| Papal conclave April 1378 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and location | |
| 7–9 April 1378 Old St. Peter's Basilica, Papal States | |
| Key officials | |
| Dean | Ange de Grimoard |
| Sub-dean | Pietro Corsini |
| Protodeacon | Hugues de Saint-Martial |
| Elected pope | |
| Bartolomeo Prignano Name taken: Urban VI | |
 | |
The 1378 papal conclave which was held from April 7 to 9, 1378, was the papal conclave which was the immediate cause of the Western Schism in the Catholic Church. The conclave was one of the shortest in the history of the Catholic Church.[1] The conclave was also the first since 1159 held in the Vatican and in Old St. Peter's Basilica (the elections and conclaves in Rome prior to the Avignon Papacy having been held mostly in the Basilica of St. John Lateran).[2]
Pope Gregory XI died on March 26, 1378, in Rome, having returned from Avignon to pursue his territorial interests in the Papal States during the War of the Eight Saints. Although the French cardinals constituted a majority of the College of Cardinals due to the preceding Avignon Papacy, they succumbed to the will of the Roman mob, which demanded the election of an Italian pontiff. They elected Bishop Bartolommeo Prignano, who took the name Pope Urban VI. This was the last time a non-cardinal was elected pope.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
catholicwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Miller, William. 1902. Mediaeval Rome, from Hildebrand to Clement VIII, 1073-1600. G. P. Putnam's sons. p. 150.
- ^ Miranda, Salvador. 1998. "Papal elections of the 14th Century (1303-1394)".