenburg develops his printing press and prints the first Bible.

            Worldly Popes: The Renaissance takes Italy by storm. Pope Nicholas V founds the Vatican library and begins a massive rebuilding of churches which decayed during the Avignon period. Sixtus IV (1471) masterminds the Sistine chapel and choir. But he is caught up in political intrigues between the powerful Borgia and Medici families. He appoints his nephews as cardinals, one of whom becomes Pope Julius II. Between Sixtus IV and Julius II comes Pope Alexander VI, the most notorious of the Renaissance popes. Prior to his papacy, Alexander fathered four illegitimate children by a Roman woman, Vannozza, among them Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. He manipulates Italian politics not with the help of nephews but through his son, Cesare Borgia.

            Several other Renaissance popes lived corrupt and immoral lives. Actually there have been about 10 to 15 corrupt or immoral popes out of 265. Of course, all popes, like St. Peter, were sinners, even John Paul II used to pray several times daily "forgive us our trespasses" and "pray for us sinners"... but a total of 97 popes have been canonized (78 Saints and 9 Blessed), again a better average than the 11 out 12 of Jesus. Indeed, the Office of the Pope has the highest percentage of Sanctity of any profession.

            Spanish Inquisition: The Inquisition in Spain is set up by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1479 with Pope Sixtus IV’s approval. Their goal was to combat Jews and Muslims who had converted to Catholicism then apostatized, as well as heretics. Under the grand inquisitor Torquemada Jews are given 3 months to become Christians or leave the country. See thorough discussion at: http://www.catholic.com/library/Inquisition.asp

            America: The discovery of America in 1492 by the Spanish fleet led by Columbus opens the door for the evangelization of America, flooded by a legion of missionaries from Spain and Portugal.

            1498- Death of Savonarola, a Dominican reformer who challenged the corruption and wealth of the time. Eventually, being brought to trial for falsely claiming to have seen visions, uttered prophecies, and promoted religious error, he was sentenced to death.

Saints:

          St. Joan of Arc: The patroness of soldiers and of France. At a very early age, she heard voices: those of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret telling her to go to the King of France and help him reconquer his kingdom. After overcoming opposition from churchmen and courtiers, the seventeen year old girl was given a small army with which she raised the seige of Orleans on May 8, 1429. She then enjoyed a series of spectacular military successes, during which the King was able to enter Rheims and be crowned with her at his side. In May 1430, as she was attempting to relieve Compiegne, she was captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English when Charles and the French did nothing to save her. After months of imprisonment, she was tried. Through her unfamiliarity with the technicalities of theology, Joan was trapped into making a few damaging statements. She was condemned to death as a heretic, sorceress, and adulteress, and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. Some thirty years later, she was exonerated of all guilt and she was ultimately canonized in 1920.

          St. Angela Merici: Late in life, she organized a group of 12 girls to help her in catechetical work. Four years later the group had increased to 28. She formed them into the Company of St. Ursula (patroness of medieval universities and venerated as a leader of women) for the purpose of re-Christianizing family life through solid Christian education of future wives and mothers. The members continued to live at home, had no special habit and took no formal vows, though the early Rule prescribed the practice of virginity, poverty and obedience. The idea of a teaching congregation of women was new and took time to develop. The community thus existed as a “secular institute” until some years after Angela’s death.

            St. Thomas More: While servings as the Lord Chancellor of England, he was imprisoned for refusing to swear to the Oath of Supremacy, the preamble to a law called the Act of Succession. The oath stated that Henry VIII ranked above all foreign rulers, including the pope. More was convicted of high treason on perjured evidence and was beheaded outside the Tower of London on July 6, 1535. His final words were, “The King’s good servant, but God’s First.”

Heresies

            Hussites: The followers of John Huss, the Rector at the University of Prague. He publicly condemned many practices of the Catholic Church. These included the sale of indulgences and the riches controlled by the Church. Huss had studied the writings of John Wycliffe and supported many of his ideas. The Catholic Church declared over 40 of Wytcliffe’s Theses as Heretical. Jan Huss, however, continued to argue that the Church was inherently corrupt and in need of reform. This earned him many admirers and just as many enemies. Although it ultimately failed, the Hussite movement is of permanent historical significance. It was the first substantial attack upon the two bulwarks of medieval society, feudalism and the Roman Catholic Church. As such it helped pave the way for both the Protestant Reformation and the rise of modern nationalism.
            After the burning of Huss (1415) and Jerome of Prague (1416), the Hussites continued as a powerful group in Bohemia and Moravia. They drew up (1420) the Four Articles of Prague, demanding freedom of preaching, communion in both kinds (i.e., both wine and bread) for the laity as well as priests, the limitation of property holding by the church, and civil punishment of mortal sin, including simony.

            Moravians, "Church of the Brotherhood", United Brethren, after Huss: The English priest "Wycliff", denied the authority of the Pope 200 years before Luther. "John Huss", a Bohemian priest (now western Czechoslovakia), followed his ideas... In 1457, some followers of Huss founded the "Church of the Brotherhood", considered the pioneer and the earliest independent Protestant body, even before Luther. Later, in 1727, it became the "United Brethren, or Moravian Church".