The envoy of the French emperor in the Pope's dormitory
When the Pope was wreaking havoc on Europe with the Inquisition, he was losing the high status he had accumulated by being the king of the kings of Rome, Germany and France.
Gone are the days when they could bring an emperor to his knees by simply showing him the way out of the community or just threatening him. When the condition of the Holy Roman Empire was deteriorating and the Holy Roman Emperor lived in Germany away from Rome, the Emperor of France began to interfere in the affairs of the Pope.
In AD 1303, the ruler of France got angry with something from the Pope. He sent a man to the Pope who by force entered the Pope's palace, entered his bedroom and hurled great insult at the Pope's face. Although no country disliked the humiliating treatment of the Pope, the situation had changed. The punishment of the emperor standing barefoot in the snow for hours to meet the Pope at Kanauja had now become a page of history.
Two Popes – Two Cities
'French' in AD 1309 There was a pope. During his time the Pope became so insecure inside Rome that he left Rome and went to the French city of Avinyo and lived there. The Emperor of France patronized the Pope. This was a wonderful event in the history of the Catholic Church. The Church was in Rome and the Pope was in France. By AD 1377 the popes had to remain under the thumb of the Emperor of France.
In AD 1378, there was a split in the congregation of the big clergy who elected the pope. This is called the 'Great Difference' is called. There were two groups of great clergy who chose their respective popes. One of these popes went to Rome and stayed there. The Roman emperor and many countries of Europe accepted him as Pope. The second Pope lived in the city of Avinya, France. The Emperor of France and his supporters continued to support this Pope and recognized only this Pope. This was the situation for almost 40 years.
Professor Wycliffe's Bones in Fire
Both the Popes of Rome and France called themselves the representatives of God and cursed the other Popes. The people of Europe looked at these two popes with suspicion. People were now publicly criticizing the Pope. In those days there was a priest named Wycliffe in England.
He translated the Bible into English for the first time. He was a professor at Oxford and was a harsh critic of the conduct of the Popes. During his life, he remained out of reach of the popes, but 31 years after his death, in AD 1415, the Pope ordered that his bones be excavated from his grave and they be burnt. That's what was done.
John Huss Fire
Wycliffe's bones were burnt but the Pope could not destroy his thoughts. His ideas reached as far as Bohemia (Czechoslovakia). John Huss was greatly influenced by her ideas. He severely criticized the Pope. The Pope expelled him from Christianity, but the Pope could do nothing more to 'John Huss' than this.
Therefore, in AD 1415, the Roman emperor was prepared to invite Hus to Constantine, where the council of the Christian Union was being held. The emperor invited Hus to the council site, promising his personal protection.
When Hus appeared in the council he was asked to admit his mistake. Hus put a condition before the office bearers of the Christian council that- 'If they agree with their views by defeating me in argument, I will accept my mistake.
On this he was burnt alive there. The guarantee of the personal safety of the emperor could not protect Hus. John Hus is still considered a hero in Czechoslovakia today, a hero who allowed the body to perish in order to preserve the voice of his conscience.
Crusade against the Pope in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia)
When news of John Huss being burned alive by the Christian Union reached Bohemia (today it is called Czechoslavakia), people there took to the streets against the Pope. They began to publicly condemn this act of the Pope. On this the Pope called for a crusade against these rebels. The miscreants who are always present in the society are looking for similar opportunities.
They set out to crusade against the gentry of Bohemia. Soon their groups started appearing like locusts all around the capital of Bohemia. There was no one to save the people of Bohemia in this hour of crisis.
So the people of Bohemia decided to take the front on their own to save their children, homes and properties and they gathered in the middle of the city and started moving towards the attackers. They are the song of Veeras sung in Bohemia 'Kadkha' Singing reached in front of the attackers.
As soon as the attacking miscreants saw the townspeople coming together in this way, their spirits were answered. They ran away with their arms from there on the opposite foot. The people of Bohemia were victorious, the Pope's call for the Crusade could not bow down to them.
This incident of Bohemia Prague became an example for the whole of Europe, which proved to be a driving factor in the rise of nationalism, freedom struggle and establishment of republic in those countries. This event in Prague is seen as the father of the Protestant movement in Europe. This movement split the Christian union into two pieces.
Agreement between the two popes
In AD 1417, the Pope of Rome and France reached an agreement, and both parties together elected a new Pope who lived in his former capital Rome.
Italy's plight
Italy was briefly freed from foreign German rule at the end of the 15th century, but in the early 16th century it was again caught in the clutches of European politics. Spanish power was at its zenith during this period. He was at war with France. The Roman Empire had become so weak that Spain, France, and Austria began competing for control over Rome's territories. This situation remained until the time of Napoleon's invasion.