The
Western Schism or
Papal Schism was a split within the
Roman Catholic Church which lasted from 1378 to 1417. Three men simultaneously claimed to be the true
pope. Driven by politics rather than any
theological disagreement, the
schism was ended by the
Council of Constance (1414–1418). For a time these rival claims to the papal throne damaged the reputation of the office. The affair is sometimes referred to as the
Great Schism, although this term is typically reserved for the
East–West Schism (1054) between the Western Churches answering to the
See of Rome and the
Orthodox Churches of the East.