conceived this sovereignty democratically, for he called representatives from the Italian cities to a
sort of parliament. Success, however, gave him delusions of grandeur. At this time, as at many
others, there were rival claimants to the Empire. Rienzi summoned both of them, and the Electors,
to come before him to have the issue decided. This naturally turned both imperial candidates
against him, and also the Pope, who considered that it was for him to pronounce judgement in
such matters. Rienzi was captured by the Pope ( 1352), and kept in prison for two years, until
Clement VI died. Then he was released, and returned to Rome, where he acquired power again for
a few months. On this second occasion, however, his popularity was brief, and in the end he was
murdered by the mob. Byron, as well as Petrarch, wrote a poem in his praise.
It became evident that, if the papacy was to remain effectively the head of the whole Catholic
Church, it must free itself from dependence on France by returning to Rome. Moreover, the
Anglo-French war, in which France was suffering severe defeats, made France unsafe. Urban V
therefore went to Rome in 1367; but Italian politics were too complicated for him, and he returned
to Avignon shortly before his death. The next Pope, Gregory XI, was more resolute. Hostility to
the French curia had made many Italian towns, especially Florence, bitterly antipapal, but by
returning to Rome and opposing the French cardinals Gregory did everything in his power to save
the situation. However, at his death the French and Roman parties in the College of Cardinals
proved irreconcilable. In accordance with the wishes of the Roman party, an Italian, Bartolomeo
Prignano, was elected, and took the name of Urban VI. But a number of Cardinals declared his
election uncanonical, and proceeded to elect Robert of Geneva, who belonged to the French party.
He took the name of Clement VII, and lived in Avignon.
Thus began the Great Schism, which lasted for some forty years. France, of course, recognized the
Avignon Pope, and the enemies of France recognized the Roman Pope. Scotland was the enemy
of England, and England of France therefore Scotland recognized the Avignon Pope. Each pope
chose cardinals from among his own partisans, and when either died his cardinals quickly elected
another. Thus there was no way of healing the schism except by bringing to bear some power
superior to both popes. It was clear that one of them