antipope
Schismatic papal claimant
An antipope is a claimant to the papacy whose election or appointment is disputed by the Roman Catholic Church.
The term usually refers to historical figures who claimed papal authority in opposition to the recognized pope, often backed by rival political factions: The Western Schism produced multiple antipopes.
The word carries no judgment about which claimant was legitimate—that depends on who won.
Historic Christian church division
- Western SchismPeriod of competing popes
- AvignonFrench papal seat
- splitSeparation into parts
- divisionSplitting into parts
faction · obedience · legitimacy crisis · allegiance · recognition · Council of Constance · healing · reunion
Illegal power seizer
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
- self-proclaimedDeclared without outside validation
- illegitimateNot authorized or recognized
- unrecognizedNot identified or acknowledged
contested · challenger · counterclaim · disputed election · deposition · abdication · forced resignation · succession dispute
Pope's office and authority
- Holy SeePapal governing authority
- conclavePrivate, secretive assembly
- cardinalOf foremost importance
- pontiffSupreme Catholic leader
tiara · Vatican · curia · investiture · enthronement · deposition · excommunication · interdict
Tragic chaste youth
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- fourteenth centuryYears 1301-1400
- Holy Roman EmperorMedieval Germanic imperial monarch
- political interferenceExternal manipulation of governance
Great Schism
Historic Christian church division
- Western SchismPeriod of competing popes
- AvignonFrench papal seat
- splitSeparation into parts
division · faction · obedience · legitimacy crisis · allegiance · recognition · Council of Constance · healing · reunion
usurper
Illegal power seizer
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
- self-proclaimedDeclared without outside validation
- illegitimateNot authorized or recognized
unrecognized · contested · challenger · counterclaim · disputed election · deposition · abdication · forced resignation · succession dispute
papacy
Pope's office and authority
pontiff · tiara · Vatican · curia · investiture · enthronement · deposition · excommunication · interdict · anathema
Hippolytus
Tragic chaste youth
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- fourteenth centuryYears 1301-1400
- Holy Roman EmperorMedieval Germanic imperial monarch
political interference · simony · nepotism · corruption · reform movement
- Catholic historypapacy, Vatican, dioceses, Catholic Church, cardinals
- Church disputesschism, Great Schism, Arian controversy, Monophysitism, iconoclasm
- church titlesabbot, abbess, bishop, deacon, priest
- medieval clergypriest, monk, nun, bishop, abbot
- Medieval Romepapacy, popes, Vatican, Tiber River, basilicas
- Papal SchismsWestern Schism, Great Schism, schism, Council of Constance, papal succession