Overview

Bartolomeo Prignano, known as Pope Urban VI (c.1318–15 October 1389), led the Latin Church from 1378 until his death. A Neapolitan cleric and canon lawyer who served as archbishop before his election, he became the 203rd Pope. His pontificate is best remembered for the immediate crisis that followed his election and for reforms he attempted within the curia.

Background and election

Prignano had a reputation as an able administrator and jurist. After the death of Pope Gregory XI, he was chosen by the conclave in Rome under intense pressure from Roman citizens who wanted a resident, Italian pope. His election — conducted in a charged atmosphere — satisfied some factions but alarmed a number of French cardinals, contributing to later divisions.

Controversy and the Western Schism

Soon after his election a group of dissenting cardinals declared the process invalid and elected a rival pope in Avignon, beginning the Western Schism. This split the Church into competing obediences, with courts in Rome and Avignon each claiming legitimacy. The schism lasted for nearly forty years and involved secular rulers as well as churchmen.

Policies, character, and conflicts

Urban attempted administrative reforms and stern discipline among clergy and officials. Contemporary accounts often emphasize his irritable and uncompromising temperament; later historians caution that some reports may be biased by factional sources. His relations with certain cardinals and European monarchs were frequently tense.

Legacy and significance

Urban VI's papacy had long-term consequences because it hardened positions that sustained the schism until efforts at conciliar settlement in the 15th century. He remains a controversial figure: credited with trying to assert papal authority and criticized for actions that alienated allies. For basic context on the Catholic institution he led see the Roman Catholic Church, and for reference to papal lists consult standard papal registers.

  • Born Bartolomeo Prignano (c.1318)
  • Elected pope in 1378 amid popular pressure
  • His election precipitated the Western Schism
  • Died 15 October 1389; succeeded in the Roman line by Boniface IX