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Council of Constance

1414-1418Konstanz, Germany

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November 6, 2012

Obama wins! He announces he has been elected President of the United States. He presides in Washington, D. C.

Newt Gingrich, however, announces he is the President of the United States. His presidential estate is in Georgia.

Ron Paul also announces he is the winner of the presidency, and he presides in Texas!

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This is similar to what happened in the early 1400’s. at that time,Three

men claimed to be pope.

Benedict XIII

Gregory XII

John XXIII

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All three wanted to be the pope, and this caused a great division in the

Catholic church.

Benedict XIII John XXIIIGregory XII

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So the king of the Romans, Sigismund, and one of the popes,

John XXIII, called for a council to take place at Constance, Germany, to

solve the problem of who would be pope. The first meeting was

scheduled for November 1, 1414, but Sigismund did not arrive until

Christmas Eve.

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At this time, Constance had 5500 residents and was beautifully located

on the lake, with fields and vineyards.

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Constance, Germany, is on Lake Constance and borders Switzerland.

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The Rhine River flows through the city.

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An old guard tower of the

city.

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Old gate to the city

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When John XXIII arrived (about November), he was accompanied by 9

cardinals and 1600 mounted horsemen. He rode a white horse, its

back covered with a red rug. Its bridles were held by a count on one side and

and another dignitary on the other side.

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King Sigismund arrived Christmas Eve, and Christmas day the imperial party went to the cathedral to greet

the pope (John XXIII). Christmas services were then held in the

cathedral for 8 to 11 hours, without interruption.

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King Sigismund and his wife, Barbara, at

the Council of Constance

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Constance became the most important locality in Europe. People of every rank, from the king to the

beggar, came.

Bakers, beadles, grooms, scribes, goldsmiths, merchantmen of every

sort, as well as dukes, prelates, learned university masters and

doctors.

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33 cardinals5 patriarchs

47 archbishops145 bishops

93 titular bishops217 doctors of theology

361 doctors of both law and theology171 doctors of medicine

a great number from 37 universities83 kings and princes represented by envoys

38 dukes173 counts71 barons

1500+ knights142 writers of bulls

1700 buglers, fiddlers, and players of other musical instruments

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The English and Scotch delegation, which numbered less than 12 people, for

example, was accompanied by 700 or 800 mounted men, splendidly attired,

and headed by fifers and other musicians, as they made their entry into

the city.

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The streets and surroundings presented the spectacle of a merry fair.

There were tournaments, dances, acrobatic shows, processions, and

musical displays.

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But the purpose of the city was to host the religious council, and a type of order was

maintained.

By order of the city council, people were forbidden to be out after curfew without a

light.Chains were stretched across some of the

streets, and all shouting at night was forbidden.

A strict tariff was imposed to stop price hikes on goods.

The price of a loaf of bread was fixed at a penny. Room rentals were fixed at a

certain price, as were, also, the prices for grains, meat, eggs, birds, and other

articles of food.

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In an effort to control the votes of the 80 bishops and doctors committed to

John XXIII, rules were made at the council requiring everyone to vote by

nation and not as individuals.Nations met in rooms assigned to

them.

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Bishops debate with the pope at the council

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When it was apparent that the council would remove all three popes

(Benedict XIII, Gregory XII, John XXIII), John XXIII made a formal

announcement that he resigned.

The city went wild with joy. Church bells rang, people cried, and John

himself, fearful of what might happen to him, fled the city!

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This was all a precursor to our subject of the day—John Huss and Jerome of

Prague.

Now the division caused by heresy could be addressed, and Huss was

their number one heretic.

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Credits:Slide 7: Francisco Antunes at flickr

Slide 8: makilica at flickrSlides 9, 10: Yortw at flickr