a monk in his study
 





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Papal Palace at Avignon France.
'habemus papam' on the election of Martin V
Papal Palace in Avignon.
The Avignon Antipopes 1378 – 1429

Urban VI was elected pope in 1378 in Rome. His actions alienated the French and they withdrew to Avignon where they elected Clement VII. From then until 1409 there were always two Popes. From 1409 to 1429, when the Council of Pisa deposed both popes and elected a third one, there were three popes! Finally, one of the popes was persuaded to resign, the others were deposed, Martin V was elected pope and the Great Schism came to an end.

The former was Pope Clement VIII, born Gil Sánchez Muñoz. In return for his resignation and acknowledgement of Martin V he was given the bishopric of Mallorca. Said by contemporaries to be a vile sinner –understood to mean he had a certain fondness for the ladies– he remained in Mallorca until his death on 28 Dec 1446.

In accordance with his testament, his mitre hangs above his tomb in Palma Cathedral, together with his coat of arms.