What Happened in History: Browse Historical Facts on Kudos 365

Pope Gregory XI dies on March 27, 1378, in Rome, just over a year after he had moved the papal court back to Rome from Avignon. His death was followed by the election of Pope Urban VI on April 8, 1378 but a subsequent dispute over the legitimacy of this election led to the Western Schism with the election of Clement VII on September 20, 1378 as a rival pope in Avignon by a majority of the cardinals seceding from Rome.