Crusade and Reform, 1414–1449: Allies or Rivals?

Abstract

Since at least the late twelfth century, the advocacy of a crusade to the Holy Land was closely related to the reform of the Church and more broadly of Christian society. In the fifteenth century, reform and crusade—the latter now principally directed against the Ottoman Turks—still coexisted in the minds of many, but the link had become complicated by the emergence of conciliarism. There was general agreement that the Church stood in need for far-reaching reform, indeed of renewal. But could, and should, crusade form part of that renewal? This chapter examines the tensions and synergies between the advocacy of crusade and reform, focusing on the Councils of Constance (1414–1418) and Basel (1431–1449).