Constance

Constance, or KOSTNITZ, a city of Baden, once a free imperial city, is situated on both sides of the Rhine, at its exit from Lake Constance, 91 miles E. of Basel by rail. One of the most ancient towns of Germany, Constance owed its prosperity to its linen industry, for which it was already famous in the 12th century; but five centuries later this had sunk greatly, and it has only been partially revived since the establishment of railways. Its manufactures include linen, cotton, jute, and waterproof fabrics, canvas, carpets, and chemicals; and other industries are bell-founding, printing, and publishing. Beside the picture-gallery, library, and town-hall, with a valuable collection of archives, the most noteworthy buildings are the cathedral (part of which dates from the 11th century), the old Dominican convent (now an hotel), and the present market-hall, in which three places the sessions of the great council were held. Pop. (1890) 16,320.—The most notable event in the history of Constance is the meeting of the ecclesiastical council here in 1414–18 with a view to put an end to the disorders in the popedom and in the election of popes, and also to prevent the spread of the doctrines of Huss. There assembled with the Emperor Sigismund and Pope John XXIII. 3 patriarchs, 33 cardinals, 47 archbishops, 145 bishops, 124 abbots, 750 doctors, and about 18,000 priests and monks, besides numerous princes and counts of the empire, and representatives from all the monarchs of Catholic Christendom; and the retinues of these members of council swelled the number of strangers resident in the town to over 50,000. The three rival popes, John XXIII., Gregory XII., and Benedict XIII., were deposed, and Martin V. was elected. Huss (q.v.) and Jerome of Prague (q.v.) were condemned and burned. The emperor was, however, disappointed in his hope of a thorough reform of the church (causa reformationis), in spite of the efforts of such advocates of reform as Peter d'Ailly and Gerson (q.v.); and the Council of Basel (q.v.) was afterwards called to carry on the work which the Council of Constance had failed to accomplish.