Robert of Geneva

Robert of Geneva was born in 1342 in the Chateau d'Annecy, the son of Amadeus III, Count of Geneva, and Mahaut de Boulogne. He studied at La Sorbonne in Paris and became a cardinal in 1371. He served as a papal legate in Italy and authorized the massacre of thousands of civilians at Cesena in 1377. He was elected as an antipope by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI and moved to Avignon, France, where he took the name Clement VII. His election triggered the Western Schism, a split in the Catholic Church that lasted for 40 years. He was supported by France, Spain, Scotland, Naples, and some German states. He faced opposition from Urban VI and his successors in Rome, as well as from England, Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, and Hungary. He tried to end the schism through negotiations and councils, but failed to achieve any reconciliation. He died in 1394 and was buried in the Avignon Cathedral. He was succeeded by another antipope, Benedict XIII. Clement VII is regarded by the Roman Catholic Church as an illegitimate claimant to the papacy and a usurper of the rightful authority of the popes in Rome.