It would take the Council of Constance to render a formal and lasting solution. The council accepted Gregory XII's resignation, deposed John XXIII, ignored the claim of Benedict XIII, and placed Pope Martin on the papal throne. These times of triumphant would have lasting effects on the Church for years to come. Along with the Babylonian Captivity and the Papal Schism the Church also had to deal with the fight against with heresy which would also plague the Church as time went on.
When the Renaissance finally took hold of Europe it represented a great time for the Church to reform itself and with that a Protestant Reformation may never have come into being. Sadly, this was not the case and the cry for reform would continue. Pope Nicholas had sought to reform the church and enrich it but his efforts gave way. Alexander VI bribing of the cardinals to win his election to the papal throne was another smudge upon the church. His court was corrupt to say the least. He plotted the extermination of the Waldenses, fathered 16 children, and was seen as responsible for the burning of Savonarola. Leo X would be a strong pusher of the sale of indulgences, one of the main complaints against the church by reform minded individuals. The call for reform was getting louder.
Before Luther nailed up his 95 Theses on the door at Wittenburg there others already others who were paving the way for the Reformation. John Wycliffe of Yorkshire was one of those men paving the way. He would merge as the most vocal critic of papal policies at Oxford. Wycliffe's reformatory works were based upon the bible and Augustine. When it came to theological concepts Wycliffe believed that God alone was Lord. That no man could lord in the ultimate sense of the word but only a steward of that over which the Supreme Lord has given him, by divine grace. His thoughts also include that all power, civil and ecclesiastical is held righteously only as long as the possessor rain in grace.
