Urban VI (pope)
1318 – 1389 Italian Pope (1378-1389)
Pope whose harsh rule split the Church and began the Western Schism.
- Religion
- Catholic; Bishop of Rome
- Affiliations
- The papacy
Urban VI was elected in 1378 amid a Roman mob demanding an Italian pope. His violent temper and attacks on the cardinals drove them to declare his election invalid and choose a rival, Clement VII, who set up at Avignon. This began the Western Schism, with two and later three claimants to the papacy at once, splitting Europe's loyalties for nearly forty years.