- Original name:
- Oddo, or Oddone, Colonna
- Born:
- 1368, Genazzano, Papal States [Italy]
- Died:
- Feb. 20, 1431, Rome (aged 63)
- Title / Office:
- pope (1417-1431)
- House / Dynasty:
- Colonna family
- Subjects Of Study:
- papal primacy
Martin V
-
Who was Martin V?
Martin V, born in 1368 in Genazzano, Papal States, was pope from 1417 to 1431. Elected unanimously on November 11, 1417, during the Council of Constance, his election ended the Great Schism, a division in the Western Church caused by multiple claimants to the papacy.
As pope, Martin V faced the challenge of restoring the Western Church, the papacy, and the Papal States. He condemned the "conciliar theory" that would subject the pope to a council and forbade appeals against papal judgments on matters of faith. Although Avignon was offered to him as a papal residence, Martin chose Rome, entering the city in 1420 after a year in Florence. He restored churches and fortifications and tried to regain control of the Papal States.
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When did Martin V become pope?
Martin V was elected pope on November 11, 1417, during the Council of Constance, which was called to resolve the Great Schism. He served as pope from 1417 to 1431. Martin V faced the task of restoring the Western church, the papacy, and the Papal States. He condemned the "conciliar theory" and asserted papal supremacy in ecclesiastical matters.
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Why was Martin V's election important in church history?
Martin V's election as pope in November 1417 during the Council of Constance was a pivotal moment in church history because it effectively ended the Western Schism. This schism, lasting from 1378, involved multiple rival popes, creating division within the church. The council deposed the Roman pope, received the resignation of another, and dismissed the claims of a third, paving the way for Martin V's election and the restoration of a unified papacy.
As pope, Martin V faced the challenge of rebuilding the Western church, the papacy, and the Papal States. He worked to consolidate power and address reforms, but his efforts were sometimes seen as halfhearted.
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What major council elected Martin V as pope?
The Council of Constance elected Oddone Colonna as Martin V on November 11, 1417. The council, the 16th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convened from 1414–18 to address the Great Schism, which resulted in multiple claimants to the papacy. The Council of Constance aimed to reunite Christendom, examine the teachings of John Wycliffe and Jan Hus, and implement church reforms.
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How did Martin V help end the Western Schism?
Martin V's election as pope in November 1417 during the Council of Constance effectively ended the Western Schism. The schism, lasting from 1378 to 1417, was marked by multiple rival popes, each with their own followers and administrative offices. The Council of Constance was convened to resolve this crisis, and it successfully deposed the Roman pope, received the resignation of another, and dismissed the claims of the Avignon pope, thus paving the way for the election of Martin V and the restoration of a unified papacy.
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What challenges did Martin V face during his papacy?
During his papacy, Martin V faced numerous challenges that included restoring the Western church, the papacy, and the Papal States after the Great Schism.
His difficulties included:
* Conciliar Theory He had to condemn the widely held "conciliar theory" which would make the pope subject to a council and forbade any appeal from papal judgment on matters of faith.
* Papal States Establishing control over the Papal States diplomatically rather than forcibly and dealing with ambitious figures like Braccio da Montone.
* Church Reform Although the Council of Constance adopted seven church reform decrees, Martin neglected the opportunity for further church reform, and his own efforts were halfhearted and ineffective.
* Hussites He also faced the challenge of organizing crusades against the Hussites, followers of the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus.
* Council of Basel Martin dreaded councils and worked to abort the Council of Pavia in 1423 and manipulated its dissolution in 1424. He died shortly after calling the Council of Basel in 1431.3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Martin V (born 1368, Genazzano, Papal States [Italy]—died Feb. 20, 1431, Rome) was the pope from 1417 to 1431.
A cardinal subdeacon who had helped organize the Council of Pisa in 1409, he was unanimously elected pope on Nov. 11, 1417, in a conclave held during the Council of Constance (1414–18), which had been called to end the Great Schism (1378–1417), a split in the Western church caused by multiple claimants to the papacy.
As pope, Martin faced enormous difficulties, for he had to restore the Western church, the papacy, and the Papal States. The Council of Constance accepted his proposal (January 1418) that ecclesiastics rule lands and cities belonging to the church, but he found it necessary to establish himself in these places diplomatically rather than forcibly. Immediately after the Council of Constance, he condemned the widely held “conciliar theory” which would make the pope subject to a council, and he forbade any appeal from papal judgment on matters of faith. After the council adopted seven church reform decrees, leaving their execution to Martin, he concluded concordats on other points with the principal countries involved, chiefly methods of taxation and some modifications in favour of national demands for the reform of abuses in the papacy’s central bureaucracy.
Although the French offered him Avignon for the papal residence, where it had been situated from 1309 to 1377, Martin chose Rome. He remained a year in Florence, however, for Rome—which he finally entered in 1420—was in ruins. Martin restored some of its churches and fortifications and tried to recover control of the Papal States. His chief difficulty was with the ambitious Italian soldier Braccio da Montone, whom in 1420 he had made vicar of the papal territories of Perugia and Umbria. Not content, Braccio sought further dominion in southern Italy but was defeated in the Battle of Aquila (June 2, 1424). Thereafter, Martin was able to make headway in Italy. By obtaining the grant of fiefs for his influential family in southern Italy, he increased the Colonnas’ power and enriched them with vast estates in papal territory.
In non-Italian affairs he advanced papal interests and aimed to retrieve the authority of the Curia in the church as a whole. He worked to mediate the Hundred Years’ War between France and England and to organize crusades against the Hussites, followers of the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus. Against the English government he fully asserted his determination to obliterate the Statute of Provisors of 1390, which had outlawed the papacy’s conferring of an office or benefice. In the Spanish kingdoms he similarly emphasized the rights of the church against the crown.
Although he dreaded councils for fear that they would revive the conciliar theory, Martin called the Council of Pavia in 1423. Yet he soon strove to abort the council, which, because of a plague, moved to Siena. He refused to attend in person and in 1424 manipulated its dissolution. In short, he asserted papal supremacy in all matters ecclesiastical.
Martin neglected the opportunity offered by councils for church reform, toward which his own efforts were halfhearted and ineffective. He died shortly after calling the Council of Basel in 1431.
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