Papal schism of Anacletus and Innocent

February 14, 1130

Two rival popes were elected in Rome on the same day, and Christendom spent the next eight years picking sides. Bernard of Clairvaux tipped the balance for Innocent II by preaching him through France and Germany. Anacletus held Rome but died friendless in 1138. The schism revealed how deeply Roman factional politics could fracture the universal church, and it enhanced Bernard's reputation as the conscience of Latin Christendom.