1054 CEReputable sourceWell documented
The Great Schism
On the timeline · around 1054 CE ·
What happened
Centuries of growing division between the Greek-speaking Eastern church, led by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Latin Western church, led by the Pope in Rome, came to a head in 1054. Legates of the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated one another, formalizing a split over papal authority, doctrine, and ritual.
Why it matters
The Great Schism divided Christendom into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches — a breach that has never fully healed. It deepened the estrangement between Byzantium and the West that would soon turn to open hostility.
Sources
- Christian History Institute. 1054 The East-West Schism · Reputable source