Pope from November 11, 1417 - February 20, 1431
Lived: 1369 - February 20, 1431
Birth name: Odo Colonna
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Odo Colonna was descended from not one, but two powerful Roman families -- the Colonnas and the Contis. The Colonna family in particular had furnished no fewer than 27 cardinals to the Church before young Odo came on the scene, but he was the first to ascend all the way to the Chair of Peter. Odo held numerous offices throughout his life, but his biggest intrigue came in his support of Antipope John XXIII during the Western Schism. That stunt got him excommunicated by Gregory XII, but in the time between Gregory’s resignation and his own election, Odo was reconciled to Rome.
Give me the scoop on Martin V.
In a unanimous vote at the Council of Constance, on the Feast of St. Martin of Tours, Pope Martin V was elected, taking his new name in honor of the great soldier-saint. Because Martin was merely a cardinal-deacon at his election, he was ordained a priest two days after election, then consecrated a bishop the following day. Rome was in pieces and was all but uninhabitable at his election, so Martin spent his first couple of years in office on a tour of Europe. His travels were spent reclaiming lands and allegiance for the true papacy, mending the many broken fences from four decades of Western Schism. He would continue the same work even after moving to Rome for good in 1420.
Due to Rome’s horrible condition, Martin V faced considerable pressure to move the Holy See elsewhere. However, Martin insisted, saying: