Pope Urban VI

Born Bartolomeo Prignano in Naples, Urban VI was the first pope of the Western Schism. A respected administrator and archbishop of Bari, he was elected in 1378 amid a Roman crowd demanding an Italian pope. Once enthroned he turned harsh, suspicious, and violent toward the cardinals, who soon declared his election invalid as made under duress and chose Clement VII, who returned to Avignon—splitting Western Christendom into rival obediences. Urban's reign was marked by bitter conflict, including the reported torture and execution of cardinals who plotted against him. His difficult temperament deepened a schism that would divide the Church for nearly forty years.