The End of the Western Schism

Portrait of Pope Martin V, Galleria Colonna

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On November 11th 1417, Cardinal Oddone Colonna was elected pope at the Council of Constance, taking the name Martin V, thus bringing to an end the Western Schism.  His choice of name was influenced by the fact that November 11th is the Feast Day of St Martin. 

The Western Schism was a split within the Catholic Church, which started in 1378 when bishops in Rome and Avignon both claimed to be the true pope. In 1409, a bishop in Pisa made the same claim, thereby creating three 'popes'!  

In 1414, the Council of Constance was convened by the Pisan pope John XXIII to resolve the schism.