Council of Basele
Council of Basele
A church council held in 1431 in the town of Basele, Switzerland. Its members, including monks, bishops, and scholars, sought to discuss pressing church matters such as the challenge of the Hussites, the Czech reformers who defied the authority of the church. The council was officially convened by Pope Martin V, who died soon after it began meeting. Its members asserted their authority in matters of doctrine, even presuming to give direction to the pope himself in such concerns. They also guided the church in the matter of taxation, in the celebration of the Mass, and in the pope's authority over local church institutions. As the nations of Europe gradually emerged from medieval feudalism, the Council of Basele and others served to express their growing sense of independence from the authority of the Vatican, the papal headquarters in Rome. Greatly weakened by the Great Schism that divided the church among several factions, Pope Eugene IV agreed to recognize the council as legitimate. By a papal decree of 1437 the council was moved to Ferrara, Italy, where it began meeting again in 1438.
See Also: Council of Constance