The Great Schism led to the decline of Europe during the later Middle Ages because it caused people to question the church's authority, leading to religious reform. The Great Schism began when Urban VI was elected as the pope. The cardinals believed this election was invalid because it happened solely because of the pressure from Roman citizens, so they excommunicated him and elected a pope of their own, Clement VII. Because there were now two popes, a schism began. Because the Great Schism revealed much instability in the church, people began questioning its authority and whether it needed to be reformed. For example, during the Great Schism, many began to look at the ideas of William of Occam and Marsigolio of Padua. These two argued that the church and the state should be separate, with the state holding more power …show more content…
On top of this, scholars were not the only ones with ideas regarding religious reform; laypeople began relying on individual relationships with God and mystical experiences rather than looking to the church for guidance. The Great Schism did not contribute to the decline of the Middle Ages because it destroyed religion but because it influenced people to explore new religious practices and move away from the broken state the Church was in. The exploration of different ideas led to the beginning of a new, more modern time period and the end of the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church was so important to the Middle Ages because it influenced numerous aspects of European life, having the ability to make and unmake kings, isolate through excommunication, and even execute. The church also had control over the spiritual lives of Europeans, determining their daily practices, such as worship and prayer. Because the Great Schism caused citizens to seek and spread ideas of religious reform, the power, status, and authority of Church officials slowly