Pope Urban VI

**Urban VI**
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**Early Life and Education**

Bartolomeo Prignano, later known as Urban VI, was born around 1318 in Naples. He earned his doctorate as Dr. iur. utr. and became a professor and respected canonist in Naples.

**Clerical Career**

Prignano's clerical career began with his appointment as Archbishop of Acerenza in 1363. He later became the Archbishop of Bari in 1377, having previously served in the Curia under Pope Gregory XI. Upon his return to Rome in 1377, he was appointed head of the papal chancery.

**Election as Pope**

The situation in Rome at the time was tense, with eighteen French cardinals facing four Italian and one Spanish cardinal. Of the eighteen Frenchmen, six had refused to leave Avignon, while another cardinal was legate in Tuscany. The remaining eleven cardinals were largely from Limousin, a region that had been favored by previous popes. This led to a sense of regionalism among the cardinals, with their local interests taking precedence over the needs of the universal Church.

On April 8, 1378, the Conclave convened at Saint Angel's castle in Rome, where sixteen out of twenty-three cardinals were present. The election was marked by tense conditions, and it was the first time a Pope had been chosen in Rome for almost a century. Urban VI was elected as the new Pope, marking a significant shift away from French influence in the Church.

**Papacy**

Urban VI's papacy lasted from 1378 to 1389. He was known for his depressive character, which led to conflicts with the cardinals and ultimately contributed to the Great Schism of 1378-1417. The Pope's Italian origin also made him a target for suspicion among the Roman people, who feared that he might transfer the papacy back to Avignon.

**Death**

Urban VI died on October 15, 1389, in Rome, bringing an end to his tumultuous papacy.