Battle for Christendom

July 14, 2008
At the beginning of the 15th century, Christendom was in full decline, attacked from the outside by Islam and disrupted from within by schism regarding the office of the Pope. Until the Council of Constance (1414–1418), three popes—Gregory XII in Rome, Benedict XIII in Avignon and John XXIII in Germany—ruled Christendom, provoking schism. In 1387, Sigismund, already the king of Czechoslovakia, became the Holy Roman Emperorthrough his political savvy and military acumen, and with the help of John XXIII convoked the Council of Constance. The council not only ended the schism but also returned the papacy to Rome for good—electing Martin V as pope—and condemned the heresies of reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake for his positions on the Eucharist. Although the book offers a useful portrait of Sigismund, a little-known but important figure in church history, it has a plodding, workmanlike style and offers little new insight into the work of the council itself.

September 1, 2008
The Council of Constance (141418) was called chiefly to resolve the so-called papal schism during which three rival popes reigned. Its outcomes, reinforcing papal supremacy and traditional conceptions of the Church, in fact laid the groundwork for the Reformation and subsequent Counter-Reformation. Although the topic is absorbing, this particular treatment is very disappointing. Welsh has written previously on Australian and British history (e.g., "The Four Nations: A History of the United Nations"); however, his style in this volume is choppy. The book begins with numerous names, dates, and places, with little connecting tissue to hold the reader's interest. Various prurient anecdotes detract from the story, and the volume contains a scant 70 pages concerning the council itself. The remainder of the book surveys the surrounding history in an anecdotal fashion. The strongest section is the description of the Hussite rebellion following the council, but this warrants its own deeper treatment. The notes for each of the chapters are sketchy and simply list books the author utilized in a topical fashion. Not recommended.Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI

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