662 CLEMENT the Milanese, Robert and his allies endeavored in vain to terrify the Bolognese into submission, and then ravaged the surrounding territory with fire and sword. The citizens of Cesena, indignant at these atrocities, rose up against Kobert, and shut him up within the walls of Murata. In this plight he invoked the aid of Sir John Hawkwood and his " White Compan- ions," then at Faenza. On their arrival before Murata, a full pardon was promised by the cardinal to the citizens if they would open their gates. But once outside the walls, he let loose upon his besiegers the pitiless hordes of Hawkwood and Malestroit, and 5,000 per- sons perished. On the death of Gregory XL, the cardinals elected an Italian, who assumed the name of Urban VI. The majority of them, being Frenchmen, resented the bitter animosity shown to their nation by the new pontiff, while his haughtiness and harshness offended his own countrymen. Under these circumstances, twelve French and four Italian cardinals met at Fondi, declared the election of Urban in- valid, and chose for pope Cardinal Robert, whose sole qualification for the office, besides his Genevese extraction, was his unquestioned but unscrupulous ability. He took the name of Clement VIL, and became the first of the line of the antipopes of Avignon, and the prime author of what is called the great west- ern schism. He was at first acknowledged as rightful pope by the sovereigns of Naples, Ara- gon, and Castile. The rest of Italy, with all Germany, England, Brittany, Hungary, and Portugal, remained faithful to Urban. France was neutral for a time, but, as the new anti- pope promised to reside at Avignon, Charles V. saw too many political advantages in pos- sessing the chief of the Christian world, and thus became his ardent supporter. This divi- sion produced the most lamentable results. Naples in particular became a field of intrigue and bloody strife. The ill-fated queen Joanna was induced to pay homage to Clement, who also persuaded her to adopt as her heir Louis of Anjou, brother to the French monarch, while France and Naples entered into an en- gagement to expel Urban VI. from Italy. Ur- ban met this danger by proclaiming a crusade against his enemies. England and Flanders thereupon armed themselves in his cause, and the fairest portions of the Low Countries were ravaged by Henry Spencer and his followers. Theological discussions waxed hot in the midst of these calamities, and religious men of both parties and of every Christian nation began to fear for the very existence of the Christian name. Urban VI. died in October, 1389, and Clement thereupon appealed to the cardinals to recognize him as sole pope. But the Italian cardinals elected Pietro Tommacelli, known as Boniface IX. At length, on June 30, 1394, Nicolas de Clemengis, in a memoir presented to the king of, France, urged the absolute necessity of terminating the scandal of Chris- tendom by referring their respective claims to arbitration. The suggestion was approved by the university of Paris, and the cardinals at Avignon were induced by public clamor to urge its adoption on Clement VIL This so affected him that he was seized with sud- den illness and died soon after. VIL Ginllo de' Medici, a natural son of Giuliano de' Medici, and cousin of Leo X., born in Florence about 1475, died Sept. 25, 1534. Carefully educated by his uncle, Lorenzo the Magnificent, he be- came knight of Malta, grand prior of Capua, archbishop of Florence, cardinal, chancellor of the Roman church, and pope in 1523, his elec- tion having been carried over the heads of the Colonna faction. As Charles V. seemed to threaten all Italy with the yoke, Clement form- ed a league against him with the Venetians and the kings of France and England. The pope, unaided by his royal allies, sought together with Venice to obtain a truce from the empe- ror ; but he soon saw Rome sacked by the Span- ish troops commanded by the constable do Bourbon (1527), and became a prisoner in the castle of Sant' Angelo. After having ceded several strongholds to his enemy, and given five cardinals as hostages, he was set at liberty, made peace with the Colonnas, and fled to Or- vieto. In 1530 he became reconciled with the emperor, and crowned him at Bologna. On March 23, 1534, Clement gave his judgment on the divorce of Henry VIII., declaring the mar- riage with Catharine of Aragon lawful and valid, condemning the proceedings against her as unjufit, and commanding Henry to take her back as his lawful wife. The bill abolishing the pope's authority within the realm of England was introduced into the commons in the begin- ning of March, was transmitted to the lords a week later, was passed by them on March 20, and received the royal assent on March 30. " It was not possible," says Lingard, u that a transaction in Rome on the 23d could induce the king to give his assent on the 80th." Thus the judgment of Clement was not the cause of the separation of England from the Roman communion. But in May following was issued the bull which is thought to have rendered the separation irremediable. In 1533 Clement had gone to Marseilles to meet Francis I., and there affianced his niece Catharine de' Medici to the heir to the French throne. He returned to Rome a prey to a slow fever brought on chief- ly by angnish of spirit, which soon proved fa- tal. He had succeeded in making peace with the sovereigns of Ferrara and Florence, had sent missionaries to preach the gospel in Mexico, and had vainly endeavored to correct the eccle- siastical abuses and disorders of Italy. (VIIL) Gil Mufioz, antipope, was canon of Barcelona when he was elected pope by the dissenting cardinals after the death of Benedict XIII. (1424). He was installed at Peniscola, but the reconciliation of the king of Aragon, Alfonso V., with Pope Martin V., put an end to his power, and by abdicating in 1429 he termina- ted the schism which had divided the church
