Pisa, Council of

General Council of the Church held in Pisa, Italy, in 1409 in an attempt to end the Great Schism. It failed, managing instead to add another line of claimants to the dispute.

The Great Schism meant there was a pope in Rome and a rival pope in Avignon. The council was called by cardinals formerly of both factions. Deposing both existing popes (neither of whom recognized the council), they elected instead the cardinal archbishop of Milan, the learned Greek Peter Philargis, as Alexander V. The council quickly ended, leaving Alexander reliant on Baldassare Cossa, cardinal legate of Bologna (who in the following year was to succeed him as Pope John XXIII).