Clement VII (1342-1394) was an antipope–that is, a man determined to have improperly claimed to be or served as pope. His reign began in 1378 and marked the beginning of a period in church history known as the Great Schism. See Roman Catholic Church (The Great Schism) .
Clement was born in Geneva (now Geneva, Switzerland) and was known as Robert of Geneva before being elected pope. Pope Gregory XI made him a cardinal in 1371. Gregory sent Robert to Italy to make arrangements for the return of the pope to Rome after the long papal residence in Avignon, in what is now France. Gregory died in 1378, shortly after returning to Rome. Robert and the other cardinals elected a new pope in April 1378 who took the name Urban VI. Urban had an unstable personality and soon antagonized many cardinals. The French cardinals claimed Urban’s election was illegal because they argued it had been held under threat of violence. They withdrew their allegiance and elected Robert pope in September 1378.
Many European countries recognized Clement as the true pope. However, the church now considers Urban VI and his successor, Boniface IX, as the legitimate popes during Clement’s reign. Clement died on Sept. 16, 1394.
