Sigismund

Sigismund convened the Council of Constance to end the Western Schism, which had three rival popes. The council deposed all three and elected Pope Martin V, ending the schism. Sigismund played a key role in securing the council's success, though he failed to prevent the execution of Jan Hus.

Despite Sigismund's promise of safe conduct to Jan Hus to attend the Council of Constance, Hus was arrested, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. Sigismund's failure to protect Hus damaged his reputation and sparked the Hussite Wars in Bohemia, which would plague his reign.

Following the death of Wenceslaus IV, Sigismund claimed the throne of Bohemia, but the Hussites refused to accept him as king. This led to a series of military campaigns known as the Hussite Wars. Sigismund led several crusades against the Hussites but was repeatedly defeated by their innovative tactics under Jan

Sigismund was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Eugene IV in Rome, becoming the last emperor to be crowned in the city. This coronation marked the formal end of the Western Schism and solidified Sigismund's position as the leading secular ruler in Europe.

Sigismund negotiated the Compact of Basel with the moderate Hussites (Utraquists), granting them the right to receive communion under both kinds. This agreement temporarily ended the Hussite Wars and allowed Sigismund to finally be recognized as King of Bohemia, though the peace was fragile.