Merging Polemics? The Mendicant-Secular Controversy at the time of the Great Western Schism and beyond

At the heart of the debates surrounding the privileges of the mendicants lies a central controversy regarding the role of the papacy. From the mid-13th century onwards, the pope was not merely a participant in this controversy; as early scholarship by Yves Congar has demonstrated, his authority itself became a focal point of repeated contention. Arguments against the privileges of the friars were thus intertwined with debates about the papacy’s role. This contribution explores some of the dynamics involved in this complex process. It examines documents from the time of the Great Schism (1378–1417), tracing how arguments raised in the controversy over the friars became deeply embedded in the broader debates surrounding the Schism and papal authority.