Council of Constance
- Date
- 1414–1418
- Place
- Constance, Holy Roman Empire (modern Germany)
What it decided
From 5 November 1414 to 22 April 1418. It ended the Western Schism: it deposed John XXIII and Benedict XIII, accepted Gregory XII's resignation and elected Martin V (1417). The decree Haec sancta (1415) asserted the council's authority over all, including the pope, and Frequens (1417) provided for regular councils. It condemned teachings of John Wycliffe and Jan Hus; Hus was burned in 1415 despite an imperial safe-conduct.
- Convoked by
- The Pisan pope John XXIII, at the urging of King Sigismund
Who recognises it
Catholic Church only (sixteenth ecumenical council), though not all its decrees are regarded as equally binding.